A very subjective look into AWFC

In a landscape where footballers are playing way too many minutes and ACL injuries happen all the time, there’s a part of me that thinks it should be scrapped completely. But is that fair to other clubs? I don’t think so.

The only true, valid and real answer to the question is that it is definitely not for me to decide. All I can say is that my opinion is just that: an opinion, and if I wasn’t an Arsenal fan I probably would think the answer is YES IT SHOULD EXIST.

The Conti Cup is a great competition but it’s very convenient to say that. I’m basing it on the fact that it’s the only trophy we could win this season so yeah, it’s important and great and hard to win haha. Winning it last year was incredible to me as a fan who has only seen ONE trophy being won since I’ve been a supporter, so that particular competition is special for me but for totally selfish reasons, as you can tell.

You all know this but not every fan supports a huge club that gets 60k people a couple of weekends in a row. So, as privileged as we are and can afford to play one competition less, other teams can’t and other players shouldn’t miss out either. For some players this is the shopping window they need to be seen at. It’s their chance to make a big impression on a top manager or scout and who knows who else. So part of me feels this is a competition that has to stay put.

One of the tenants of sports that I am a champion of is the idea that “success breeds success” and every trophy/cup win is massive. It adds to the history of the club, to the pedigree of the players, to their self esteem, and that can translate into longevity, relevance, gigs outside of the pitch when they retire, etc etc etc. A trophy is a very big deal.

With that said, yes I want to win the Conti Cup but if we were top of the league and playing the quarters of the CL and that meant we would’ve been knocked out of the Conti I would take it in a heartbeat. I bet you would too.

Winning trophies is what Arsenal do, it’s part of our DNA and if we are truthful and admit that it hasn’t been our recent present, with the players we have, then there’s something missing. Yet, winning 2 trophies in a row can be a start to something new, and it can help us find something whatever that is.

I think I know 😉