Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he has and always will take the Carling Cup seriously with many suggesting the 61 year old does not having always fielded a younger starting eleven.
Despite Wenger’s reluctance to bring in any of his big guns for certain Carling Cup fixtures, the Arsenal boss has managed to make the quarter finals in the last eight consecutive seasons, featuring in the final twice. Last seasons final will perhaps be the most memorable after Arsenal lost to Birmingham City, a defeat that would see Arsenal also lose in the Champions League and slip down the order in the Premier League.
Wenger insists though that despite fielding young players it is a tournament he always sets out to try and win.
“We have always taken the competition seriously, we use it as an opportunity to give a chance to some young players and people relate that to not taking it seriously but it is the opposite.”
The Arsenal manager added.
“Because we take it seriously we want to always offer two things, the desire to win and the opportunity for our fans to see some of the players who represent the future for this club.”
Arsenal will face Bolton Wanderers in the next round on Tuesday evening with Owen Coyle’s side trying to gain a victory to boost their morale after a very poor start to their season.