Colney Training Ground, Wenger's office.
Wenger was still looking at detailed information about Luton. For Arsenal, their luck in the semi-final draw was quite good – after all, their opponent was just a League One team.
However, the ever-cautious Wenger would not underestimate them because of this. A team capable of eliminating Chelsea and Manchester City, if Arsenal arrogantly ignored them again, would ultimately only suffer the consequences.
"This team cannot be underestimated!" Inside the office, Wenger's assistant, Pat Rice, was also present.
Wenger nodded: "This young man has assembled a talented team. I really don't know where he recruited these young players from."
"I heard Charlie Austin was still a bricklayer before joining Luton, and it seems like Vardy and Kante were also dug up from amateur leagues..." Rice shook his head, "Does this Chinese guy have prophetic abilities?"
In any case, Wenger and Rice couldn't figure this out, but Wenger has always been famous for liking to develop young talents, and his Arsenal team also has many talented youngsters.
Twenty-one-year-old Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas has already become the absolute core of Arsenal's midfield, twenty-year-old 'Little Tiger' Theo Walcott is in his prime, and French talent Samir Nasri is also showcasing his football talent at the Emirates Stadium.
In addition, Jack Wilshere has also started to emerge, twenty-year-old Aaron Ramsey also transferred to Arsenal from Cardiff City last summer, and Johan Djourou has gradually become a key backup on Arsenal's defensive line.
Wenger's team also has a group of young talents.
However, Wenger's headache at the moment was the injury-plagued situation on Arsenal's defensive line.
Including starting goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, defenders Gaël Clichy, William Gallas, Johan Djourou, Bacary Sagna, and others were all out due to injury, and in midfield, Abou Diaby had already shown his 'glass man' physique, with minor injuries recurring after recovering from major ones, so he definitely couldn't be relied on for the time being. Tomáš Rosický was also suffering from a minor injury every three days and a major one every five days, and couldn't play in this match either.
"We have too many injuries..." Wenger frowned slightly, "Almunia is injured, and I'm not very confident in Lukasz Fabianski's experience on the goal line."
Fabianski was a young goalkeeper. His reaction and agility were decent, but his lack of experience made Wenger somewhat worried, especially in a match like the FA Cup semi-final. Not having a reassuring option in the goalkeeper position was indeed a headache for Wenger.
"Don't worry too much, Arsène, our opponent in this match isn't Manchester United..." Rice said, "With Fabianski's ability, he is trustworthy against Luton, and our forwards have been in excellent form recently."
Wenger's furrowed brows relaxed.
That was true. Arsenal's attack had been firing on all cylinders recently. Since returning from national team duty and helping Togo defeat Cameroon, Arsenal's main striker Emmanuel Adebayor had scored four goals in his last four matches. So far this season, he had scored twenty goals and provided twelve assists in thirty-two appearances, and was in red-hot form.
And Robin van Persie, who had just recovered from injury, also had a hot foot. In the previous Premier League match, Van Persie scored twice, helping the team win 4-1 against Wigan Athletic, and also helped create a penalty in the thirty-eighth minute of the match. Another player in hot form in the team's attack was attacking midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who had provided six assists in his last four matches, and could be said to be the source of the team's attacking creativity. The young Spaniard was showcasing unparalleled football talent on the English stage.
The team's offense was trustworthy, and Wenger finally felt relieved. The FA Cup was a competition Wenger valued highly. This draw was very favorable for Arsenal; as long as they defeated Luton, they would reach the FA Cup final.
They were only one step away from winning the trophy.
Arsenal's desire to win the championship was very urgent. Wenger and his team had been without a trophy for four years. If you don't count the Emirates Cup hosted by Arsenal themselves, the last time they lifted a championship trophy was the 2005 FA Cup final, where Arsenal defeated Manchester United in a penalty shootout, and Wenger led the team to lift the FA Cup trophy for the fourth time.
Now in the league, Arsenal were ten points behind Manchester United, and winning the title was only a theoretical possibility. To end the trophy drought, they could only place their hopes on the cup competitions.
Just three days prior, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Arsenal defeated Villarreal 3-0 at home, advancing to the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate score. However, in the semi-finals, Arsenal's potential opponents included Chelsea, Barcelona, and Manchester United. None of these three teams were easy to deal with, and winning the Champions League was still very difficult.
But in the FA Cup, Arsenal's chances of reaching the final were much higher than in the Champions League, so Wenger would not give up the possibility of winning the FA Cup.
....
"We will go all out!!"
At the pre-match press conference, Wenger said so.
"Luton is a team that cannot be underestimated. Highbury's work is admirable; he has built a strong team in League One. Their reaching the semi-finals is definitely not a coincidence; they have the strength. Several of their core players are very outstanding young men. So we will not take them lightly. In this match, we will try our best to control the initiative. Arsenal will quickly get into the game and control the match!"
Wenger saying these words in front of the media was definitely not flattery towards Luton, but his sincere words. In fact, in Arsenal's tactical meeting, Wenger also said the same thing.
"This is a team that is very good at defensive counterattacks!!" Wenger said, pointing to the tactics board next to him, "Luton's 4-4-2 looks a bit different from the usual 4-4-2 formation. They like to start defending in the front field, using a compact formation to press the player in possession! We absolutely cannot ignore this point. Passes from the back must be decisive and safe. Unless absolutely necessary, never risk passing in the back field!"
Wenger had watched recordings of Luton's FA Cup matches. Many of Luton's goals were counterattacks launched immediately after winning the ball back in the midfield or front field.
Luton's tactical style gave Wenger a refreshing feeling. In Wenger's view, Highbury was a new generation of head coach with a very deep understanding of tactics, who was also very imaginative and capable of implementing his ideas.
And he was so young...
"In the attack in the front field, pass the ball around, don't be sloppy!! Pay special attention to their defensive midfielder Kante; his tackling ability is very strong. Don't easily try to dribble past him!"
When it came to winning the FA Cup, Wenger believed that caution was necessary. In a knockout match where the winner is decided in one game, it would be the biggest joke if Arsenal capsized in the ditch due to their own carelessness.
A big club cannot be without a championship trophy for too long, and Wenger knew this deeply.
Four years was already long enough. It was time for Arsenal to bring something new into the trophy room at the Emirates Stadium.