Match Report
Arsène Wenger will preach a gospel of respect this Sunday. Respect for Burnley, respect for the FA Cup and respect for the momentum that has taken his Arsenal side to the top of the Premier League.
Having hauled themselves through a demanding yet rewarding Christmas period, the Frenchman could probably do without a throwback of a Third Round game at Turf Moor this weekend.
As usual Wenger will send out a much-changed side for the televised tie. In days gone by, that would have brought about accusations of dishonour from the Arsenal manager. However four FA Cup successes in 10 full seasons and plenty of long runs to the latter stages suggests this is a competition taken very seriously at Emirates Stadium. In fact this week it was an Englishman, Reading striker Dave Kitson, who hit the headlines for suggesting the world’s oldest knockout competition paled in comparison to his side’s fight for Premier League survival.
“I don't like it when people disrespect the FA Cup,” responded Wenger at his pre-match press conference. “Personally I love the competition.
“But I saw Kitson's interview. He's an intelligent boy and I think he was just saying they have different priorities.
“For us, this is our next game and we have created a momentum which we want to keep going. Whoever is in the squad, we know that if we play well, we win. So let's just go and win the next game whether it's the FA Cup, Carling Cup or any other competition.
“At the beginning of the season we didn't know if we were good enough to win our games. Now we know we can. And it's not like we have won the FA Cup 10 years on the trot.“
In terms of changes, Cesc Fabregas. Manuel Almunia and Gael Clichy will be rested while Alex Hleb (ankle) and Emmanuel Adebayor (hamstring) have only slight injuries but will not feature. There will be a late test on Theo Walcott’s shoulder and Mathieu Flamini is suspended. Robin van Persie (muscular) is still a week from fitness.
Their replacements are not certain yet. However Wenger did suggest that Lassana Diarra, Denilson and Abou Diaby will be contesting midfield roles and Jens Lehmann would be starting in goal. Nicklas Bendtner is available after his ban and Johan Djourou is back in the Arsenal fold having returned from a loan spell at Birmingham. Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue are likely to start in their last games before leaving for the African Nations Cup.
Burnley are on a terrible run right now. They have picked up just two points from their last six games and, after the 3-0 defeat to Blackpool last time out, manager Owen Coyle felt the need to apologise to the fans for his side’s performance. However Wenger is far too experienced in this competition to think that a lower-league opponent cannot lift their performance by several notches on the day.
“We have to respect Burnley,” said the manager. “The side we take up will have to play at their best because if you give them a chance they certainly have enough quality to take it. They have Ade Akinbiyi, David Unsworth, Jon Harley and Graham Alexander. That’s many good Premier League players with experience.”
While Burnley are worried about arresting their poor run, Arsenal’s concerns are to balance their highly-plausible ambitions in the Premier League and Champions League. Traditionally the addition of the FA Cup has been highly problematic to Wenger’s side at this time of year.
“It's not in conflict too much with the Premier League but more the Champions League,” said the manager. “That’s because of the number of replays positioned every time just in front of the Champions League games.
“But we want to do well in the competition and we have a common desire to do well in every single competition we play in. In fact, if you look at it, in the last 10 years nobody outside the top four has won this competition. And we are highly motivated to win it again.
“So please, don't expect us to sacrifice the FA Cup.”
