If Arsène Wenger continues to enliven dark winter nights by parading his ever-growing band of talented youngsters, the Football League should consider changing the name of its knockout competition to the Arsenal Exhibition Tournament because for the past few seasons it has been exactly that.
Ever since a youthful Robin van Persie inspired his even less experienced teammates to a surprising run to the semi-finals two years ago, Arsenal have dominated the Carling Cup in terms of entertainment and storylines, even if they have not lifted the trophy.
The audacious way in which Arsenal’s young players took the game to Chelsea in the first half of last season’s final in Cardiff provided one of the spectacles of 2007 and Wenger is confident that they can go one step farther during this campaign by winning the only domestic competition to have eluded him.
The club’s remarkable strength in depth is shown by only four of last season’s finalists being in the team who beat Blackburn Rovers in such style on Tuesday evening, with Justin Hoyte, Abou Diaby, Armand Traoré and Denilson staying with the mid-weekers while others have graduated to the first team. With an average age of 20 years and 6 months, Arsenal appear to be following the example of policemen by getting younger and younger.
Wenger claimed to be unsurprised by his players’ performance and believes that they are all capable of playing in the Barclays Premier League, a view rival managers may be increasingly eager to exploit by taking them on loan. If even the shell-shocked Mark Hughes, whose fondness for all things Arsenal runs at the same level as that of his mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson, compares the shooting starlets to the famous Manchester United youth team of 1992, they must be something special.
Even more remarkable is that the latest batch of graduates of Liam Brady’s vaunted academy contains a smattering of Englishmen. Mark Randall, 18, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, made his full debut at Ewood Park in front of Hoyte, and Kieran Gibbs was introduced on the left wing during extra time, Hoyte’s younger brother, Gavin, remained on the substitutes’ bench.
The Hoytes hope to become only the fourth pair of brothers to play together for Arsenal, following in the footsteps of the legendary Denis and Leslie Compton, and they possess the pedigree for sporting success because their parents are former sprinters. A right back, Gavin’s route to the first team is blocked by his elder brother, although he can also play at centre back and is considered to be the more talented, presenting an interesting case study in sibling rivalry.
With 80 minutes on the pitch and an intimate involvement in the visiting team’s opening goal, Randall made the biggest impact of the young English lions in Blackburn, although Gibbs is thought of equally highly. The 18-year-old is most comfortable in central midfield, but his pace and versatility have led him to be called a “little Giggs” by Wenger and he demonstrated why in creating a goal for Eduardo da Silva in Arsenal’s 3-0 win away to Sheffield United in the previous round.
For all Arsenal’s worldwide scouting network, Gibbs demonstrates that the club also pay attention to players closer to home because he was acquired from Wimbledon when their academy relocated to Milton Keynes, along with James Dunne and Abu Ogogo, his fellow reserve players.
Of the imports, Lukasz Fabianski, the goalkeeper, is the closest to a first-team call-up, with Wenger regarding the 23-year-old Poland player as the long-term successor to Jens Lehmann, although Fran Mérida is perhaps the most highly rated. The 17-year-old is known at the club as the new Cesc Fàbregas because, like his fellow Spaniard, he left Barcelona’s academy as a teenager to sign a professional contract at Arsenal, shining in the reserves last season before making his first-team debut in the Carling Cup third-round win over Newcastle United.
Fàbregas made his debut as a 16-year-old at the same stage of the competition in a 1-1 draw against Rotherham United in 2003 and has spent the intervening years establishing himself as one of the best midfield players in Britain. If any of his successors turn out to be half as good, Wenger will be more than satisfied.
Young guns
Tuesday night Fabianski J Hoyte Senderos Song Traoré Randall Diaby Denilson Diarra Eduardo Bendtner Subs Mannone G Hoyte Barazite Gibbs Mérida
2007 Final Almunia J Hoyte Touré Senderos Traoré Walcott Fàbregas Denilson Diaby Aliadière Júlio Baptista Subs Poom Djourou Eboué Hleb Adebayor
source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk
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