So the Carling Cup adventure is over for another season after a 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor last night.

The youngsters (and Sylvester) were found wanting at the back and up front and they were beaten by a hungry home side who can add our scalp to the one of Chelsea. The difference is, of course, that we played our young players, Chelsea had more or less their first team out.

Kevin McDonald was the hero for Burnley, scoring both the goals. Mark Randall will look at replays of both of them and be less than happy with his contribution. He failed to track him for the first and was out-muscled in the area for the second. But we had chances and the forwards didn't take them. Bendtner in particular had a very poor game and his attitude and lazy style, if it is a style and not just pure laziness, is very frustrating. He might be part of the first team squad but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to put the effort in when he plays in the Carling Cup.

The Burnley keeper, Brian Jensen, made a number of good saves to keep us at bay. You wonder how different things might have been had Bendtner scored with that early chance, just a minute or so before Burnley scored. But it just wasn't our night in front of goal.

Arsene Wenger said afterwards:

If you have six one-on-ones with the keeper and do not score, you have to question the qualification. You praise the goalkeeper and question the strikers.

He cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines as we saw them chase the game in the second half. Too many of the little flicks didn't come off, some of the passing, despite our possession was careless, and in and around the box the final ball just didn't happen on too many occasions. He said:

We had the potential to go through and we lost tonight against the least difficult team of the three we played. That is what young players learn. In football it is efficiency and focus from the first minute on and when you don't have the right focus you pay for it.

It's a tough lesson all right. For a lot of these players their involvement in first team football is over for the season now. Perhaps we might see some of them in the FA Cup but I'm hoping that's a competition we take seriously this season as it provides a good chance of silverware.

But nights like last night will happen with young players. They can be brilliant one game and have a complete off-night the next. I think what will have registered with the manager is the application, or lack of it, shown by one or two. It's a shame to go out as I do enjoy the Carling Cup as a competition but these lads have provided us with two of the most enjoyable nights of the season so far, the Sheffield United and Wigan games were fantastic, and they deserve great credit for that.

That Sky were talking about Burnley's win over us as a bigger achievement than beating Chelsea tells you how well the Carling Cup Arsenal is regarded. Still, there's no shame in going out of the Carling Cup to a decent Burnley side and with better finishing we might well have won.

So now the focus turns back to the league and Wigan on Saturday. We'll preview that game over the next couple of days.

Not much else happening really. There's some stuff about Patrick Vieira talking about how Roy Keane was his toughest ever opponent but it's nothing we haven't heard before, really. Anyone else think Keane with his beard looks like Harrison Ford at the start of the Fugitive? Just me them, ok.

The Mirror reports that Jay Simpson is to sign a new deal with the club. I suspect it was his little 'tache that swayed things.

So how about a little competition to take your minds off last night's defeat? I have three copies of the book Arsènal: The Making of a Modern Super-Club by Kevin Witcher (The Gooner) and Alex Fynn. Not just any old copies though. These are signed. By Arsene Wenger.

Not too shabby, eh? To win just answer the very simple question.

Before Arsene came to manage Arsenal he was the manager of a Japanese side. Was it:

a) Kendo Nagasaki b) Grampus Eight c) Ninja Antlers

Answers to book@arseblog.com, if you please. You have until Thursday night and the Random Number Generator will pick the three winners for Friday morning. If you don't win you can still buy the book at a discounted price by going here and using the code 'rocky' at check-out.

Right, that's that. Have a good day. More tomorrow.

Good morning all,

there's so much going on these day there's barely time to think. Following Sunday's game against Chelsea we have another one tonight. This time it's Carling Cup action against Burnley, the team who knocked Chelsea out in the last round.

It's another chance for some of the young players to show what they're made of. Arsene Wenger says we'll see Silvestre, Vela, Bendtner and Fabianski while the likes of Wilshere, Ramsey (who talks here about how much he's improved since joining the club), Gibbs and Merida will all probably be involved. It's another decent test for the lads on what's sure to be a freezing cold night at Turf Moor.

We have played them recently, a 2-0 win in the FA Cup last season, but after beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge they won't be afraid. The full squad should be released later this morning. Martin Keown and Bob Wilson look over some of our young English talent on the BBC.

Update: Here's the full squad. Looks like it might Sylvester + Rodgers at centre-half. 

After the win against Chelsea Cesc has reiterated the manager's words about how the team needs to focus for every game. He says:

We showed a different attitude and that is what we want to do from now on. We have shown we can do it, to beat the big teams, so we can have no excuse with not doing it against the rest of the teams.

No arguments here with regard to that. Emmanuel Adebayor believes Sunday's result sends a message to the rest of the teams in the league:

People wrote us off in the Premier League and now, we've sent out a message to every team that we believe in ourselves and we can do something. We forget about all that happened. We are always together.

The proof of whether the lessons have been learned or not will come on Saturday when we play Wigan at home. For every high this season there seems to have been a low and in December the only thing you want lowing are cattle, although not if you have a baby because they'll wake him up.

Meanwhile Robin van Persie has played down any talk of him being the one William Gallas's barbed comments were aimed at last week. When asked if it was him, he said:

Are you suggesting that William was talking about me? I don't know that, because he never told me anything and I didn't see my name in the papers, so I never felt that he was speaking about me. For me, there isn't a problem.

Which is fair enough. And at this point does it really matter who it was? It's all water under the bridge now anyway. And it was Eboue, according to a phone call left on the Arsecast hotline yesterday. So there you go.

I wonder in the entire existence of Arseblog how many times we've been linked with a transfer move for Yaya Toure. It must be close to a hundred at this stage. The Sun doesn't let us down with talk of a €6m deal in January. He's not getting his game at Barcelona though so maybe he'd fit the bill for a January transfer.

Away from Arsenal, Arseblog has been nominated for 'best podcast' and 'best community' over at the Soccerlens awards. So feel free to go and vote. For Arseblog. I should make that clear as this site is populated by smart arses.

And if you're a Twitter user, Arseblog, with almost some Arsenal content (mostly during games), can be found here.

So that's about it. I'm looking forward to tonight's game, even though I'll have to record it and watch it later. After the stress and pressure of Chelsea it's nice to be able to just sit back and enjoy the football. Come on the kids. Erm ... I mean ... COME ON ARSENAL!

Till tomorrow.

Ouch. Not hangover, football injury. Got a kick on the outside of my right foot playing 5-a-side last night and this morning I can't put any weight on it at all. I can hobble around using my heel but that's about it. And it's fucking painful, stupid foot. Reckon I have to go to the hostibal to get an x-ray. Gah. It was fine last night though, which is the weird thing.

Anyway, back to matters somewhat more important, Arsenal play Aston Villa today at the Grove. The team news it that both Adebayor and Almunia are in the squad. Almunia has recovered completely so is likely to start while the boss says he hasn't decided whether or not to play Adebayor. There'll be one young Dane cursing the recovery powers of the Togonian.

Whichever striker he picks I think we'll see the same formation as against United last week. We've really said all there is to say about how we need to play, about how irrelevant last week would become if we didn't follow it up with the right result today, so let's just hope we get the Arsenal of last week and not the Arsenal that faced Stoke. We want the Dr Jekyll Arsenal and not the Mr Hyde one. I think. Whichever one of them was the good one. And by good one I'm talking about the mean-spirited, ruthless one.

Arsene Wenger reckons seven or eight of Tuesday's Carling Cup team will play for Arsenal in the Premier League. He says:

If you look at the team that played in the Carling Cup Final two years ago our midfield was Walcott, Denilson, Fabregas, Diaby. That was the midfield that started against Man United. We have a good idea of the potential development of the players. That’s why I believe seven or eight will play.

Beyond Song and Djourou, who have a measure of Premier League experience, perhaps the one closest to making the breakthrough is Aaron Ramsey and the boss says there's no better place for him to be than at Arsenal Football Club. He says:

I believe he has something special. He has the work-rate, he has the spirit and he has good vision. He has all the physical and tactical ingredients to become a great midfielder. He still needs to develop his technique but he has what is needed to become a top-level player.

In the bits and pieces we've seen of him so far he's been impressive. He set up Adebayor's second goal at Blackburn, he set up Bendtner with a back heel against Sheffield United and he does seem to have an eye for the crafty little pass in and around the box. That's something that could well be vital as we come up against teams who like to get men behind the ball. His long passing is good too and he seems to have a mean free-kick on him. I'm tipping him to be semi-regular in the Premier League by the end of the season.

You can see some video of Wenger talking about the young players in The Sun today. 

Lukasz Fabianski's agent says other clubs have been asking him about the Polish stopper but says Fabianski is enjoying his time at Arsenal and is working 'step-by-step' to become Arsenal's number 1. If he does make it I can't imagine there'll ever be a dull game. Still, his emergence and progress is a good thing. Competition is vital, especially in the keeper's position. We saw how Lehmann responded when his place was under threat, Almunia performed excellently when he knew Jens was ready to back in at any time, and the duel between Fab and Al should keep them both on their toes.

There was good news about Eduardo who should be ready to play in about 'two or three' weeks, according to Arsene Wenger. I'd imagine they'd be a few reserves games under his belt before he's reintroduced to first team action though, so if we start to see him in the squad around Christmas time then that'd be about right. 

Right, that's about it. I've got to go get my foot looked at. Fingers crossed we get the right performance and result. Till tomorrow. 

Dear Ray Wilkins,

as a former Manchester United and Chelsea player I have never really liked you. It's nothing personal, it's just that you are tainted by association. I have to admit I took umbrage at your remarks yesterday in which you claimed that playing young players in the Carling Cup devalued the competition.

To my mind this was an obvious dig at Arsenal. In a way I can understand it. You say your focus is on winning the Carling Cup so you'll play your first team players. It's a decent bluff, in fairness. Chelsea have a good record in the competition as Arsenal fans know only too well. Your lot did us in the final a couple of years back.

But let's be honest. The real reason you play your first team players in this competition is because you don't have any kind of youth system to speak of. As your team has been assembled by the chequebook there's no need to waste any time on anything as paltry as young players. If a star leaves you can simply buy another star.

While Arsenal see the Carling Cup as a way of blooding fresh talent and giving them the chance of first team football, Chelsea see it as just another trophy. Which is fine, one man's meat is another man's poison and all that. But surely as a former Chelsea apprentice, who made his debut in 1973 having just turned 17, you'd like to see some young players get their chance. Imagine if you were a youngster at Chelsea now. You wouldn't stand a chance of getting anywhere near the first team. Chelsea would simply go out and buy somebody who could pass the ball sideways rather than bring through a youngster who could pass the ball sideways all day long.

You said "Playing a young or weakened team undermines the value of the competition. And we have not and will not do that. We want to win it, big time". Far be it for me to suggest otherwise but perhaps some young players might have approached the game against Burnley with a little more effort than some of your 'big time' players.

Oh, you can put it down to a freak result, these things happen in cup football, blah, blah, blah, but we all know that's not true. Chelsea lost because you happened to open your big mouth and then you sideways passed your own foot into it. You totally and utterly jinxed them with your comments. And it's brilliant.

Did you see Arsenal against Wigan? Did you? Do you really think seeing young players enjoying their football is undermining the value of the competition? Do you think Arsenal slashing ticket prices so more fans, especially young fans, can attend the games is undermining the value of the competition? Do you think those young fans seeing incredible young talent like Wilshere, Ramsey, Vela, Djourou, Merida and Simpson is undermining the value of the competition?

If you do then you might need to step back and have a little rethink. Surely Chelsea's 'big time' players bottling a penalty shoot-out undermines the value of the competition more. Surely Didier Drogba throwing a coin at the crowd, Carragher style, undermines the value of the competition more. Surely even playing Drogba (a man whose behaviour in the Champions League final was so appalling that most clubs would have sold him in a heartbeat) ahead of some, young, eager teenager undermines the value, not only of the competition, but of your club. That's assuming there are any values there to begin with. Which there aren't.

We beat Wigan with kids, you couldn't beat Burnley with your first team. That's proper 'big time'. Anyway, I'm rambling here. I'd best leave you to work with those 'big time' players. What joy it must bring you to coach £140,000-a-week been there, done that, worn the t-shirt players and have them lose in a cup game to a team with Ade Akinbiyi in it. I'm sure it's nothing like the pleasure gained from taking young players, developing them the 'Arsenal' way, and seeing them destroy a Premier League team. Not that you'd know.

sincere regards,

arseblogger

ps - undermine my hole you poxy, uncle Fester looking cuntwrench.

In other news today some people are calling Jack Wilshere the 'new Gazza'. That is grossly unfair. Jack is obviously not a mentally deranged cunt with the IQ of a wellington boot. Some background on Jack in The Sun and the Independent, who make those outrageous claims of Gazza similarity, run a piece which suggests he could even be called up to the England U21 squad for the European Championships next summer (Stuart Pearce saying he nearly went to the box office to get a season ticket after Tuesday's game - there's a waiting list, Mr Pearce. Thank you). Meanwhile, Liam Brady, who I'd much prefer Jack was compared to, says the comparisons are a compliment to him. Now there's high praise.

The English press do love the homegrown prodigies. Jack is certainly that but I'm sure between his folks and the education he's getting at Arsenal that it will be well managed. He doesn't look like the kind of kid that feels any pressure though. You just think back to the summer when he absolutely creamed Michel Salgado in the Emirates Cup. That's a boy who cares not for reputation or experience. Still, slowly slowly catchy monkey, as they say.

The Daily Mail (spit) has a piece on Carlos Vela and how he became an Arsenal player.

And that's really about it. Tomorrow we can look forward to the Villa game, we should get team news and such later on. And there'll be an Arsecast. Number 100 too. So I have to think of something special to do for that.

I'll get busy, till tomorrow.

In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26...
In the Carling Cup he was 19.
In inininininin the Carling Cup he was 19. N-n-n-nineteen.

There was a time when the Carling Cup was just a sideline. We used to play weakened teams but that was to give the first team a rest and give a run out to some players who were clearly never going to make the grade.

These days it's all about the youngsters and it really has captured the imagination of Arsenal fans (if not stupid, bald, uncle Fester looking wankers whose opposition to playing young players must surely come from the fact they don't have an academy to speak of). Last night was another glimpse at the Arsenal of the future and anyone who wasn't impressed must be very hard to please indeed. Not one of the United starters played last night and the team, according to the commentary, was just a shade older than the one that beat Sheffield United in the last round. I think that's only because the game was taking place a month later. Time marches on for all of us.

Wigan had probably their best side out, bar the injured Heskey, and started quite brightly. However, it was Chris Kirkland who was the busier of the goalkeepers once things got going. Carlos Vela had the chance to open the scoring but Kirkland saved as the Mexican chose to go around him rather than shoot. From the same move the ball was played in to Jay Simpson who took one touch and whacked a shot onto the bar. Kirkland saved again from Kieran Gibbs, a fantastic Aaron Ramsey free kick which curled as much as I've seen any free kick from any Arsenal player, a Carlos Vela curler, and you thought Kirkland was going to have another one of those games he seems to always have against us.

At the other end Fabianski saved from Koumas and the industrious Daniel de Ridder. But the lads got the goal they deserved just before half-time. Jack Wilshere played a quite brilliant ball through for Jay Simspon and the forward's pace and power saw him get there before the defender to poke it home. 1-0 Arsenal and no less than we deserved.

It was more of the same in the second half although Wigan will feel somewhat unlucky that they didn't get a penalty when the otherwise impressive Djourou handled a cross for some reason - but after that it was all Arsenal again. Simpson headed a Merida cross just over and Kirkland saved again from Gibbs, the left back popping up in dangerous places all night, and Merida had a long shot saved well by Kirkland. The second goal was pure counter attacking football, the pace of it was frightening. From a Wigan corner Fabianski scuttered it clear, it fell to Ramsey who played a delicious left footed pass into the path of Carlos Vela who outpaced and outmuscled the Wigan defender. He took it into the area, waited, and played it to Jay Simspon who buried his second goal of the night. What a night for the young man.

The third was a thing of beauty. Johann Djourou broke out of defence, played it to Carlos Vela who took it a full pace and under pressure from Titus Bramble produced a sumptuous chip over Chris Kirkland. Hopefully the hamstring injury he seemed to go off with isn't too serious because this boy looks a real player.

And not to be outdone by his outfield chums Fabianski pulled off a brilliant double save near the end. The first came from a de Ridder run and shot - which for the skill and effort at that stage of the game would have been a goal applauded by the whole ground I think - and from his parry Amr Zaki followed up and the Polish keeper got back to touch it onto the bar. Awesome stuff.

So 3-0 at full time (goals and highlights from Arsenalist) and certainly a well deserved win. Wigan boss Steve Bruce was gracious in defeat, talking up the quality of Arsenal's youngsters, while Arsene Wenger said:

I enjoyed every minute because it was a big test. They showed a remarkable combination of desire, energy and quality out there tonight. It was a match full of drive, energy, and team spirit up until the last minute.

After the Sheffield United game I said that this is the most complete [youth] side I have had. It is great for the future of the club.

And there is no question we're seeing some players who have the potential go on and become big, big players for Arsenal. At 16 Jack Wilshere is phenomenal, Aaron Ramsey looks like he could play himself into the first team this season, Vela is so quick and so skillful and I liked Djourou a lot last night. He was aggressive, more assured and led the back four very well. But it's hard to single people out when to a man the team played as well as they did.

It's also quite confusing watching the Carling Cup at times. I think criticism of the manager because of the lack of experience in our 'first' team is justified yet you look at these players and can't help thinking he's some kind of genius. This was a Premier League team, with their best team out, and we mullered them. It makes my brain hurt, but in a good way. I think.

I like the confidence of these young players too. They're so assured that from time to time poor decisions are made or little tricks that should be saved for the training ground don't come off. But that doesn't stop them from trying it again and it'll work the next time. I like the fact that Gibbs got a hard time in the initial stages of the game, Wigan targeting the diagonal ball over his head for de Ridder or Valencia but he got himself sorted out (obviously with some instruction from the bench) and had a fine game from then on.

But, as Gunnerblog points out this morning, there's no pressure on them. There's a level of expectation nowadays because of the results we've had in the past, but if Wigan had beaten us last night it wouldn't have been a big deal. They're an experienced Premier League team, we're a bunch of kids with an average age that can barely get a drink in a pub. So that is a factor in how freely they play. The manager himself said after the game that he's not sure they're ready for the league yet, but that's not to take anything away from them though, they deserve all the plaudits they'll get today. Well done, boys. The draw for the next round takes place on Saturday.

Also, it was good to see some of the senior players there to support the young lads last night. I caught a glimpse of Adebayor, Eduardo and Eboue wearing a fetching pair of specs. Adebayor's advice to Simspon might not have been mindblowingingly tactical ("Get it on target") but it obviously meant a lot to the young man who can be very pleased with his night's work. It was also interesting to see Martin Keown sitting amongst the players. I wonder what's happening there.

Away from the Carling Cup there was news of Tomas Rosicky. The club announced he had undergone 'revision' surgery in Germany and will now follow a rehabilitation plan set out by our medical team. Arsene Wenger said:

The situation looks very positive. They have taken a lot of scar tissue out of his leg and the vibes I got from the surgeon were very positive. I think he could return between six to eight weeks.

That is good news. When we bemoan lack of experience it'd be good to have Rosicky back. Obviously many of us had concerns about his career in general, given the length of time he's been out and the lack of information regarding his condition, but this news is positive and fingers crossed all goes well in his recovery.

Right then, you may now spend the day talking about which kid you're most in love with. Erm ... more tomorrow.

Good morning from a dismally wet and cold Dublin.

There was no squad announced yesterday for tonight's Carling Cup game but the manager says we'll see 90% of the team who played against Sheffield United in the last round. If you need reminding of who played that day then click here.

Again it's another good opportunity for young players to show their stuff and I suppose all eyes will be on those closest to the first team. Carlos Vela will be looking to add to his hat-trick in the last round, Aaron Ramsey has another chance to show what he's made of while Johann Djourou, who must be frustrated to find himself behind Alex Song in the central defensive pecking order, will want to get a good 90 minutes under his belt.

I wonder if the manager will play Bendtner though. Any injury to the Dane would leave only Vela as a striking option for Saturday's game against Villa and you suspect we'll need a bit more physical presence against Martin O'Neill's side. So perhaps there's an outside chance of someone like Jay Simpson being involved.

Update: Squad announced, Amaury Bischoff PI is in, as suspected there's no Bendtner. 

The boss has been speaking about Fran Merida. Obviously there are comparisons with Cesc, due to their common backgrounds, but the boss says:

Merida is different to Cesc but he is very dangerous in the final third. If you analyse a game and look who gives the ball every time in the final third, you will see Fran. That is the most difficult part of the game and that is where he is strong.

And young English players like Jack Wilshere, Gavin Hoyte and Kieran Gibbs will all be looking to make their mark too. As I said yesterday it's going to be a tough game. Wigan are a decent side, and have plenty of attacking potential. Amir Zaki is the unsung hero of the Premier League so far with 8 goals, while Valencia, Kapo, de Ridder and Palacios (a man who was on trial with Arsenal) all add quality. Of course they also have Titus Bramble at the back so that's something we should be looking to exploit. I'm expecting a decent game of football and without any of the nerves or pressure of the weekend it should be fun to watch too.

Away from the Carling Cup the boss has been talking about playing 5 in midfield and says he doesn't know what he might do when all the strikers are fit again. In a way it does make sense for a team that is somewhat suspect defensively to add an extra body in midfield and we saw on Saturday that it was no hindrance to playing good, attacking football. The danger is that the wrong players are used in that formation and we become a bit stagnant. Didn't we play 5 in midfield for Sunderland with van Persie on the left? That was one of most ineffective performances of the season? I think we might see this formation more in games against higher quality opposition but the personnel has to be right. You need the movement and energy of Nasri and Walcott to make it work.

He's also been speaking about the January transfer window but if nobody minds I'm going to leave any discussion of that until much closer to the time. Like January 1st. We should put an embargo on it. There's going to be a ton of speculation and spurious transfer rumours, the transfer addicts will be out in force too. Honestly, it'll be like a mini-summer. The site will go mad with people looking for news on possible player purchases. They're like stoners frantically searching down the back of the sofa for something to make a joint with. There's a lot of football between now and then and I suspect we're better off leaving it for as long as possible.

Of course results and performances will be the main dictator of transfer discourse. Should things not go well then we may well have to address the issue before we'd like but let's play it by ear until then.

David Dein, ex of Arsenal and the former orange part of Fat & Orange (who are now simply known as Fat & Ugly), has defended Arsene Wenger, calling him a miracle worker. Citing the time Arsene came over for a late dinner and turned regular tap water into a jeroboam of 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild he says the team should be judged in May, not November.

Ok, not much else going on. To those going tonight enjoy the game. Here's to a good game of football and a good win for the Gunners. Till tomorrow.

Morning all, a happy Monday to you and may the bragging rights be with you as you go to work and meet all your United supporting colleagues.

Arsene Wenger reckons this could be the tightest title race for years, claiming it's harder than it was 10 years ago to go to places like Stoke, Bolton and Wigan and get the points. That is probably true to an extent but personally I don't see United or Chelsea or really Liverpool struggling too much against those teams. I think the title is going to won and lost amongst the big four and whoever has the best record in those games is likely to be the winner.

So far we've only played United and come out on top, obviously. We've got Chelsea at the end of the month so that's another huge test. Liverpool have beaten United and Chelsea so far and seem to have addressed an issue in their team. In recent years they've had a poor record against the other big four teams.

For us I'm not really concerned about the 'big' games. The United game showed the players can perform and get a result. It's the less glamorous games in which we've struggled this season and we have to wait and see if anything has changed there.

Samir Nasri believes that the win against United has put us right back in the title race, saying:

We can definitely win the title this season. Maybe we don't have the experience of Liverpool, United or Chelsea, but we showed how mature we have become after last season. We showed we have got the quality technically that can help us to win big games.

Big games, yes. Not so big, again we wait and see. He also talks about how the French connection at the club is helping him settle and so far he's been a real asset to the team. It's been a bit stop-start with him due to a couple of little injuries but hopefully he can stay fit and stay in the team because he has already become a vital component.

Cesc, after dedicating the win to the manager, also thinks the title is realistic for us, saying:

We have shown here we have the qualities to do it. With losers, their heads go down. We have shown we have character. We played against a great team and won under a lot of pressure. So we are happy.

Next up in the league is Villa who'll be looking to bounce back from a 2-1 home defeat by Boro.

Before that though there's Carling Cup action against Wigan. We've got some history with Wigan in this competition. We were minutes away from reaching the final until some scabby twat scored a late, late goal to see them through to the final in which they gave Man United one of the easiest trophies they ever won. Steve Bruce has done a good job there and made Wigan a decent side so it's going to be a difficult game, especially as we're going to play a team of kids, more or less.

We'll get squad news on that later today so we can speculate on who might start on tomorrow's blog. I think we'll see Amaury Bischoff PI though and maybe we might see Diaby involved to get some match fitness under his belt.

Right, not much else happening this morning so I'll leave it there. Till tomorrow.

Lots of stuff still bubbling over from the Carling Cup game the other night.

Carlos Vela, hat-trick hero, shows he's got a good head on his shoulders by acknowledging that young players, despite being given their chance by Arsene Wenger, have to work hard if they want to make it at Arsenal. He also talks about the unity in the team, saying:

We are very close as a group of players. We have a strong friendship - it's almost like we are a family. You can see that from the way in which the team is playing.

And that's a big factor in a team's success. I know we've spoken before about how you don't have to be friends with somebody in order to play football with them, but if you are mates I think it makes a difference. You're willing to put in that bit extra.

Nicklas Bendter says the display of the youngsters has justified the boss's decision not to sign anybody before the end of the transfer window. The big Dane says:

There is talk about the strength of the squad and every year the boss says we have the players. They have showed they have the quality to do what is required. We are strong and capable enough. We are top of the table and are doing well.

There's a long way to go yet though. Bendtner has had a decent start to the season and his game looks to have become much more rounded. He's got a good eye for a pass and the technique to carry it out, he certainly knows where the goal is and more importantly he seems to be much better integrated into the first team this season. Keep it up, Nick.

And to complete the Carling Cup fun we have young Jack Wilshere being compared to Liam Brady by none other than Arsene Wenger. Well, by none other than other people whose comments Arsene Wenger has referenced, but I'd imagine those people are people know knew or played with Chippy down the years. Anyway, it's about time we had a new Liam Brady. We've had a new Vieira on more than one occasion, a new Tony Adams from time to time and Theo is, of course, the new Thierry Henry, but a new Liam Brady is something else. The manager is aware of the fact you can't put too much pressure on Wilshere but it's clear he's a very special talent. How far he goes is entirely down to him but he looks fantastic and he has a cheeky little scamp face. 

And while I don't want to go too overboard with the Carling Cup win as there's still a lot of football to be played this season, some of the results we've seen this week should put it in some kind of perspective. Fulham, Man City, West Ham and Villa all out to lower league opposition. Other Premier League clubs have merely scraped through so it's a good sign that we can do what we did on Tuesday night. 

The League Manager's Association has come to the defence of Arsene Wenger after the comments this week from UEFA President Michel Platini. It's been interesting to see how people have sided with Wenger on this one, even fans of teams who you wouldn't expect to back the Arsenal boss in any way. I suppose it goes to prove how misguided Platini's comments are. And for more on why he said what he did and his reasons make sure you tune in to tomorrow's Arsecast where I'll have an in-depth interview with France Football's Philippe Auclair to talk about Platini and our Carling Cup kids.

You might have seen that Chelsea have signed that bloke Mineiro that we had on trial with us. I suppose it illustrates brilliantly the difference between the two teams. Chelsea, short of a player in midfield, will not even consider giving a young player a chance, choosing instead to sign a guy who is basically at the tail end of his career. We had him on trial, didn't think he was good enough and now he's signed for Chelsea. How disheartening it must be to be a young player at Chelsea knowing you are never going to get near the first team. Not that I give a shit about them, nits make lice and all that.

Right, that's about that. Have a fun Thursday, if that's possible, and I'll talk to you on tomorrow's blog. 

I have to say I feel slightly envious of those who were at the Grove last night. With almost every game these days either on TV or available via a stream you really notice when there's just no way of seeing it. The fans who were in attendance were treated to a display from a team of great talent and potential and Sheffield United just couldn't live with them.

They had an average of just nineteen, n-n-n-n-nineteen, making them the youngest ever Arsenal side to represent the club. The opponents might have been a Championship side but they have plenty of experience, a decent manager and to put 6 goals past them is really an incredible result.

Nicklas Bendtner got the first two, Carlos Vela the next two, Jack Wilshere got his first Arsenal goal and Vela wrapped his hat-trick on his first competitive start for the club to complete the rout. You can see the goals here. Arsene Wenger says these are best young players he has ever worked with and it's easy to see why. Again the Carling Cup has provided us with a wonderful glimpse of not just the club's future but the present too as a number of these players showed the boss they're ready to play Premier League football. And the boss isn't scared of doing it either, saying:

They might be young but they don’t play like kids. I wouldn’t be scared to play any of them in the Premier League because they all have the talent to play at the top level. I knew they were good but I did not know how they would react to playing on the big stage.

Now the challenge is to keep them all together and integrate them into the first team over the next couple of years.

It's difficult to single anyone out, especially when you haven't seen the whole game, but in pre-season Vela and Bendtner worked very well together and that seems to have continued. And for Vela to smash home a hat-trick on his first competitive start for the club is hugely impressive. Perhaps those fortunate enough to have been there last might like to share their thoughts on the players and performances in today's arses.

More thoughts from the manager on the official site and I suspect, after last night's result that our next game in this competition will be televised, giving the rest of us a chance to see these kids in action. Well done to them. As much as we love when the first team wins I think there's just a little extra glow of pride when we see Arsenal boys this young do what they did last night.

Away from the Carling Cup and the boss has responded to the comments made by Michel Platini in the French press. The woolly headed cuntbutler has made it quite clear he has a personal problem with Arsene and the comments made do not befit the highest standing official in UEFA. If he's not embarrassed about them he should be and if there's any kind of decency within that organisation then he should be made apologise for them.

The crux of Platini's argument is that Wenger is a businessman, not a football man. Which, of course, is a great load of hairy bollocks. Platini's ire should be directed at clubs who fail to be self-sufficient, who use sugar daddies owners to prop up their massive debts, not somebody who has undertaken the kind of work Wenger has. Somebody who has eschewed the idea of billionaire owners or spending big in the transfer market and has developed Arsenal with the resources at hand. He has brought through many young players of many nationalities and given them chances they would never receive anywhere else. Does that sound like a businessman to you?

And it's a bit rich, so to speak, for Platini to bemoan money in the game when he fucked off to Italy in the 80s to earn the big bucks. Since retiring from football Platini has given little back to the game he graced as a player. Now he spouts shite about having the World Cup every two years and supports Sepp Blatter's nonsensical and illegal ideas about 'home grown' players, designed purely to lower the level of club football so their precious international game can regain some standing. And that has nothing to do with them wanting their nations to be proud and powerful, it's so they can more easily sell advertising, sponsorship and corporate junkets for the World Cup and European Championships.

Platini is nothing more than a pencil-pushing administrator. A football civil servant, a low-level, yellow-bellied, half-witted, curly-haired, local politician whose influence of the game of football is restricted to inventing crazy new laws which show him to be slow-minded and verging on corrupt. For him to call Arsene Wenger a businessman is beyond pathetic. Wenger has done more for football this week than Platini has in his lifetime. He's quite entitled to think what he wants, the same way I'm entitled to call him a sad bastard for it, but the head of UEFA should not behave the way he has. The only good thing about it is that it will open up people's eyes to him and what he's really like.

Arsene 1-0 Platini (own goal).

Right so, that's about that. Let the day's creaming ourselves over the kids ... erm ... commence.

Till tomorrow.

We're all well used to Arsenal putting out young sides at this stage. Our first team has an average of something like 13 1/2, so when Arsene Wenger talks about tonight's Carling Cup team being the youngest ever then you know we're going to looking at a lot of players up past their bedtime.

Not that there's any lack of quality. Carlos Vela will start with the manager's praise ringing in his ears. We'll see Jack Wilshere, Mark Randall (how cool is it that a youngster looks to an even younger player as his inspiration?!), Fran Merida, Emmanuel Pingpong and Jay Emmanuel Thomas. Are we the most Emmanuel football side in history? I think we are. The experience tonight will come from the likes of Djourou (who has just signed a new long term deal), Bendtner, Song and Lukasz Fabianski (who is aiming for the first team and will keep Manuel on his toes), the oldest of whom is just 23.  

Once again the Carling Cup provides a great opportunity for Arsenal's youngsters to show what they can do.  There were people who thought this competition was nigh on useless, especially for clubs involved in Europe, but we have made the most of it in recent years. At first the manager was heavily criticised for only using youngsters and 'reserves' but it has been invaluable in the development of many of the players who are now first team members at Arsenal. Arsene's approach has been copied by others, we saw United's second string knocked out at the first hurdle last year, and to have gone as far as we have some years has been a great achievement.

The manager's policy regarding this tournament won't change, nor should it. It will always be 4th in terms of priority at the start of the season but our use of young players has brought a new life to it and people's enthusiasm for it. As much as we like to watch the big games getting a close-up of the youngsters aiming to break into the first is most enjoyable too.

Sheffield United will be difficult though. This is an Arsenal team brimming with young, enthusiastic talent, Sheffield have got plenty of experience and players who will let the kids know they're in a game. It should be a cracker.

Aaron Ramsey is set to start as well and the manager has been impressed with the young Welshman since his arrival and reckons he's set for big things, saying:

I am very, very happy with him and I believe he will be a tremendous player for Arsenal. Aaron is a serious boy, he knows what he wants, is highly committed and for me he has all that is needed to become a good player - not only a good player, but a great player for the club.

There's one for Goodplaya who may change his blog name to Greatplaya. He's being brought through slowly but we saw a glimpse of his vision when he set up Adebayor for his third goal against Blackburn last week and it'll be interesting to see how he gets on tonight. 

Unfortunately I don't think this one is on TV anywhere and so far I haven't seen anyone mention any streams. Please let us know in the Arses if you come across one. That sounds much ruder than it should but you know what I mean.

Now, despite Bolton's insistence that they didn't deliberately go out to kick Arsenal their brainiac captain, Kevin Nolan, has made liars of them. Speaking about Theo Walcott he said:

I have never seen anybody as quick as Theo Walcott in my life. I said to Jlloyd Samuel ‘Give him a little kick and see if he comes back at you.

Classy. Sort of like a redneck hunter saying "I've never seen such a beautiful animal in my life. KILL IT!". Football is a physical game, no question, and sometimes the physical aspect can be as exciting and exhilarating as the skills and fancy footwork. See Kolo's tackle in our box or two players who are fighting it out fairly in midfield for the whole game. It's brilliant and an important part of the game.

However, shit like 'Give him a little kick to see if he comes back at you' is cowardly and ultimately endangers players. The classic 'reducer' challenge from a defender on an attacker in the early part of the game to 'let him know you're there' is all well and good if you get the ball, but we saw what can happen when the attacker is too quick for the lumbering beast of a centre-half. You get an Eduardo. If Bolton's captain is directing his players to deliberately foul opponents then the protests of innocence over Davies' tackle on Clichy sound nothing but pathetic. 

This idea that it's ok to 'rough up' the team you're playing was given credibility by the likes of Sky and their ilk. Sam Allardyce sent out his teams to be physical but often it was obvious that the line had been crossed between physical and dirty. I remember us losing three players to injury in one game at Bolton but rather than condemn this kind of play Sky simply created this 'Arsenal don't like it up them' scenario which was much more headline friendly. I'd suggest there isn't a team in the world that enjoys being deliberately kicked and injured, yet as soon as Arsenal make the slightest transgression out come the 'Wenger's 856th red card shame!' headlines. Bunch of cockgoblins.

Shit like that, to my mind at least, played a part in injuries suffered in recent seasons by Diaby and Eduardo. Teams he knew they weren't as good technically were inspired to cross the line from physical to downright filthy. And let me just state that I have no problem whatsoever with any team that is competitive, that fights and competes for every ball. Nobody can ever complain about that. I do have a problem when it's obvious that the same team is willing to go over the top and has been instructed to do so.

Will the FA do anything? Can the FA do anything? I don't know, but I hope someone in the referee's association is reading Nolan's comments and bears them in mind next time a Bolton player goes in hard on somebody. Is he going for the ball or has he been told to do his opposite number? A few red cards might make them change their policy, the cunts.

Anyway, enough ranting. I think the main point here is that everyone else are cunts and we are not. That should not be forgotten.

Here's to a good win tonight, let's hope the kids can do their stuff. Till tomorrow.