Why Arsenal going out of the FA Cup would not be the end of the world for Mikel Arteta

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There will be a full house at the Emirates and Arsenal supporters will get to see some fringe players getting good run-outs in a big, televised game. But to those Arsenal supporters, a simple question. What is the best result against Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup? A win? Or a loss? Seriously.

Ok, the quadruple would be a goner if you lost but, let’s face it, you have won four trophies (all FA Cups) in the past TWENTY seasons, so what makes you seriously believe you can win four in ONE season?

And the ludicrous football calendar means that something has probably got to give. No-one at Arsenal would ever contemplate throwing an FA Cup tie but, right now, getting beaten by Wigan would not be a complete disaster.

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And for that, every footballing authority in the country - the EFL, the Premier League and the FA - is responsible. Not to mention UEFA and FIFA. Because amongst the ‘crimes’ of those authorities has been the one to have the FA Cup final staged on the penultimate weekend of the domestic season.

A truly horrible decision. Last season marked the first year of a six-year deal that means the final is staged on the Saturday before the last weekend of the Premier League season.

Not only was it another dagger into the history and tradition of the great competition, it was one that has practical implications. Let’s imagine Arsenal, as they should, beat Wigan in the fourth round.

And let’s imagine they get to the final on May 16, the day before they are scheduled to play Burnley at home in the Premier League, eight days before they will go to Crystal Palace for the last game of the Premier League season. The Burnley game could, presumably, be rescheduled for May 19/20, shortly before the finale at Selhurst Park on May 24.

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Now, let’s imagine - and it really isn’t too hard to do - that the Premier League title race goes down to those last couple of fixtures. Over 20 seasons have gone by since they last won the Premier League. We all know their priority. It’s the Premier League, by a mile.

So, you could then have the ridiculous situation of Mikel Arteta resting the likes of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka for an FA Cup final … because there were more important games ahead. That cannot happen if the FA Cup final is as it should be - the last game of the domestic season.

Rice has looked shattered in his TV interviews after recent matches and no wonder. For club and country, he has played 42 games since the start of the season.

If he plays in the two international friendlies in March, Rice could be facing a further 27 games before the end of the season. Utter madness.

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During the 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday night, Piers Morgan posed this message on social media. “Crank it up, Arenal. If we’re going to win the League, I need to see a lot more drive/passion/ferocity.”

Fair enough. But drive/passion/ferocity does not come easily on this gruelling treadmill of fixtures. Sure, Arteta can rest players for the game against Wigan and, if they do get through, has the right to rest players for the fifth round and beyond if they progress.

But he cannot only field kids and reserves. He cannot - and would not - insult the competition. He and everyone connected to Arsenal will be desperate to win today. And, of course, he would love to win all four.

It would be a dream. But for Arteta and Arsenal, it would not be the end of the world if that dream ended today.

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