Countdown To Wembley – The Ghost Of 2011

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·19. März 2026

Countdown To Wembley – The Ghost Of 2011

As we count down to the Carabao Cup Final, this question is natural: which club needs the win on Sunday more?

I do not think it is a case of how the winners benefit at Wembley, but how it could affect the losers.

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Lessons from the Past

2011 was the last time the Gunners reached the final of this competition, where they were still contenders to also lift the other three trophies up for grabs.

Like Mikel Arteta now, Mr Wenger possessed a talented young squad who just needed to prove they could get over the line. The earlier they could do that, the easier it would be in the future.

By the time we kicked off against Birmingham, we were a point behind Man United in the title race, were still in the FA Cup and had just beaten Barcelona in the Champions League.

There is zero guarantee that, had we won that day, we would have gone on to be champions. Yet it was the day we lost the championship.

You can lose, but it is how you lose.

Every Gooner remembers the mix-up between Szczęsny and Koscielny, yet in truth, for 90 minutes, the Gunners had been crippled by a fear of failure.

Momentum, Confidence and Consequences

Twelve nights after, Barcelona dumped us out of Europe; four days later, we were knocked out of the FA Cup, while in the Prem we won one out of our next six!

I have never seen an Arsenal campaign implode so quickly. That young squad deserved a medal to show for their time together, but that failure set us back by years. Afterwards, certain individuals lost faith in the process and were not patient enough to wait for potential to develop.

In truth, I was burned that day 15 years ago, and scars remain. Never again would I get carried away or take any result for granted. It taught me how quickly momentum can change and how fragile confidence can be.

Get over the line this weekend, and the next time will be a little bit easier.

Dan Smith

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