Wenger - Why I still back FA Cup replays
Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2011 by Arsenal.com
Arsène Wenger is still against the idea of scrapping FA Cup replays - even though their existence is denying his squad a rest.
Arsenal were pegged back in the final moments of their Fifth-Round tie at Leyton Orient on Sunday by Jonathan Tehoue's venomous low drive so the London rivals will meet again at Emirates Stadium next week with a Quarter-Final clash with Manchester United at stake.
The replay has congested Arsenal's fixture list to such an extent that Wenger's team face five games in 14 days in four different competitions, starting with Wednesday's Premier League visit of Stoke.
But the Frenchman has an altruistic view of the FA Cup's current format. As far as he is concerned, the inconvenience of another 90 minutes for his team is outweighed by the financial benefits of a replay to lower league clubs such as Leyton Orient.
"It makes their budget for the season if not maybe more," said Wenger. "To scrub that off would be a blow to smaller clubs in England and they suffer already. So you would not get too much support to do that.
"The most negative side of our result on Sunday is that there is one more fixture, and in fairness that’s not what we needed," added the manager.
"The other thing is that we have had problems against the teams from the lower divisions, [we struggle] to finish them off. We had that problem against Huddersfield, Leeds and Ipswich. We play a lot and give a lot, it’s a frustrating game but the players had the right attitude."
Arsenal were pegged back in the final moments of their Fifth-Round tie at Leyton Orient on Sunday by Jonathan Tehoue's venomous low drive so the London rivals will meet again at Emirates Stadium next week with a Quarter-Final clash with Manchester United at stake.
The replay has congested Arsenal's fixture list to such an extent that Wenger's team face five games in 14 days in four different competitions, starting with Wednesday's Premier League visit of Stoke.
But the Frenchman has an altruistic view of the FA Cup's current format. As far as he is concerned, the inconvenience of another 90 minutes for his team is outweighed by the financial benefits of a replay to lower league clubs such as Leyton Orient.
"It makes their budget for the season if not maybe more," said Wenger. "To scrub that off would be a blow to smaller clubs in England and they suffer already. So you would not get too much support to do that.
"The most negative side of our result on Sunday is that there is one more fixture, and in fairness that’s not what we needed," added the manager.
"The other thing is that we have had problems against the teams from the lower divisions, [we struggle] to finish them off. We had that problem against Huddersfield, Leeds and Ipswich. We play a lot and give a lot, it’s a frustrating game but the players had the right attitude."
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