Anticipation

Over the past few years pundits, opposition managers and fans have all criticized Arsene Wenger for his decision to field "reserve" squads in the Carling Cup competition. Now, when Man U, Spurs, Chelsea and the like have all elected to follow suit, those critics have gone silent. Not the first time Wenger has been proved right, and no doubt it will not be the last. His fiscal prudence and shrewd signings of young talent are already viewed as the future of responsible football management. So tonight, when we will likely see an Arsenal squad nearly full of "first-team" players take the field against Newcastle, we should expect a backlash of criticism with claims of "bullying" or even "desperation" in pursuit of silverware.

What I do not expect is for those same critics to comprehend why it is wise to use this competition, and more specifically this game, to reintroduce players such as Bendtner, Walcott, Koscielny and Gibbs following their injury layoffs. And give valuable minutes to Djourou, Denilson and Eboue. Players who may find the opportunities for playing time more and more scarce as the season progresses.

Vela, our constant when it comes to this competition, must be viewed as the man in the middle, caught between limited first team action and the mounting pressure from, ironically, the new youngsters. It certainly helps that he seems to always wear a smile and enjoys a good relationship with the Arsenal faithful, but rumbling through the blogs is a heightened anticipation of the potential of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Henri Lansbury. Both offer what Gunner fans have been craving; talent, determination and strength. While the Mexican can not be faulted for his skill on the ball and obvious poaching ability, those are talents others also possess. To his relief, Arshavin has not been setting the world on fire this season, and Eduardo's departure reduced the numbers in his favor. To his dismay, Samir Nasri has displayed a wonderful ability to be both playmaker and goal scorer, and Chamakh the type of player opponents fear ignoring.

Wojciech Szczesny is expected to play, another highly anticipated appearance, and his burden will be to match the hype. Earlier this year he declared his ambition and frustration, and the scrutiny will be intense.

Newcastle should not be taken lightly. Knocking out Chelsea was a huge feather in their cap and they must view winning this competition a real possibility. Playing them on their home ground is never an easy task and the young Gunners must be prepared mentally. The (restrained) euphoria following our win against City will hopefully be transformed into determined confidence allowing our superior quality to triumph.

Victoria Concordia Crescit