Up for the Cup

After another thrilling weekend of cup action, football’s greatest soap opera entertained us with the kind of plot twist we have come to cherish in the FA Cup. Wigan Athletic’s 2-1 victory over potential champions elect Manchester City left Arsenal fans surely dreaming of ending their barren trophy less run. But with the impressive Hull City hoping to book a place at Wembley with victory over League One  Sheffield United, could the trophy be heading to Humberside come May?

It is worth remembering that Arsenal have been in a similar position before. On paper, they are overwhelming favourite for the trophy, with competition coming in the face of a recently promoted team, a Championship outfit and a League One club emerging from the depths of a relegation battle. Compare this to 16 consecutive seasons of Champions League football and there is certainly reason to be optimistic this year in London.

However a journey to 2011 and the scene is the very one that will stage the Gunners’ effort to claim silverware in May. A late Obafemi Martins winner for Birmingham City prized the trophy away from the overwhelming favourites and the oasis once again became a mirage for the parched Arsenal fans.

They must first get past the holders, Wigan Athletic, which in itself will be no mean feat. The Latics have already proven themselves as a formidable cup team, defeating the star studded Manchester City in the final last season and this season’s quarter final. As a result they already have experience of the big game atmosphere and how to handle opposition of a supposedly higher calibre.

Wigan are also in good form following the arrival of Uwe Rösler. 7 wins from a possible 8 have put the Greater Manchester team firmly back in the chase for promotion and with young talents like Josh McEachran, Callum McManaman and James McLean, they will go in to the Arsenal game full of confidence.

It is a similar story for Sheffield United. Nigel Clough’s men flirted dangerously with relegation and seven years after Premier League football, very nearly faced life in the bottom tier. The Blades, however, haven’t dropped a point since a 3-0 defeat to Crewe on the opening day of February and, like Wigan, are gazing skywards at a potential promotion. United also have relative giant killings on their record this season. The Bramall Lane outfit have triumphed over Aston Villa, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Charlton Athletic to reach this stage. They will by no means bow down to Hull.

Both teams will face the Premier League clubs knowing that the pressure is off and expectations are low in comparison to the opposition. The cup has offered the two teams an escape from a season riddled with turbulence and disappointment and is now looking altogether brighter for both outfits. The old adage that success breeds confidence has been proven true in the case of the two underdogs. Rösler and Clough have capitalised on the liberated style of play often seen in cup competition and transferred these successes in to league form.

It is Hull City however who could emerge as the most legitimate challengers to Arsenal’s success. Steve Bruce has done a very good job at the KC stadium this year and is surely close to securing Premier League survival in a season where they have never truly looked in danger of the drop. Curtis Davies has had an impressive season in defence whilst the acquisitions of Nikica Jelavić and Shane Long appear inspired signings. With Tom Huddlestone dictating play in the centre of the team, Bruce has created a strong spine to a squad which many tipped for a relegation battle at the start of the season.

Instead the Tigers sit 13^th in the table with a place in the FA Cup semi-final and given some of their impressive results this season, they will believe that they stand a strong chance of victory. There is also no doubt that Hull will be aware of the pressure upon Arsenal. The Tigers find themselves in a relatively comfortable position in that they are a Premier League team and therefore have an air of superiority over Wigan and Sheffield United, but they are newcomers to the division and still hold, to a degree, the tag of minnows.

All four teams will fancy their chances for varying reasons. In an ironic twist, it is arguable that Arsenal will have the greatest mountain to climb in that this young team must break the mantle of perennial underachievers. The trophy is essentially Arsenal’s to lose and this could work in Hull’s favour as they provide an intriguing middle ground between favourites and underdogs. If Arsenal are already envisioning the famous trophy in red and white, they could be in for a bitter surprise to find it clad in orange and black on the day. There’s many a slip between a cup and a lip.