Arsenal FC: Gunners Must Set Sights on Carling Cup and FA Cup for Silverware

This Arsenal team could still win a trophy this season.

While the probability of such an occurrence is very low at this current time, there is still a possibility. The hastily assembled squad is decent, if not solid, and Arsene Wenger may still be able to get the best out of them. Even if that may not be the most popular option, he does deserve to finish out the season at the least.

Despite the poor start to the season it has to be mentioned, again, that it is still quite early in the season.

The Premier League race is only seven games in, only two games have been played in the Champions League, the fourth round of the Carling Cup is yet to be played, and, for teams like Arsenal, the FA Cup will not begin until January.

One could even go as far as to say that it may be a good thing that the Gunners are going through such tough times early in the season.

While the Gunners have had solid to good starts in previous seasons, the team has faltered considerably in the latter part of the season. This change in early-season form could in fact be a good thing for the team for this season and beyond.

Wenger speaks time and again about the team's mentality, and maybe starting poorly may give the team greater impetus to dig in and grind out results.

Missing key players is both good and bad as the Gunners will not be at their best for a while. But the playing time allowed for younger players may improve the Gunners' overall quality when the full squad is at Wenger's disposal. The host of new players cannot all have jelled with their teammates already and a little bit more time may be necessary for everyone to perform on the same wavelengths despite their individual talents.

Of course all these explanations are products of extremely hopeful reasoning but I will run with them.

When the Gunners turn their thoughts back to club duty in two weeks, some reshuffling of goals may be necessary. Everyone wants trophies, though in recent times it seems as if Wenger and Co. are fine with being second best. Of the four competitions Arsenal is involved in, only two are really viable for them to win.

Arsene Wenger finally figured out what the majority of us surmised before the season even started. The Premier League is out.

A Champions League place is always a possibility but even that is not as certain as it has been in previous years. Arsenal is very likely to make it through to the knockout rounds but even at its best, the team may not be able to stand up to the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and very possible encounters with Premier League rivals like Manchester United over two legs.

So that leaves both the Carling Cup and the FA Cup.

Last year I viewed the Carling Cup as the make-or-break of the Gunners season, and it turned out as much. This year it plays the same role.

While it is unlikely that Arsenal will be in a similar top-two position come that time of the year, a journey to the final and subsequent triumph will boost both team and fanbase alike.

Wenger navigated the teams' path to the final well last season, and it is possible that the three strongest teams—Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea—will be too preoccupied with European opposition to give the Carling Cup much thought, leaving the door open for the Gunners.

As with any knockout competition, the end result is uncertain, but a concerted effort can see the Gunners at the winners podium again.

The situation is not so easy with the FA Cup. All teams involved will field the strongest possible 11 and the chance of an upset is greater than ever. Arsenal's top 11 should be able to make a quality run in this competition and a final berth should not be discounted.

Focusing on these two competitions may not seem like the ambitions of a big-time club but this is the card Arsenal has been dealt.

Manchester City found some semblance of a winning mentality as a team with the FA Cup, and look set to push on to greater heights this season. Arsenal may be back to that point now as an organization.

All may not necessarily be forgiven if either or both of these trophies enter the Arsenal trophy cabinet at season's end, but it would be a start.