Arsenal's EFL Cup Exit May Be No Disaster in the Long Run

Arsenal's long unbeaten record is over. A run of 19 games without defeat came to an end as the Gunners put in a lifeless display to see them beaten 2-0 by Southampton on Wednesday. Their chance of EFL Cup glory is gone, and the squad must now focus their attention on more prestigious competitions.

Despite the disappointment, there will not be too much despair among the Arsenal fans. In reality, the lighter schedule could eventually benefit them.

That's not to suggest Arsenal threw the game. This was a stronger lineup than manager Arsene Wenger had named in either of the two previous rounds. The back four had a familiar look to anyone who'd watched Arsenal against Nottingham Forest and Reading.

Kieran Gibbs captained the side, with Gabriel Paulista and Rob Holding in the centre of defence. At right-back, Carl Jenkinson came back into the side after being left out of the matchday squad for the Premier League fixture with Bournemouth on Sunday. 

Behind them, Emiliano Martinez celebrated signing a new long-term contract with a third successive start in the competition. The Argentinian goalkeeper is well-regarded at Arsenal and impressed with his athleticism and growing authority in the last two rounds. 

It was in midfield that the strength of the team was most apparent. Mohamed Elneny started against Bournemouth but was pressed into action again alongside Francis Coquelin. Ahead of them, Aaron Ramsey took up the coveted No. 10 role. The Welshman has made little secret of his desire for a central berth at Arsenal, and this was a great opportunity to show what he can do in the middle.

Alex Iwobi played from the left, and while one of the squad's younger members, he is still an established part of the first-team setup.

Up top, Lucas Perez returned from five weeks on the sidelines to lead the line. The only inexperienced player in the attacking trio was Frenchman Jeff Reine-Adelaide.

Speaking after the match, Wenger told Arsenal.com that he felt his squad had the capability to go all the way in the competition:

"

Yes, I felt we had a squad that could win it. We had the luck to play at home. It's disappointing to have a crowd like we have, you can give them some satisfaction in this competition as well and the way we started the game, I think it's disappointing.

"

Arsenal began the match with a passage of patient passing, but Southampton were not overawed by their opponents' technical ability.

Saints manager Claude Puel named a strong side despite eight changes, and within 13 minutes, his team had the lead. When Sofiane Boufal's blocked shot rebounded out to Jordy Clasie on the edge of the box, the Dutchman showed great composure to power the ball inside the near post.

Any fans hoping that goal would cause Arsenal to spring into life would have been sorely disappointed. By half-time, Southampton had doubled their lead. When Jenkinson was dispossessed in his own half, they capitalised superbly—Ryan Bertrand poked Boufal's cutback into the far corner.

Things appeared to go from bad to worse for Wenger before the interval.

The danger of fielding senior players in this competition is the risk of an injury. Elneny, who had completed 90 minutes at the weekend, did not make it to half-time and was forcibly replaced by Granit Xhaka. Fortunately, the Egyptian appeared to have been suffering from a bout of illness rather than any serious injury.

The introduction of Xhaka did at least lend a little creativity to the Arsenal midfield. Elneny and Coquelin had been paired together at Old Trafford a couple of weeks ago, and their lack of imagination had been horribly exposed.

Against Southampton, Arsenal's buildup play was torturously slow. The Gunners are generally at their best when they hit teams quickly on the break; by the time they got into the Southampton half, the opposition had been able to reorganise and consolidate. 

The second half didn't bring much respite for the suffering Arsenal fans. Ramsey shifted forward to play in a more advanced role closer to Lucas, but he still looked rusty.

The Gunners' attempts to chase the game also saw them become increasingly vulnerable at the back. Had Puel's side been more clinical, they could have finished the game before the 60th minute. 

Wenger threw on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in an attempt to turn the tide, but Arsenal couldn't find a way through.  

The full-time whistle was greeted with boos as an Arsenal unbeaten run that had stemmed back to the opening weekend of the Premier League season came to a close.

Wenger, who has never won the League Cup, admitted his disappointment at seeing his side eliminated on home turf. He told Arsenal.com:

"

It's not only a disappointing night because we are out, but it's a disappointing night because the performance was disappointing. I question our urgency level, our focus from the start on. It was not good enough and we paid for that. Overall, I think that is the most disappointing. It can happen that you go out of the competition, but our first 45 minutes were just not good enough and not at the level of required concentration. In the second half we responded well, but overall for me, that's the most disappointing.

"

However, in the cold light of day, Wenger may reflect that an exit from this competition is not necessarily the worst news for Arsenal. This competition ranks fourth on their list of priorities for a reason—it does not carry the same prestige as the Premier League and Champions League or even the FA Cup. 

Had Arsenal reached the next round, they would have faced a two-legged semi-final at a time when their fixture list becomes congested.

The first leg of the semi-final is scheduled to take place between the FA Cup third round and an away trip to Swansea City. It is a period that could have seen the Gunners playing five games in 14 days. Wenger has a deep squad, but he would acknowledge that his resources would be better applied to pursuing Arsenal's primary targets. 

Arsenal's poor performance against Southampton is something for fans to feel upset about; their elimination from a competition they've never taken particularly seriously is not.

         

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout 2016/17. Follow him on Twitter here.