Arsenal 3-5-11

With Manchester United's loss at Chelsea during the week, Arsenal took the field against Sunderland today with the opportunity to cut the gap at the top of the EPL table to one point with a win.

A quick look at the calendar shows that it's March which, for Arsenal, means that most of their important offensive firepower would be out due to varying forms of injury.

It's not so much that Walcott, Fabregas, and Van Persie are out, it's their replacements.  More specificially it's Denilson, Bendtner, and Rosicky.  The last time Rosicky played well was in Germany against the US in the 2006 World Cup.

Bendtner is a legend in his own mind and Denilson is Denilson.  He just isn't very good.

Is Wenger honestly surprised that his top guys miss so much time?  Maybe he should be better prepared to win without them later in each season.

Arsenal were probably unlucky not to get either the penalty call on Arshavin or the the onside call on Arshavin but those things happen when your margin of error is so razor thin.  I really think that to win any game you have to beat the other team and overcome the inevitable bad calls.  Arsenal didn't really do either as they drew the Black Cats 0-0 to close the gap to 3.

Van Persie being hurt brings me to the Carling Cup.

I have long disrespected both the Carling Cup and, to some extent, the FA Cup.  Maybe it's a cultural thing but as an American follower of Arsenal, I could care less about the CC and th FA Cup.

I know there is a lot of heat on Wenger because he hasn't won a trophy in awhile but would winning the Carling Cup really fix all of that?  I don't think so.  I think winning the CC is cool if you win other stuff as well.  On it's own a CC trophy is cool for teams like Birmingham.

It's all about winning the league and doing well in the Champions League.  For instance I think a season that saw Arsenal win the CC but not advance out of the Champions League Group Stage would be considered a disappointment.

So for Wenger to play any of his irreplaceable players in the CC is ridiculous.

For me those players are:

Cesc
RVP
Nasri
Walcott
Song
Any non-injured CB

I used to like the old AW strategy in the CC.  Play the kids and take the results.  It's not that important other than to develop players.

Peace brah