Carling Cup: Arsenal 3 - 0 Ipswich Town, 3-1 aggregate: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

We're going to Wemberley. Que sera sera. Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal 3: Bendtner 61, Koscielny 64, Fabregas 77
Ipswich Town 0
Arsenal wins 3-1 on aggregate

This time yesterday, Arsenal was 90 (or 120) minutes away from either their first trip to a cup final since 2007 or a more heart-wrenching result. A poor first leg trip to Ipswich meant the Tractor Boys had nicked the lead in the tie, with every intention of "parking the bus" and stifling the Arsenal attack. For 150 minutes in this two-legged tie, Ipswich kept the door shut on Arsenal's potent office. Then, finally, the door broke down, Ipswich crumbled, and we're going to Wembley.

The good news (yes, I consider it good news) was that there was not very much rotation in the squad. Robin van Persie started. Cesc Fabregas started. Jack Wilshere started. The normal back four started. There were, in fact, only three changes to the side that beat Wigan at the weekend. Alex Song dropped to the bench for Denilson, while Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott dropped from the wings for Nicklas Bendtner and Andrei Arshavin.

Arsenal had a number of chances in the first half to bring the tie back to level terms by picking up the first goal, but could not sneak anything past Marton Fulop. Robin van Persie volleyed a deflected Bacary Sagna cross wide of the mark. Cesc Fabregas fired a shot straight at Fulop's chest. RVP, setting up for a header similar to the goal he scored last midweek at Leeds, nodded off the crossbar. A Fabregas shot later in the half rolled harmlessly across the goalmouth and wide on the other side. The goal just wasn't coming. Fabregas tried to draw a penalty in the 10th minute as well, but nothing was doing as it was a pretty clear dive.

Some bad news in the 13th minute, even if you're not triskaidekaphobic, as on a set piece Wojciech Szczesny and Bacary Sagna had a clash of heads, leaving both down for the count on the pitch. While the goalkeeper stayed on, Sagna could not continue and was replaced by Emmanuel Eboue. It's a concussion for the right back, who had to be taken to the hospital. He was not going to play on Sunday against Huddersfield Town anyway, but here's to hoping for a quick recovery.

Through fifteen minutes after the restart, it still looked like Arsenal's goal just wasn't coming and all of those thoughts about having not won a trophy in almost six years started to come back. Then, just at the hour mark, Jack Wilshere, who was solid all day, played a lovely diagonal ball to Nicklas Bendtner who raced forward, then cut back around the defender, and fired a perfectly placed shot to the far corner. Arsenal were on the board, the tie was level, and Bendtner has the habit of really shutting me up about him (but only occasionally, so he should try to do that more.)

So, the momentum had swung back in Arsenal's direction, and three minutes later, they pulled ahead in the tie. Andrei Arshavin's corner floated into the box, and instead of Arsenal losing out on the ball in the air as they tend to sometimes, Laurent Koscielny launched forward and beat Fulop to the ball, thundering a header to the back of the net. It was Koscielny's first goal in forever (I want to say Bolton in September but could be wrong,) but more importantly, it meant Arsenal had one foot in Wembley, up 2-1 on aggregate on 64 minutes. On 77 minutes, Arsenal sealed the deal. Denilson won the ball in midfield (that's not a typo) and Fabregas played a great one-two with Arshavin to the sneak the ball through Fulop's legs, giving Arsenal a 3-1 lead on aggregate. Andrei Arshavin may be out of form and may still make a number of errors we're not used to him making, but he can still be clinical at times, and certainly was here.

This is actually going to be Arsenal's first trip to the new Wembley Stadium. Their last cup final, in 2007, and their last cup win, in 2005, came at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Arsene Wenger said last year that the Carling Cup was a trophy not worthy of a parade (after Manchester City's regular starting line-up beat half of Arsenal's reserves) but the trophy drought needs to end. And, I'm sure you can't hear this enough, winning this cup in 1987 was considered the springboard to winning the league in 1989. Knock the tournament all you like, Arsenal has beaten some talented sides to get this far, and need to prove to themselves that they can win something. They're 90 minutes away.

Preview: Arsenal v. Ipswich Town, Carling Cup Semi-Final, Second Leg

Will the Diminutive Russian start tonight? Will he find his form again? Pic via Guardian.

Emirates Stadium, London

Tuesday, January 25

7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. EST
Ipswich Town leads 1-0

• Referee: Mark Halsey
• All-Time in All Competitions: 29 Arsenal wins, 18 Ipswich wins, 11 draws
• All-Time in League Cup: 1 Arsenal win, 2 Ipswich wins, 1 draw
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: W-D-W-D-W-W
• Ipswich's Championship Form: L-W-D-L-L-W

Predicted Line-Up

mostly guesses

Szczesny

Eboue - Koscielny - Djourou - Gibbs

Song - Wilshere

Nasri - Fabregas - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Shea, Sagna, Clichy, Denilson, Walcott, Bendtner, van Persie

Out: Fabianski (shoulder), Rosicky (illness), Squillaci (hamstring), Diaby (calf), Almunia (ankle), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• So, how much rotation?
• Full backs: I would not be shocked if both Sagna and Clichy were rested.
• Center backs: Looks like Koscielny and Djourou again, out of necessity. Squillaci returns to training this week and should play in the FA Cup Sunday.
• Holding midfield: I've listed both Song and Wilshere to start, but I know that's wishful thinking. You just know Denilson will play. Abou Diaby could also return Sunday.
• Attacking midfield: If Arsenal wants to control the creative flow, I think both Fabregas and Nasri should start. Drop Bendtner from the starting forwards from the Leeds match last week. More wishful thinking?
• Center forward: Tough call; I think Chamakh will start with van Persie the possibly necessary impact substitute.
• Arsenal have kept clean sheets in every league match played in 2011, but have allowed one goal in each cup match against Championship sides (Leeds twice and Ipswich in the first leg.)
• Since losing at Ipswich, Arsenal have won three straight, scoring three in each of those matches. Robin van Persie has six of those goals. Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, and Bacary Sagna have the other three.

Ipswich News and Notes

• Ipswich Town have no fresh injury concerns, but midfielder Lee Martin is cup-tied.
• Ipswich have not won a domestic trophy since the 1978 FA Cup, when they beat Arsenal.
• The Tractor Boys took a 1-0 lead into the second leg of the League Cup Semi-Final in 2001 against Birmingham City. They went down 1-0 in the second leg, forcing extra time, where they lost 4-1, 4-2 on aggregate.
• Ipswich have not won in six road competitive fixtures. They only need a draw today to reach Wembley.

Match Facts

• Tamas Priskin had the 78th minute goal to give Ipswich the 1-0 lead after the first leg.
• Arsenal have reached this stage of the League Cup 14 times, but have advanced to the Final only six times and have won it only twice (1987 against Liverpool and 1993 against Sheffield Wednesday.)
• Arsenal beat Ipswich twice by 2-0 scores during Town's last year in the top flight, 2001/02.

The Referee

• The referee is Lancashire-based Mark Halsey.
• Halsey's only prior Arsenal match this year was the 2-0 win at Wolves. Arsenal could really use a goal within 40 seconds in this one, as Marouane Chamakh had at Molineux in November.
• Halsey's last Ipswich Town match came in an FA Cup tie, on January 5, 2008. Ipswich were down to ten men in 24 minutes and lost at home to Portsmouth 1-0.

Around the League

• Tuesday, League: Blackpool v. Manchester United; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
• Tuesday, League: Wigan Athletic v. Aston Villa; DW Stadium, Wigan
• Wednesday, Carling Cup: Birmingham City v. West Ham United; St. Andrew's, Birmingham (West Ham leads 2-1)
• Wednesday, League: Liverpool v. Fulham; Anfield, Liverpool

Carling Cup: Ipswich Town 1 - 0 Arsenal: How Many Wake Up Calls?

Arsene Wenger is very disappointed in all of you. Pic via Daily Mail.

Ipswich Town 1: Priskin 78
Arsenal 0

Arsenal entered yesterday's Carling Cup Semi-Final at Ipswich Town likely thinking it would be a walk in the park. Their effort, in the end, was a mix of some complacency and a lack of sharpness. And as a result, Ipswich Town will go to the Emirates in two weeks with a deserved 1-0 lead in the tie. This is not acceptable, Gunners. To be fair, the majority of the credit in this result has to go to Ipswich Town for playing well and not to how poor Arsenal's performance seemed.

I don't think you can blame this loss on just complacency, though the mere fact that you ever can needs to be unacceptable as well. There are certainly players on this team who are giving 100% without getting results because of those who are not. And it doesn't help when the players who are giving it their all have a bad night simultaneously, as Cesc Fabregas did last night. And, Ipswich, on their night, took advantage.

Arsene Wenger made four changes to the side that needed a late lifeline to force a replay with Leeds United on Saturday, and somehow, I had nine of the starting XI right in my match preview (I think that's one of the only positives I had yesterday...) Laurent Koscielny returned for the injured Sebastien Squillaci in central defense. Jack Wilshere got the start over Alex Song in the midfield. And, Wenger recalled two big names in the attack as Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott started while Tomas Rosicky and Marouane Chamakh dropped to the bench. That move pushed Nicklas Bendtner to the central forward role (where he is slightly less useless but still fairly useless.)

Arsenal had a fantastic first... three minutes or so, and looked like they had about three chances to take a 1-0 lead in the first 90 seconds, but could not capitalize. Then, as the match settled down, Arsenal fell out of any rhythm it looked like the were building at the start. The first half progressed much as the first half went on Saturday. At halftime, I tweeted, "This is just like Saturday, except Arsenal is wearing yellow, have a stronger squad starting, and are playing worse."

The difference between Saturday and yesterday was that the chances were going the other way. There was a point in the first half when a statistic flashed on the screen that both sides had one attempt on target. But, it was Ipswich that had seven chances, compared to Arsenal's three. Even with Fabregas in the line-up, the offensive force just was not there. And, it was worse for most of the second half.

Some players looked like they were just having off nights: Fabregas, Walcott, Wilshere, Johan Djourou, and Kieran Gibbs spring to mind. Laurent Koscielny continues to play himself out of position challenging in one-on-one situations, which also continues to make things harder on his central partner. Emmanuel Eboue has a penchant for being burned at right back. Denilson and Andrei Arshavin just look like they can't be bothered at times; Arshavin is running out of passes on this if he hasn't run out with you already, Denilson surely needs to go. And, Bendtner just continues to be what we all know he is: an impact substitute at best, as long as he can play central forward and the opposition can't win headers.

Tamas Priskin put Ipswich up 1-0 in the 78th.
Pic via Guardian.

In the 76th, Arsenal should have taken the lead. Kieran Gibbs swung a cross from the left flank that just missed the head of Chamakh, the substitute, and caught an unsuspecting Fabregas on the right knee or thigh, on the six yard line, with a wide open net. And over the bar it went. Ipswich got out of jail there and took advantage, almost instantly. Tamas Priskin broke through the defense as Arsenal played a high line, fired low past a diving Szczesny, and put the Tractor Boys up 1-0. Yes, Priskin was offside, and yes, it should not have counted. But you can't say they didn't deserve it.

This match felt a lot like the loss at Braga did in November. Poor performance that looks like it's going to stay 0-0, then the opponent pings a goal, and Arsenal's desperate search for an equalizer goes wanting. Theo Walcott had two chances that were saved excellently by Marton Fulop, the goalkeeper who went to Manchester City on emergency loan last spring and allowed the goal that sent Spurs into the Champions League.

The moral of the story is that, while Ipswich deserved this win, you have to ask questions of Arsenal as to why they showed up with this performance. As my title asks, how many wake up calls does this team need before they stop getting complacent? Arsene Wenger blamed fatigue for the second half performance. That doesn't make any sense, since the players on the pitch largely haven't played much this year. And the players you could argue were fatigued weren't the ones who played lazy.

The tie hangs in the balance going back to the Emirates a week from Tuesday. I believe the lack of an away goal only comes into play after extra time (a 2-1 Arsenal win in 90 minutes would force extra time, not give the tie to Ipswich on away goals just yet.) In any case, let's move forward, bring back the A Team on Saturday, and take three points from Upton Park. Please?

Hipster Gooner Man of the Match: Tamas Priskin

Preview: Ipswich Town v. Arsenal, Carling Cup Semi-Final, First Leg

New Ipswich manager Paul Jewell took Wigan past Arsenal in this round five years ago.
Pic via Guardian.

Portman Road, Ipswich

Wednesday, January 12

7:45 p.m. GMT, 2:45 p.m. EST

• Referee: Martin Atkinson
• Last League Match: Arsenal 2 - 0 Ipswich (April 21, 2002)
• All-Time in All Competitions: 29 Arsenal wins, 17 Ipswich wins, 11 draws
• All-Time in League Cup: 1 Arsenal win, 1 Ipswich win, 1 draw
• Arsenal's Premier League Form: W-L-W-D-W-D
• Ipswich's Championship Form: L-L-L-W-D-L
• Second Leg: Tuesday, January 25 at Emirates Stadium

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Szczesny

Eboue - Koscielny - Djourou - Gibbs

Denilson - Wilshere

Bendtner - Rosicky - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Fabianski, Miquel, Song, Ramsey, Nasri, Fabregas, van Persie

Suspended: Sagna (second of three, violent conduct)

Out: Squillaci (hamstring), Diaby (calf), Almunia (ankle), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Reserves captain and center back Ignasi Miquel remained with the first team this week, after Sebastien Squillaci picked up a hamstring injury on Saturday.
• Meanwhile, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Craig Eastmond, and Conor Henderson all started for the reserves on Monday, making their availability for this cup tie unlikely. Then they lost 10-1, largely thanks to an 11th minute red card and a fairly makeshift line-up in places, against an Aston Villa side who started multiple first-team fringe players.
• After posting about the difficult question of whether you start the A Team or the B Team for this match, my predicted line-up is generally the B Team, with some big names available on the bench. I expect this match to be where I am the most wrong this season, in this respect.
• Aside from Squillaci, I have not heard of any other new injuries, but news has been slow between cup ties.
• Arsenal have drawn three of their last four competitive fixtures, after going 21 matches without a draw.
• Arsenal have drawn two straight matches. They have not gone more than two games without a win this season.

Ipswich News and Notes

• After firing Roy Keane at the end of last week, Ipswich went to Stamford Bridge for their 3rd Round FA Cup tie against Chelsea on Sunday, and were hammered 7-0.
• Ipswich Town have dropped points in three straight competitive fixtures.
• Before their 3-0 win over Leicester City in mid-December, Ipswich had lost seven straight league matches.
• Ipswich needed extra time in their first two rounds of this competition, to beat Exeter City and Crewe Alexandra.
• West Bromwich Albion was the only Premier League side Ipswich was forced to beat to advance this far in the competition.

Match Facts

• This is the third time Arsenal will meet Ipswich Town in the League Cup. Over two legs in 1970, Arsenal drew 0-0 at Ipswich before winning 4-0 at Highbury. Ipswich Town returned the favor, knocking Arsenal out in November of 2000, winning 2-1 at Highbury. James Scrowcroft had the 89th minute winner, scored on Stuart Taylor, who himself had just returned from a loan spell at Crystal Palace.
• Ipswich Town's last top flight season was 2001/02. Arsenal won both fixtures 2-0 that year. Freddie Ljungberg had three of the four goals. Thierry Henry had the other, from the penalty spot, at Ipswich.
• The aforementioned Ipswich League Cup win stands as their most recent victory over Arsenal.
• You would have to go back to September of 1984 for Ipswich's last league victory over the Gunners. Then again, this isn't a league match, so that's actually fairly moot.

The Referee

• The referee is West Yorkshire-based Martin Atkinson.
• Atkinson took charge of Arsenal's last Carling Cup tie, the 2-0 win over Wigan, in late November. He also took charge of Arsenal's 1-1 draw at Liverpool (when he sent off Laurent Koscielny) and 2-1 win over Birmingham (when he sent off Jack Wilshere.)
• February 18, 2009 was the last time Atkinson took charge of a match at Portman Road; Ipswich Town beat Nottingham Forest 2-1.

Other Matches

• Tuesday, Carling Cup Semi: West Ham United v. Birmingham City; Boleyn Ground, London
• Wednesday, League Match: Blackpool v. Liverpool; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool

What Is Your Starting XI at Ipswich on Wednesday?

In for the banned Sagna, Emmanuel Eboue is one of the only obvious selections.

Pic via This is Futbol.

Rotation, rotation, rotation. We've talked about it a lot lately and with Arsenal competing on three domestic fronts in the month of January, we're going to be talking about it a lot more this week. Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Leeds on Saturday added one more match to the fixture list, with very little break in between each match.

We've also noticed since the festive period a clear line between Arsenal's usual starting squad and the squad of bench players who start when Arsene Wenger determines the need to rotate. The A Team started three of the four league fixtures during the holiday period, while the B Team started at Wigan and against Leeds (both draws.)

The A Team has established itself as: Fabianski; Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Fabregas, Nasri, Walcott; and van Persie.

The B Team isn't quite a full XI on its own and usually requires about two players from the A Team to overlap, thanks to injuries to Diaby and Vermaelen. Reports indicate that Squillaci picked up a hamstring injury on Saturday, which will force Wenger's hand to buy in the transfer market. The B Team list, therefore, includes Szczesny, Eboue, Gibbs, Denilson, Rosicky, Bendtner, Arshavin, and Chamakh, plus Aaron Ramsey close to a return and the occasional smattering of reserves like Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Craig Eastmond, and Ignasi Miquel. And it took me a reread of the article after posting it to realize I had completely forgotten Carlos Vela, who is likely going to be loaned somewhere anyway.

In the coming weeks, the fixture list is a little complicated. Arsenal plays the first leg of the Carling Cup Semi-Final at Ipswich Town on Wednesday night. Then, three days later, it's back to league play against West Ham United, at Upton Park. Three to four days later, depending on the not yet determined replay date, they'll travel to Elland Road for the replay against Leeds. Three or four days later, it's back to the Emirates again to host Wigan in the league, then three days after that, they host Ipswich in the second leg of the Carling Cup Semi.

Five matches in thirteen days.

My question to you: in which matches do you start the A Team, in which matches do you start the B Team, do you mix-and-match the squads at any point, and who do you send out at Ipswich on Wednesday?

Remember, if you play the B Team on Wednesday, then it will be ten days since the A Team's last start by the time Arsenal plays West Ham at the weekend.

Tricky, isn't it?

Arsenal Draws Roy Keane, Ipswich Town in Carling Cup Semi

You may recall Roy Keane from his days at Manchester United... Pic via Daily Mail.

Arsenal advanced to the Carling Cup Semi-Final yesterday with their 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic. The drawing for the next round was held this evening after Birmingham's win over rival Aston Villa and Ipswich Town's 1-0 win over West Brom.

Ipswich Town was drawn first and Arsenal was drawn second in the drawing, meaning that the Gunners will face off against the Championship side in the two-legged semi-final. With Ipswich being drawn first, they will host the first leg at Portman Road on either January 11 or 12. The second leg, which will be played at the Emirates, will be either January 25 or 26. The away goals rule is in effect in this tie.

Arsenal have not played Ipswich Town since the East Anglian side was relegated in 2001/02, a year in which Arsenal won both league fixtures 2-0. The Gunners were knocked out of the League Cup by Ipswich Town the year before that, 2-1, at Highbury on an 89th minute winner from James Scowcroft.

But, the most intriguing element of the tie is Ipswich's manager Roy Keane, once captain of Manchester United from 1997 to 2005, during the height of their rivalry with Arsenal. Keane had a particular rivalry with Patrick Vieira (pictured), which once escalated to a heated argument in the tunnel before a match at Highbury caught live on television.

Arsenal last reached the Carling Cup Semi-Final in 2007/08, but we're going to pretend the second leg of that tie didn't happen. Arsenal last won the League Cup in 1993 when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1.