Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger continued his now familiar policy of selecting youth and first team squad players for Carling cup ties last night, as his young gunners took on Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium.
With Wigan fielding a near full strength side it appeared to be a baptism of fire for the inexperienced Arsenal players. However, seemingly unfazed by the occasion and no doubt buoyed by the presence of numerous first team players in the crowd to support them, Arsenal put in a stunning performance.
Totally confident in their ability, they played with pace and skill creating numerous goal-scoring chances. Only a string of fine saves by Wigan's England international goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland, prevented the tie being over by half-time. Arsenal did eventually take the lead three minutes before the interval when striker Jay Simpson latched onto 16 year-old Jack Wilshere's defence splitting pass and calmly poked the ball through the legs of the advancing Kirkland.
Two more goals in quick succession in the second half, Simpson again and an excellent chip from Mexican forward Carlos Vela, sealed the victory and booked Arsenal's place in the quarter-finals.
Arsene Wenger insists that the young players will continue to be selected however far they progress in this competition and i believe this can only be good for their footballing education.
Testing themselves against more experienced players and playing in front of large crowds can only be beneficial to their development.
It is also encouraging to see a good mixture of young English and foreign players and just goes to show that if you are talented and dedicated enough you will get a chance. Even if, as is likely, the majority of these young players do not become first team regulars at Arsenal i doubt that they could have received a better grounding for a successful career in professional football.
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