FA Cup Final 2015

Fans will flock down to the home of English football on Saturday, for the conclusion of the FA Cup. The match sees Arsenal aim for their second title in a row, while Aston Villa compete in their first final since 2000 and aim to cap off a rollercoaster of a season with a victory against the holders.

Their journey

For both sides, they received a mixture of comfortable victories as well as near scares. Aston Villa's 3rd round tie started away back on the 4th January with a very late strike squeezing the Birmingham side past the Championship's bottom side, Blackpool. In times of trouble, debutant Carles Gil ended Villa's sequence of 5 scoreless games, before Andreas Weimann doubled their lead and see them through despite a late Bournemouth fight-back. The fifth round tie saw Villa leave it late to secure a passage into the quarter finals against Leicester. The deadlock was broken just before the 70 minute mark. Scott Sinclair doubled their lead just before the end, but there was time for Andrej Kramaric to score a consolation for the visitors.

The elation at the end of the quarter final game was clear to see as they overcome, their fierce rivals, West Brom. Fabian Delph and Sinclair netted to send Villa through to their first final since 2010. Although going a goal up, Liverpool were disappointing and quickly sacrificed the lead 6 minutes later through a Christian Benteke strike. Fabian Delph scored the conclusive goal just before the hour mark and sent Sherwood's Villa through to the final in only his 10th game in charge.

Arsenal's defence of the prestigious trophy started with a rematch of last years final against Hull. Per Mertesacker and Alexis Sanchez disposed of the injury stricken side. A match against Brighton beckoned, and the game probably should have been more comfortable than the score line suggests. Goals from Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil helped Arsenal race into a comfortable 2 goal lead before Tomas Rosicky added the third after Brighton pulled one back. Sam Baldock scored Brighton's second to leave an interesting remaining 15 minutes.

A quickfire double from Olivier Giroud sent Middlesborough out of the cup and Arsenal marched on to a quarter final match against Manchester United. Nacho Monreal opened the scoring against the Manchester side, but their lead was short lived as Wayne Rooney's flying header found a way passed Szczesny in nets. Danny Welbeck pounced on a loose Antonio Valencia back pass to round David de Gea and roll it into the empty net. Reading stood in the Gunners way to another final. The semi final saw Arsenal ride their luck as an extra time Alexis shot squirmed under the body of keeper Adam Federici to send Arsenal through. Reading put up a brave battle, with Federici at the heart of it, but Garath McCleary's equaliser was not enough to cancel out the earlier strike from Sanchez. Another final and a chance to defend their title for Arsenal.

Can Villa Win?

Of course they can! Before Sherwood, under Lambert the Villains looked dead and buried. Survival looked implausible never mind a cup run to the final. Under Sherwood, the pace and strength in Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann has been heavily utilised, bringing great success. Fabian Delph has been a stalwart throughout the cup run, and Benteke's goals have been vital. It is almost as if Sherwood has breathed life and rejuvenated a side that was on the cusp of collapse.

A counter attacking approach will be beneficial as Villa will have to be aware of the pace of Sanchez and the guile of Mesut Ozil. On the break Sinclair is lethal and this was amply demonstrated with the deciding goal against West Brom. Jack Grealish also delivered a performance of the highest quality in the semi final. Benteke can torment any defence on his day. With Szczesny in nets, the Polish international is prone to the odd calamitous error so they will always have a chance with the goal scoring prowess of the Belgian up front. They can only take inspiration from Wigan's cup exploits two seasons ago.

It's in Arsenal's hands...
The holders will be favourites and they will probably deserve this title. Having throttled Villa earlier in the season by five goals, which will give them confidence. This season, Alexis Sanchez has been a terrific purchase, netting 24 goals for the North London side. It's certain that Arsenal will have the majority of the possession on Saturday. Defensively, Arsenal don't need to take risks early on in the game, and if they do, can draw from experiences of last years final, where they sacrificed two early goals to Hull City, but where able to clinch the victory in extra time. On the other hand, the title of 'favourites' can do more harm than good. 'Favourites' means pressure, and we've seen plenty of cup upsets this year.

Who has the most to lose?
Neither team has a lot to lose, but Arsenal will be the team deemed favourites so will be hoping to deliver in this name. Aston Villa have had a very inconsistent season, starting desperately poor and culminating in a 17th placed finish. Having survived relegation, a cup victory for Villa would help make the season a little more positive and give Tim Sherwood the undoubted backing from the supporters. For Arsenal, they have broke their duck of failing to get into the top 3, and a trophy would help them kick on and attract bigger and better names to the Emirates and help them compete for more silverware. It would also allow Arsene Wenger to bow out on a high note, for the second season running, however I think he will stick around for another season yet.

Saturday will be an interesting affair. It will be intriguing to see how Villa will be able to deal with the attacking threat posed by Alexis Sanchez and co, and how they will line up. For me, Arsenal to win 2-1 after extra time. Aston Villa will put up a valiant fight, but Arsene's strike force will have too much for the Sherwood's side. 

FA Cup Semi Final Preview

A momentous occasion for four clubs approaches at the weekend. A trip to Wembley for the FA Cup Semi Final. Featuring Liverpool, Reading, Aston Villa and Arsenal, all sides have had vastly different seasons.

On Saturday, The Gunners from North London will make the short trip across to take on Reading. On of the inform teams in the Premier League, they will be clear favourites to progress to the final. Having won nine out of the last ten league games, Arsenal are eyeing a second place finish above current champions, Manchester City with a 5 point gap being established at the weekend. As for Reading, they have been less than inspiring in the Championship but find themselves 11 points outside the relegation zone and with nothing to play for in the league. This will mean that they can put all their eggs in one basket in the hope of another trip to Wembley come the end of May.

En route to the semi final, Reading disposed of giant killers Bradford in the previous round, while beating teams such as Derby County, Cardiff City and Huddersfield on their way to the final. Most of the teams are placed higher in the league than themselves, indicating that they have played their share of quality opposition. Although the Arsenal match will be the first time they take on a Premier League team, they will take confidence from results gained in other matches. Arsenal faced a trip to Old Trafford in the previous round and where able to come out on top in a tactical encounter. Brighton and Hull were also defeated on their journey.

It's a tie that Arsenal will be expected to win and one that I think they will duly deliver. Another boost for Arsenal is that Jack Wilshere is citing this match as his return to football after another injury lay off. I think Arsenal's form and class will overshadow a gutsy Reading performance as they march onto their second consecutive FA Cup final.

Liverpool and Aston Villa occupy the second semi final that will be played on Sunday. After the sacking of Paul Lambert in the middle of February, newly appointed Tim Sherwood brought on a new style of play, effectively utilising Aston Villa's potent attacking options. He has created a sense of optimism that wasn't at the club in the concluding days of the Lambert era. The sheer joy and jubilation was evident at the final whistle of the quarter final match where Villa defeated West Brom at Villa Park. The club has been going through a testing few years and this trip to Wembley will provide a perfect back drop to banish dire memories of a substandard league campaign.

Similarly Liverpool will be expecting to defeat the Villains on Sunday at Wembley. Having enjoyed an indifferent season with highs and lows, a trip on Steven Gerrard's birthday to the final will certainly be a way to end the season on a high as well as a celebration one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League era as his career in the North West draws to an end. Another performance from Jordan Henderson similar to the one that helped defeat Newcastle United on Monday night.

Mario Balotelli blows hot and cold and Rickie Lambert has never had a chance since he moved from Southampton in the summer. Sterling has been embroiled in contract controversy over the past few weeks and will be likely to start. I would like to see Rodgers field the same attacking options as he did against Newcastle as they were able to forge an abundance of chances, and on another day, Liverpool would have been out of sight by half time.

Sherwood has improved Villa's side since he his appointment, and with the attacking brand of football, his side will definitely pose Liverpool some problems. I still think that Liverpool will have enough to overcome the challenge and progress to their first final since their defeat against Chelsea in 2012.

Both ties will be enthralling encounters, and each underdog will look to Bradford and Middlesbrough for inspiration in defeating a superior side. This is the FA Cup and we have already had our fair share of cup shocks. Who says we won't be discussing another on Monday morning?

Anything Can Happen In The Cup

The FA Cup is undoubtedly the greatest domestic cup competition in the world. No other competition comes remotely close to the dreams that this remarkable tournament creates and the memories entwined into the history of English Football. The weekend past epitomised everything that the FA Cup stands for. 'Anything can happen in the cup' is a well known and over used cliche yet it's a one that is so true and was evident over the weekend. Cambridge, Bolton, Bradford and Middlesborough certainly ruined many accumulators this weekend, but dished out the dough to the courageous few.

But first we rewind back to the 1988 cup where the 'Crazy Gang' or Wimbledon had a spectacular cup run which eventually culminated in lifting the cup against clear favourites Liverpool. The FA Cup is about giving lower teams the opportunity to humble some of England's elite. The single games attempt to keep a level playing field, and the big teams know that if they take the foot off the gas, then they will be punished by the passion, will to win and aggression of their opposition. Not only does it offer the chance of a life time for players, but it will also bring in a decent amount of revenue to please the owners.

The weekend past proved that the FA Cup is magical. Louis Van Gaal took his Manchester United side to the Abbey Stadium to face Richard Money's Cambridge United. The fact that Manchester United towered 76 places above the League Two side, did not deter Money's players from delivering a performance of the highest quality. The discipline showed by the home side was second to none and they prevented the 13 times Premier League winners from scoring. They did pose a threat to the unsteady defence of the Red Devils through the pace of Sullay Kaikai and Ryan Donaldson on the wings. At the same time, the absence of Wayne Rooney was felt. His creative spark could have been the linchpin to unlock the defence, as Falcao and Wilson were feeding off scraps. When Chris Foy blew the final whistle, you knew what it meant by the emotion on the faces of the players and crowd alike. Cambridge deserve their moment at Old Trafford, and will certainly throw the kitchen sink at it and enjoy the occasion regardless of the result.

When news filtered around England that Manchester United had only drawn, many expected that to be the fairytale story of the weekend. The drama was only beginning. League One side Bradford are no strangers to the tag of underdogs and don't seem to pay much attention to the script, after their Capital One Cup exploits of 2012/2013, where they knocked out Arsenal, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa on their route to the final. Jose Mourinho fielded a team that contained only 3 regular starters - Azpilicueta, Oscar and Cahill - which could be one of the causes for a lacklustre and faltering performance. Chelsea opened a 2 goal lead inside 38 minutes and even though they look infallible at the Bridge, the wheels came off the wagon and they leaked 3 second half goals to lose 4-2. It has been dubbed as one of the great FA Cup come backs and rightly so. I was listening to the game on 5Live and when Ramires netted the second Blues' goal, was fearing the worst for the Bantams. Memories of 2013 will creep back into the minds of the players and fans and rightly so. They deserve another cup run after that performance. 

Middlesborough were the next lower division side to throw the script out of the window with their quality performance at the Etihad. Unlike Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrini fielded much of his first team with Cabellero, Boyata and Kolarov the exceptions. With 65% possession and 8/24 shots on target, City were dominant but unable to capitalise, handing Boro the initiative to grab the winner through loanee Patrick Bamford. Tomas Mejias was in top form, and played a significant part in the silencing of the Etihad faithful and sending Middlesborough into the fifth round. With City pushing players forward in pursuit of an equaliser, gaps at the back were inevitably left and Albert Adomah burst forward and found Bamford before the ball broke kindly to Kike who tucked it in the back of the net to safely secure Boro's passage through to the next round.

I haven't even touched Liverpool's draw at home to Bolton - who had a combined age of 73 years up front. With a few teams from the top half of the Premier League already out, teams such as Middlesborough may fancy themselves stretching the cup run on for a few rounds yet. Arsenal are favourites, followed by Man United and Liverpool with West Ham in fourth. Even though my team did not win, it's moments like these that make me cherish the FA Cup. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest domestic cup competition on planet earth.

Where Now For Arsenal?

After almost 9 years without any silverware, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, finally ended their trophy drought with a 3-2 extra time win over Hull City. Welshman, Aaron Ramsey sealed the winner 11 minutes from the end of extra time after latching onto a backheel from Olivier Giroud, but the question now remains, where now for Arsenal? 

Up until early Saturday evening, Arsene Wenger's position as Arsenal manager seemed to be in an uneasy state. Wenger had a great start to the season with Arsenal finishing the calendar year at the top of the table, but this tailed off when he failed to strengthen in key positions in the January transfer window. Ultimately, I believe that if Wenger had acquired a quality striker, then I would have tipped Arsenal to finish in a better league position than they did.

On top of Wenger's shopping list should be a striker. For me, Giroud isn't up to scratch, and Bendtner is laughable. Although Giroud got 16 goals last season, with the quality of players behind him, I do feel he should be scoring a lot more. He can also be wasteful on some occasions. I do believe he has talent, but I don't think he can fit the standards at Arsenal, in my opinion he would make a decent back-up. Last summer, Wenger missed out on a chance to sign Gonzalo Higuain, someone who could have gave Arsenal the firepower to achieve greater things. They also embarrassed themselves with the business over the release clause of Luis Suarez and made themselves a laughing stock throughout England. 

An obvious downfall for the North London club was the vast amount of injuries suffered throughout the course of the campaign. The loss of Aaron Ramsey was a major blow, as he scored goals at crucial stages and always seemed to give a positive performance when in the red jersey of Arsenal. Wenger attempted to rectify this by signing Swede Kim Kallström, even though he was injured upon arrival and was out for the opening few weeks. The fault must lie with Wenger for this deal as it seemed to make no improvement to the situation. Another injury was to Theo Walcott. He constantly terrorised defences through his pace but his injury in the FA Cup tie against Tottenham ended his season. At times after the injury, Arsenal were lacking the cutting edge, something which Walcott could have supplied. The events of this season has shown that Arsenal lack squad depth, and it can be fixed if Wenger dips his hands into his pockets.

The marquee signing for the summer was Mesut Ozil. Arriving for a price of £42m, he was the most expensive export in German history. A lot was riding on the shoulders of the 25 year old, and it certainly did give his new team mates a lift going into the opening games of the season. However, several performances this year have made me question whether he is a big game player. Most notably, I was particularly disappointed in the last 16 home tie against Bayern Munich. Like several other games this season, I didn't feel that his attitude was commendable. He often left his opponent unmarked and showed a low work rate when defending, something that is suicidal when facing a team of the magnitude of Bayern, especially when they are a man up. On his day, Ozil is very talented footballer and is scintillating to watch. His varied range of passing is second to none, and he can unlock a defence with a moment of magic. He will need to be on top form if the Gunners are to challenge for the title again.

Wenger is known to keep his pockets zipped, but if Arsenal are serious about challenging for the title next season, then Arsene will need to be more adventurous in the transfer market than what he is known for. Wenger has come under a lot of criticism in the latter part of his career, so more silverware next season is crucial if he is to silence the doubters.

The FA Cup Final

The FA Cup journey began on the 16 August with 370 clubs entering at this stage, and now with only 2 clubs remaining, a pulsating affair lies waiting for us on Saturday afternoon. Arsenal aim to halt their trophy drought just 4 days before the term reaches 9 years, while Hull aim to upset the odds and win the trophy for the first time in their history.

It will be 8 years and 361 days on Saturday since Arsene Wenger and his Gunners last tasted success in a major competition, and since then, it has been a bumpy ride for the Reds from North London. With less than 48 hours until the final, I'm sure nerves are jangling in the Arsenal camp as they know that a win is imperative, to keep their status as a top club alive.

This is a must win game for Arsenal, and one which could change the fortunes of the club. A win could spark a revival of the Gunners back to their dominance over the domestic league during the era of Bergkamp, Henry, Parlour and Viera. On the other hand, a loss could see Wenger's dynasty crumble before his eyes and it may be his last ever game managing Arsenal. I believe that a loss could see an end to Wenger's reign over Arsenal, even considering the former glories he has brought the club.

Hull go into the match as firm underdogs, particularly as they have only won 1 of the last 6 matches against Arsenal, the last one being back in September 2008. The Gooners have taken maximum points off Hull in the Premier League this season, scoring 5 goals in the process and conceding none. History seems to be on the side of Arsenal.

The Tigers have had a dismal season, in which they finished just 4 points above the drop zone. Having lost 7 out of the last 10 games games, form is definitely not on the Tigers' side and Steve Bruce will have his work cut out if he is to mastermind another shock in the FA Cup. However it can be argued that Bruce was resting his key players such as Jelavic and Huddlestone in the build up to the final. Players such as Nikica Jelavic, Shane Long and Tom Huddlestone will be pivotal in the deciding of the outcome of the match.

I am under no doubt that Arsenal will have flashbacks of the Capital One Cup final in 2011, when Birmingham substitute Obafemi Martins scored a winner in the last minute, and this could benefit Hull. If the Tigers could nick an early goal, then it will pile the pressure onto Arsenal. At the same time, if the score is level going into the last 15 minutes, then the players who were apart of that Final in 2011, may become anxious, and therefore sloppy. 

The onus is down to Arsene Wenger to use his experience of high pressure situations to reflect onto the players. It's definitely make or break for Wenger and Bruce will be doing his utmost to spoil the Gunners' party.