⚽ City vs Arsenal | FA Cup 4th Round | Friday, 8pm: Page 3 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

⚽ City vs Arsenal | FA Cup 4th Round | Friday, 8pm

banduan

Clrnc I'd like some of the squad to get a runout, even if it is Citeh. The only ones I'd maybe not do are Holding and Sambi - bring Saliba and Xhaka in.

Claudius

banduan
Arteta isn’t going to send Holding out against City.

RowJimmy

Claudius He will if we're up by a goal with 10 minutes left.

Qwiss

Claudius maybe he'll do it just to mock Peps lack of hair

Clrnc

Claudius I think there's a very high chance we will put out the same team that started against United.

Claudius

Clrnc you mean the same team that starts every game?

QuincyAbeyie

If it really needs an explanation, what Clrnc is saying is that there's a high chance we'll go with the strongest team even if it's the FA Cup.

Claudius

Hi Quincy

goon

While I'm sure the media will also try to hype it up, I don't really buy into this being a statement game or a chance to lay a marker down. Reckon it will have minimal impact on the league campaign barring any injuries.

It's a chance to get into the next round of the FA Cup and that's about it.

On the other hand there's some very good players and new signings who've had to deal with minimal mins recently and may have to contend with more time on the bench for another month. I'd be surprised if we didn't give some of them some much needed mins, important aspect of squad management and keeping everyone feeling like they're involved.

Mixed team all the way for me.

Burnwinter

goon I don't really buy into this being a statement game

It's us versus our title rivals in the FA Cup. Even lining up like it wasn't a statement game would be a big statement.

Maybe not the be-all and end-all, but definitely the try-a-few and do-some. Our league matches against City are huge for the title run, and there are many ways this could affect those.

Claudius

It’s not a statement game. But Arteta likes to win everything. And he will know that he has a week between games right now so will want to keep his players fit. So he will play everyone. Everyone can probably have the entire weekend off after this game before getting ready for Everton.

goon

If we're talking about psychological boost and shifting narrative then I'll tell you what will help, if we're able to beat them with a mixed side. It would shut a few people up who claim we have no depth.

This should have no bearing on selection - but If we play a full team and lose to a 'mixed' City side you can just imagine what they'll all be saying.

Burnwinter

goon I tell you what will help is if we're able to beat them with a mixed side

This is definitely something you could go round on, but this really isn't how this works in my opinion.

You play a "mixed" side against City away in this FA Cup tie, you likely get beaten. Then you've got no benchmark, and you can't benefit from instructing the fringe players who won't feature in the league encounters what they need to improve on for those.

You've also lost and in doing so you've established that your second string isn't good enough. The wider public interpretation of which is that you knew you were in trouble against City, so you threw the tie.

Play a strong side and lose, your players know the size of the task ahead in the league. Play a strong side and win, and you've got the psychological advantage, especially an away win.

You play the "mixed" or second string side when you don't care about the competition or you don't care about the opponent. In this case, we should care about both …

goon

I don't think the players are under any illusion as to what they're up against in the league nor will it impact how they'll go about the game. Why would you need a benchmark?

Burnwinter Play a strong side and lose, your players know the size of the task ahead in the league. Play a strong side and win, and you've got the psychological advantage, especially an away win.

Or we win and City know the size of the task ahead. Or we lose and City have a psychological advantage. I don't really buy these arguments, there's any number of ways you could spin it. I go back to my original point a few posts ago, I think the phycological impact on a game two weeks away in a different context is overstated.

Burnwinter You play the "mixed" or second string side when you don't care about the competition or you don't care about the opponent. In this case, we should care about both …

Wanting to give us the best chance to go through is a strong argument for playing a full first choice team. I noticed yesterday when a reporter tried to hype up the tie and ask if it's season defining, he said yes because we'd go through to the 5th round.

Personally while I do want to go through and beat City, I'm putting the League and squad management ahead. Not only do I think it's really important to give the 5 or 6 players who feel like they should be starting more a role to play, I actually have faith in the likes of Trossard, ESR, Vieira, Tomi and Turner to be able to get the job done.

Anyway lets see, will be interesting to see what Arteta goes for.

QuincyAbeyie

It's not like our mixed side is bad. Tomi, Tierney, ESR, Trossard and Vieira are players who should want to break into the first XI, even if they won't.

Burnwinter

Sure. Sake of argument let's say "mixed" is 3+ outfield players rotated from our usual first XI.

I would be pretty keen to protect Partey unless we're very, very sure of that midfield signing.

Burnwinter

goon I don't really buy these arguments, there's any number of ways you could spin it.

You literally made one of "these arguments" yourself, except it sucked, that's why I contested it.

The reason it sucked is that the only scenario you analysed was the one where we field a weaker team and win. Granted that'd be great, but it ain't happening.

Gazza M

it's not a statement game, but it's definitely a 'don't start an 11 that could potentially get battered' game

goon

Burnwinter hey I offered one up with the modest ambition of boosting confidence of players with limited mins and silencing some pundits. Not virtually guaranteeing we do the league double over City.

RowJimmy

I think that projecting our psychology as supporters onto the team makes no sense. Most of this stuff about statement games has little effect on them.

Burnwinter

We learn faster than City for the time being, but we learn more if the strong side that'll compete in the league also competes here, in the cup. Put them out there, see how they go, refine the approach based on that. Makes sense. I would protect Partey though—but that's just basic risk management.

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