Mikel Arteta believes that lifting the Carabao Cup can be the springboard to Arsenal winning bigger trophies as they prepare to face Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Arteta celebrates his fifth anniversary in charge on Friday but has only the FA Cup win in his first season and two Community Shields to show for it after finishing as Premier League runners-up for the past two seasons. The Arsenal manager is likely to field a strong side against Palace despite a shortage of defensive options, with the teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly expected to start again at left-back in the absence of Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal have not lifted the League Cup since 1993 and Arteta is hoping that they can end that barren run in mid-March and use the tournament to build momentum.
“I think so,” he said. “I fully believe in that: the fact that you are winning and you get into the next round and it creates something different around the team, and that is why these kind of games are so important.
“ It is really helpful. It brings belief, trust, positive energy, touching the cup, and being in the semi-final and beating somebody in the final; it is that energy and it creates the right path to go and do something else, particularly because of the timing and when the competition is played in this country, it gets that momentum going.”
Asked whether he would celebrate his anniversary on Friday with a glass of wine, Arteta said: “I don’t drink wine but it will be a special day: five years in this job of a club of this size is a big thing so I am very grateful.”
Gabriel Jesus is in contention to start against Palace despite his struggles this season. The Brazil forward has scored only once – in the Carabao Cup win over Preston back in October.
“I don’t know if it’s confidence but obviously he’s got that will that the ball goes in the back of the net and he will start to have some momentum,” Arteta said. “When he plays in that position he needs to deliver in those moments and he’s really trying.”
