Hello and how are you? Sunday the 15th of February sees the Mighty Cannon host Wigan Athletic in the next round of the FA Cup. KO at the Emirates is at 4.30pm, local time. Expected weather is cloudy with temps at 7° ( feels like 4°) and 79% of rain in the first half and 16% in the second.
So, a chance for a few changes and some musical chairs for the squad, what with the next round of the FAC, and its magic (which is code that everyone outside of planet Arsenal will be hoping we lose)and hopefully a victory that we could all do with. The last thing we need is to go to penalties! But I’m sure 22nd place League One Wigan will be aiming for that?
Missing for the Gunners are: Merino, Dowman ( good to see him back in training) and Mr. Havertz. Undoubtedly doubtful are; Saliba! and Odegaard.
Missing for Wigan are: Adeeko, Robinson, McHugh, and doubtful is James Carragher.
I checked in with the heads at statto HQ and they calculated this Arsenal have an 89.4% chance of winning and Wigan a mere 2.9%. Next up a clash with struggling Wolves at theirs and then it’s Them at the Shack. SO COYG!
Mills
This game should be about as easy as it gets. Wigan are not very good, we are at home and everyone that starts will be a good player desperate to impress. There really isn’t much more to say on the subject, should be fun.
Pedantic George.
Positively Arsenal 
a few youth players seen arriving with the squad, most notable are Ceadach O’Neill and Marli Salmon.
O’Neill would be a major surprise as he has hardly featured for the U21’s despite his 9 goals in 10 league games for the U18’s, he has 12 goals across all Academy teams this season, and he has a fair few assists too. He was taken off at half time in the U18 game yesterday.
Marli Salmon was taken off at half time in the U21 game and was expected to be in the squad today.
2 of the academy goalies are also with the squad, Khari Ranson and Tommy Setford, of the two Setford is the more likely to be sub goalie today if Raya is given the day off.
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O’Neill has played mostly as a striker this season but can play on either wing too. He is still only 17(turns 18 in April) and is a Northern Ireland U19 international, he has been called up to their U21 squad too.
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Again great set up lads.
Well although I think we should be putting out schoolboys for this game in my head I know Ed is correct and his team is probably on the money.
Putting out a young side would indeed be gambling in the wigan casino but a ratio of experience to youth of three before eight might just be excellent.
Our warm up will be taken by Mikel or M’s as we could call him today and he will take us to the top of the room.
A good performance today could have us dancing all night and the the last sound we hear is “Do I love you, indeed I do” COYG.
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Wigan’s first choice goalie is Sam Tickle, he turned down a move to Arsenal 18 months ago cos he felt playing regular for Wigan was better for his career than being no.2 or no.3 at Arsenal.
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Oleksandr Zinchenko looks to have suffered a season ending injury just 3 minutes into his debut at Ajax
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Matt Smith who was an unused sub when we last won the FA Cup plays for Wigan
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Arsenal Women’s game away to Brighton postponed late due to a waterlogged pitch.
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Kepa; White, Saliba, Mosquera, Calafiori; Norgaard, Lewis-Skelly, Eze; Madueke, Martinelli, Jesus.
subs: Setford, Hincapie, Gabriel, Salmon, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Trossard, Gyökeres
very close to what I predicted would be the line up
Matt Smith is a sub for Wigan today
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all games so far today have gone the way of the EPL teams
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none of the results in the WSL went our way today but if AFC women win their two games in hand they will be 2nd in the table
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Calafiori got injured in the warm up so Saka started, and O’Neill was added to the subs
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HT: Arsenal 4-0 Wigan
Madueke, Martinelli, an own goal, and Jesus with our goals
with Calafiori injury it meant MLS moving to left back and not the expected midfield role
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Gyokeres on for Saka for the second half
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Salmon and Trossard on for Saliba and Madueke
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the game has died a death
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Ben White(injured) replaced by Martin Zubimendi. Salmon goes to right-back, Norgaard centre-back
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Tommy Setford on for his Arsenal debut, Kepa off.
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FT: Arsenal 4-0 wigan
a nothing second half, well except for the injuries we picked up.
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I assume the 5th round draw will be made tomorrow evening before the monday night cup game.
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10 EPL sides so far, Brentford can make it 11, so as things stand there will be at least 5 lower league teams we could get drawn against.
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We could end up playing city six times this season in four different competitions.
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Although I enjoyed the sixteen minutes of glory today was an example of risk adverse madness.
I understand giving players who need minutes a game and those who need confidence a game but really what happened today was very strange.
From a manager who normal subs are one for one, putting on Saka for Cala seemed lunacy to me especially with Hincapie on the bench.
Being four nil up at half time and not putting Marli on was also strange. The half time score also highlighted the folly of having the bench stacked with the first team.
Zube, Rice, Saliva and Gabriel should have been tucked up warm in bed and certainly not aloud anywhere near the grass.
Mikel may well go on and win the league this season but I will always think what a weird day this was and what a wasted opportunity.
On the plus side it was a good overall performance and some players really shone.
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Norgaard was named man of the match today
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He will not start again for a while
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maybe ian we will see a midfield 3 of Norgaard, Zubimendi and Rice in some games
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I think the problem is that the magic of the cup has gone. If Brentford win and there are only five clubs outside the PL left in the cup already.
The gap between the PL teams and the rest is getting wider each year and so shocks are usually the smaller PL teams beating the bigger ones.
I know each season a team in the bottom half of the top division gets beaten because they put out a weak side to save their regular players for the league but that’s it.
The F.A. may have to consider changing the rules of the most famous cup competition in the world to keep it competitive. PL teams having to play away or if they are playing teams a division below not having those players who are regular starters playing.
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In the last twenty five years only nine clubs have won the cup.
Portsmouth, Wigan, Palace, Leicester, Liverpool, Chelsea, both the Manchester clubs and of course serial winners ARSENAL.
In the ten cup finals between 1970 and 1979 nine different clubs also one won it. Obviously the only club winning it twice was ARSENAL.
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