THE first piece of silverware in English football this season will be handed out tomorrow after Arsenal and Manchester City clash in the final at Wembley Stadium, London.
It’s an intriguing coming together – the two best sides in the domestic game this term – and one that holds great promise of an entertaining showpiece.
In a repeat of the 2018 final, Arsenal will start as favourites, a rare development in Pep Guardiola’s decade-long tenure at City, but something that only adds spice to the clash.
Mikel Arteta’s side will be aiming to win Arsenal their first League Cup in 33 years and secure a first trophy for the Spaniard since his 2020 FA Cup triumph.
Apart from the five FA Cups, Arsenal have been starved of silverware over the past 20-odd years. They have helped themselves to six Community Shields during that period, a lesser prize in the bigger picture.
But those pale in significance when one mentions Guardiola himself. Since 2018, he has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups, and a Champions League crown. A Uefa Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup are also in his trophy cabinet, along with three Community Shield winners’ medals.
That is some collection – and that experience is what Guardiola will lean on as he endeavours to thwart Arsenal yet again.
City are proven trophy winners. They are a squad that has thrived on tactical superiority in England and unmatched attacking firepower, but they have become prone to defensive lapses in the last couple of seasons, perhaps with fatigue and one or two other issues, such as the departure of key personnel, weighing them down.
For all this, now might be Arsenal’s best chance at having a go at City and writing themselves a new chapter in the competition’s 66-year history.
With probably the deepest reserves in the English game now, and certainly the strongest starting XI across all European football, Arsenal are challenging on four fronts. They lead the Premier League by nine points, albeit City have a game in hand, and they are favourites for the FA Cup and Champions League.
That says something about Arteta – the man brought in in December 2019 to rebuild a struggling outfit, make them competitive again and win trophies on a regular basis.
The 43-year-old from San Sebastián has managed the first two with some substance and looks to start on the third task with victory at Wembley tomorrow.
But it is unlikely to be easy, although Declan Rice might just deliver the Cup for them.
The England midfielder’s expected duel with City’s Spain international, Rodri, in the centre of the park could be the decisive battle.
Many pundits believe that whoever wins this tussle will win the Cup. There is little to suggest otherwise and, given City’s pedigree when it comes to winning things, the odds are narrowed down rather notably.
Because this is a cup final, the goalkeepers may yet have more than their usual selves to parade on the big stage.
Should the final be a stalemate after extra time, it will go to a penalty shoot-out, and that’s often when the goalkeepers turn themselves into heroes.
Arsenal’s David Raya and Gianluigi Donnarumma of City are both top-class keepers – among the best in the world. Tomorrow they will get the chance to show us just what they are made of, and hopefully lead their side to victory, and up the stairs of Wembley for the first trophy of the season.
