Those of you who have been reading my blog from day one know how much I admire Carlos Vela and how much I’ve been hoping to see more of him. Well, that didn’t happen after the hat-trick against Sheffield United. Hopefully, things will change after yesterday’s performance in which he produced a delicious lob to seal the match, the second, after the one in the previous round.

The world gets to know the young ones

It’s amazing how much the media and almost anyone who never got to watch these kids is writing and talking about yesterday’s performance. But myself and all you other fellow Gooners knew the potential of the squad so ironically, we’re not THAT surprised. This is what coach Arsene Wenger said after the match:

We stood up to the test and got a remarkable combination of desire, energy and quality. From the first to the last minute we looked really up for it. We had a relentless go. In the end it was a fantastic win.

It was a big test for such a young team. I will keep them together to see how far they can go. First we had Sheffield United and then Wigan. They were different challenges but now you know they can turn up and produce. It will be interesting to go into the quarter-final and to see who we get.

These boys, they surprise everybody because there is a mixture of character, commitment and calm as well. Under pressure they remain extremely calm and play always very good football. What they do on the pitch is not a coincidence, it is quality.

We are proud, not only because we have won, but because we have won in a convincing style with a lot of quality, energy and team spirit. With such a young team, it is fantastic to see. And They love it. When you are 17 and 18 and playing in front of 60,000 people, are you inhibited or do you play better? They have chosen the second solution because they have character.

“We’ve had our backsides kicked by a very good, young Arsenal team”

Who really summed yesterday’s performance up well was Wigan coach Steve Bruce when he said:

They were frightening on the night. The age of them. Arsene says it is the best crop of youngsters he’s had and when you think of the young players they have had in the past, that is some compliment. They gave us a torrid evening. We’ve gone out of the cup with a whimper really. They created more chances against us than any other team this season.

We’ve had our backsides kicked by a very good, young Arsenal team.

So where to, from here?

I’ve been calling for Vela to play as a regular for a long time. Lately, Aaron Ramsey joined the list and Jack Wilshere is not far from joining it. Carlos has the pace, the skill and the determination to succeed. The problem is that Arsene Wenger is taking it easy with these kids, way too easy. It’s frustrating to read about our coach who is full of praise for Carlos but then fails to use him with the big ones. Honestly, I can’t see him not starting against Aston Villa. I may understand against Manchester United because the Bendtner-alone gamble paid off really nicely for Wenger, but this weekend, I want the Mexican, before it’s too late. My hope is to see him face Chelsea at the end of the month.

Was Fabiansky sending messages to Wenger yesterday?

In the first couple of minutes of the match, Wigan had a long throw to which Fabianski left his goal to catch but completely missed it. However, he didn’t give up and kept on bossing the penalty area over and over again. It was as if he was sending a message to Wenger, saying that had he been in goal against Stoke City, maybe one if not both goals, could have been avoided. Make no mistake, I believe Almunia has been superb this season but he’s very tentative when high balls need to be attacked. Lukasz, on the other hand, is more confident when coming forward and was superb in goal as well. The final-minutes double save is a candidate for save of the season.

Invidiousness?

Finally, you know what really is the most beautiful thing of it all? The fact that papers will be talking about our young boys and what they achieved but then the likes of Essien and company will reply to that by saying that unless they win something, they are nothing.

Comments?

They are more than welcome. Let me know whether you agree or not with what I said by leaving a comment.