Arsenal: Old Guard and Young Blood to Stand Together in Southampton Cup Tie

Arsenal’s starting XI at Villa Park were the epitome of effectiveness in their 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, but a starkly different side will be expected to lead the Gunners to victory in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger’s squad change their focus from Premier League competition as Ronald Koeman’s Southampton come to the Emirates Stadium, and the Frenchman’s selections are likely to feature a combination of an old guard of veterans alongside numerous youth players.

The League Cup is historically a competition in which Wenger bloods youth players, giving them a taste, however brief, of senior competitive football.

Last season alone, young talents like Kristoffer Olsson, Isaac Hayden, Ryo Miyaichi and the now-departed Thomas Eisfeld all featured in the competition.

However, Wenger has been loath to send the inexperienced out into battle without veteran leadership in the past, and the squad he names on Tuesday night will no doubt mirror his previous positions on the League Cup.

The crux of the quandary for Wenger lies in squad depth, and due to problems caused by injuries and the looming threat of fixture congestion, Le Professeur will have to risk senior players in order to field a competitive squad.

In this case, one area where experience will surely be present is on the defensive line.

With senior defenders Mathieu Debuchy and Nacho Monreal sidelined, Wenger will practically be forced to name a defensive line that mixes old with new. One of Per Mertesacker or Laurent Koscielny will certainly be named in the starting line-up, with the likes of Hayden and Hector Bellerin likely to join them.

Where Wenger has more leeway in his personnel choices is in midfield.

With stalwarts like Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Alexis Sanchez hardly seeing time away from the pitch this campaign, the manager has a bounty of options to replace them effectively.

Tomas Rosicky, Lukas Podolski and the newly fit Abou Diaby are the pick of the bunch raring to replace their counterparts who orchestrated the victory at Villa Park. From the youth ranks, Gedion Zelalem might also find himself involved—his colleague Serge Gnabry will miss out with a long-standing injury problem.

Similarly, in attack, Wenger can afford to rest Danny Welbeck for the first time since his deadline-day move.

In his place, Joel Campbell might well feature in a rare opportunity to repeat his summer escapades in Costa Rica colours. Chuba Akpom, the highly rated youth attacker, is waiting in the wings as well.

Anchoring the whole thing ought to be David Ospina, the Colombian being the fifth and last summer arrival to make his full debut for the club. The stopper, like Campbell, was in excellent form in Brazil before his under-the-radar arrival from Nice, and the native of Medellin will be eager to impress.

While some of these changes will be forced, notably the changes in defensive personnel, Wenger will be relieved to rest players like Wilshere, Ramsey and Koscielny, who have formed the core of Arsenal’s squad so far this season.

Visits from Tottenham Hostpur and Galatasaray as well as a trip across town to Chelsea form the Gunners’ schedule for the next fortnight.

Three crucial fixtures will each require a formidable squad named by Wenger, and the Frenchman might well take the calculated risk of pitting an under-full-strength team against the Saints in order to boost Arsenal’s chances down the road.

This is a particularly risky stratagem considering the form Koeman’s men are finding themselves in. 

The Saints, now established in the Premier League after their exile for much of the last decade, will see this tie as the first step in what could be an exciting Cup run. The south coast side might well take the opportunity to enrich their own favourites from the youth ranks.

But with a more palatable run of fixtures in their headlights, Koeman will be able to continue with impressive newcomers Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic. Both have looked threatening early on in their Premier League careers.

Arguably with bigger fish to fry, Arsenal might find themselves outmatched should Koeman’s team resemble that of a full-strength Southampton.

Wenger has big names of his own ready to counter his opposite number, but whether he is willing to risk them is another matter entirely.

The safest option will be to give squad players an opportunity to shine and for youth players to fill the gaps and test their nerve on the big stage.

For Arsenal to succeed on Tuesday night and beyond, Wenger should have faith in his young blood and station them alongside members of the old guard. Even if it doesn’t pay dividends in the short term, the Gunners can reap the benefits down the line.

How will Arsenal fare with their line-up on Tuesday night? Let me know with a comment, or find me on Twitter to get the debate going.