Three finals, three different scripts

Classic clash between a battle-hardened veteran and a youngster

May 29, 2015 11:44 pm | Updated 11:44 pm IST

The English FA Cup may have lost some of its lustre in recent years, but for Arsenal this season, it is probably more important than the UEFA Champions League.

The Gunners will face Aston Villa in Saturday’s showcase at Wembley Stadium, hoping to retain the trophy they won by beating Hull City 3-2 last year.

 Midfielder Jack Wilshire was 100 per cent correct when he said this week that the result of the final will define his team’s season.

While Arsenal can no longer compete against the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid or even Juventus on the European stage, they are expected to win domestic trophies, especially against mid and lower table opposition.

 Aston Villa haven’t lifted the Cup since 1957, while Arsene Wenger is attempting to equal George Ramsay’s record of six FA Cup wins. Ramsay is a former Villa boss who grabbed six league championships to go with his six FA Cups around the turn of the 20th century.

 If overwhelming favourites Arsenal defeat a side who flirted with relegation from the Premier League this season, it will send out the message that all is good in North London. But if they lose, you can be sure that fans will be jumping on internet message boards and sports’ radio stations call-in lines to vent their frustrations.

And, understandably so, as it will show that Wenger’s men have made little progress since last season.

Fourth place and a trophy is definitely better than third place and no silverware.

Setback

 Despite the motivational qualities of Tim Sherwood, Arsenal should win. But certainly the loss of Danny Welbeck is a setback because the hard running England striker is the kind of player who would have been very useful on the wide Wembley pitch.

 Should he lift the Cup, Wenger will overtake Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United haul of five.

Given the vast discrepancy in Premier League titles accrued — Sir Alex won 13 compared to Arsene’s three — the milestone could well be in the back of the Frenchman’s mind.

 As for Sherwood, he is trying to become only the second English manager in 20 years to land the prize. His countryman Harry Redknapp was successful as Portsmouth boss in 2008 when the South Coast side defeated Cardiff City 1-0 in the final.

As well as putting Arsenal’s season in a good light, the game also has the potential to define Sherwood’s coaching career.

Even though he has an impressive 51 per cent win ratio in Premier League matches, the former Blackburn Rovers midfielder is still not taken seriously by some, as a head coach. This match has the potential to change the perception of Sherwood from a short-term fix to a true winner.

 So it is not surprising that some tickets for the game are being re-sold for as much as £4,000. The 134th final of the world’s oldest football cup competition has all the ingredients to be a classic.

* Jason Dasey is Senior Editor of ESPN FC. Twitter: @JasonDasey

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.