Aston Villa play Arsenal today in the FA Cup with the trophy the likely only real chance of either club taking any silverware this season. Whilst Arsenal fans may suggest there is a chance they might win the Champions League considering they are still in contention, this chance is fairly remote if they are honest.
As for Villa, they come to the game with two pertinent statistics. The first is that Villa are the club with the best record at the Emirates of all Premier League teams, and the second is that the much maligned Alex McLeish masterminded a win over an Arsenal in the cup last year. This, of course, with a lesser team in Birmingham City, as well as facing a stronger Arsenal side who have since been shorn of both Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas.
Anything Can Happen & It Probably Will
The FA Cup always brings excitement. There are people who suggest the competition is past it, that it is the bastion of nearly clubs who have no chance of winning bigger trophies such as the Premier League title or the Champions League. This might be what some arrogant clubs may say in public but, make no doubt about it, there isn’t a manager in the competition that doesn’t want to win it.
After all, why would anyone turn down the chance of winning a trophy? In Arsenal and Villa’s case, neither can afford to be picky, with both teams going through something of a lean streak when it comes to silverware, although Arsenal can at least count more recent successes than the club from B6.
Looking at the game itself, both teams have defensive issues. For Arsenal, the issue with full backs is simply not having any fit, whilst Villa are suffering with their own issues – namely player form. Whilst I am always hesitant to openly criticise player form, few can say that Hutton’s performances, to date at least, have been electric. Stephen Warnock, playing on the opposing flank, has often been little better.
So it will certainly be a game that will benefit pace and skill in the wide areas. For Arsenal, the invariable candidates for terrorising Villa’s weak links will be Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. For Villa, the likely options are Ireland, Albrighton, and Agbonlahor.
In fact, for Villa, there may well be a selection headache to the manager. Looking at the Villa team, is it feasible that Ireland, Keane, Bent, Agbonlahor, and Albrighton might be in the same lineup? Few could doubt the attacking potential available in such a potent strike combination, but does fielding all five leave the team lacking in a defensive sense, especially given the aforementioned issues with Hutton and Warnock?
For me, the answer is a definite yes. However, it may also be the team’s best chance to take something out of the encounter, what with attack sometimes being the best form of defence.
The quandary that the manager may well be pondering though is whether he has acquired enough cojones to be able to take such a risk. As we all know, the manager finds himself regularly in a position where any slip up is magnified. It is unlikely McLeish will make a mistake in the vein of Gerard Houllier’s decision to field a weakened team against Manchester City last season, but even fielding a strong team may not be enough.
In my eyes, McLeish certainly has the brass balls required to take such a gamble, what with him taking the transition from one side of Birmingham to the other in his stride. Attacking Arsenal, however, whilst offering the best chance of winning, also exposes Villa to the possibility of a real hammering which isn’t, in any situation, something that Villa fans will want.
Impossible Choices
So what exactly can Villa do? Given squad confidence undulating more than a Blackpool roller-coaster, playing an attacking game, especially if an early lapse puts Villa in a deficient position, something that is hardly far from unlikely, may well be too much. It’s one of those head vs heart dilemmas we have all been through – my heart says “Screw it and go for it”, whilst my head says “Be sensible first”.
McLeish won’t have the benefit of excuses though should his plan go wrong, whether due to his instructions or the quality of play by the players, so maybe he will have to be cautious, leaving further fuel in the fire of anger if it turns out to not work out as planned. Again, McLeish can’t win, although I’m sure the Glaswegian is fully aware of this situation, as Arsenal away will hardly be the first time such pressure is applied.
At least, as some crumb of comfort, the tie is away from home. Whilst I would, in the realms of a normal season, prefer to play a team at home, the juxtaposition of silence and an oft poisonous atmosphere at home, sad as I am to have to admit this, is not beneficial for the team or the manager. Undoubtedly, the manager was a poor choice, and the resentment towards said choice fuels said criticism. However, Villa doing badly, no matter the agenda it may serve, is never a positive argument.
So we’re playing away, and that’s good. We’re playing a team that is racked with defensive issues, which is also a positive. We have a lot of attacking talent, and we have recently on-form Stephen Ireland, which is also good.
The big question though is this – Will it be good enough?
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