Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to bid for EFL Cup glory with senior players as he grapples with a selection headache ahead of Tuesday’s fourth-round tie against Norwich City.
The Gunners returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion by beating Everton 5-2 on Sunday – a result that saw Ronald Koeman lose his job in charge of the Goodison Park outfit.
Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez started a Premier League game together and all got on the scoresheet, leaving Wenger to marvel at the attacking talent he has at his disposal.
The long-serving manager has previously used the EFL Cup to blood young talent but the depth of his fully fit forward options means Championship side Norwich should be ready to face a strong line-up at Emirates Stadium.
“That’s the luxury I have at the moment and the difficulty I have as well,” Wenger told Arsenal’s official website. “All these players do well, play well and they deserve to play.
“Fortunately, we have important games every week, so I can give competition to everybody. We have so much offensive force on the bench as well. It’s really a strong point of the club at the moment.”
Youthful Arsenal sides plotted a route to the 2007 and 2011 finals before coming up short against Chelsea and Birmingham City respectively, however Wenger suggested things will be different this time around.
“I always used [the EFL Cup] to give a chance to young boys. We went to the final with a very young team and nearly won it,” he added.
“I always focus on winning trophies in the Premier League and FA Cup domestically, and always used the League Cup as an education for our young players.
“But with this team I have the squad to go further, so let’s see. Let’s focus on winning the match against Norwich and then we’ll see where we will go.”