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Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, thinks it is necessary to eliminate FA Cup replays.
The Spanish coach was giving a statement before his team’s crucial third-round match against the top-ranked Premier League team, Liverpool, at the Emirates Stadium.
After Sunday’s game, the Gunners, who have fallen five points behind Jurgen Klopp’s team in the championship race, will have a 13-day break before their next match.
If the match ends in a tie at the Emirates, the two teams will have to face each other at Anfield during a rare and critical two-week break for Arsenal as they compete in both domestic and European competitions.
Arteta believes that the Football Association should consider scrapping replays. He also mentioned that his team may compete in a revamped Champions League if they secure a top four finish.
“We will have to wait and see how things unfold, as the new format of the Champions League will result in more games to play. It’s unclear how we will manage to fit them all in.”
“The brief pause will be minimal and we have prepared for both potential outcomes. Our goal is to secure a victory in the game and we will strive to achieve that, but the possibility of cancelling replays must also be taken into account.”
Arsenal, who have only won one of their last five matches, will go into Sunday’s highly anticipated game against in-form Liverpool as slight underdogs.
The last month has been tough for Arsenal.
Instead of Arsenal’s dull loss to Fulham, Liverpool scored four goals against Newcastle on New Year’s Day, propelling them to the top position in the league.
Arsenal’s free-scoring form of last season has dried up following just four goals in their previous five league outings – with half of those coming in a 2-0 home win against Brighton.
None of the forwards on Arsenal’s team have reached ten goals for the season yet, with Bukayo Saka being the top scorer with nine goals.
“Their performance last year, particularly from the forwards, was outstanding and we were aware that replicating those results would be extremely challenging as it was a rare occurrence,” stated Arteta.
“We understand that it is not enough to have a single victory in the league. We recognize the importance of utilizing all available assets and scoring various types of goals in order to sustain the level of performance we desire in the league.”
“When dealing with those areas, the timing and execution of the action (in front of the goal) becomes more challenging to teach and accurately recreate during gameplay.”
It can be quite challenging, but it is crucial that we make improvements, particularly in our ability to convert recent opportunities into scoring goals.
Source: independent.co.uk
