Arsenal Beat Coventry City 6-1

Arsenal went into their Capital One Cup tie with Coventry City last night with a completely different team to the one which drew away to Manchester City on Sunday. It meant there were first team debuts for both Damian Martinez and Martin Angha from the start with Serge Gnabry coming off the bench to make his debut.

The team was pretty much as expected with Olivier Giroud playing the central strikers role to try to bag his first goal for the club. There was plenty of experience in the Arsenal team besides Giroud with Johan Djourou, Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott all playing from the start too.

The first half was a fairly scrappy affair with not too much between the teams, but it was Arsenal who made the breakthrough. Five minutes before half time Francis Coquelin slid in to prod the ball through to Giroud and he clipped it over the advancing keeper into the net. He had his first Arsenal goal at last and it actually took him a little less than four hours playing time to do so.

Arsenal picked up the pace in the second half and Arshavin earned a penalty five minutes in when he was taken down in the box. Giroud stepped up to take it, but his well struck effort was very well saved. Thankfully he had managed his first goal already or the miss could have been a real burden for him.

The second goal wasn't long coming when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain unleashed a swerving screamer from outside the box which beat the keeper. Chamberlain strikes the ball very well and I'm sure there are plenty of goals to come for him in his Arsenal career.

With 64 minutes gone Arsenal added a third goal and it was Arshavin who scored this time. He was played in by Giroud and finished neatly past the advancing keeper. Arshavin played well last night and he showed he might still have something to contribute to the team.

With 15 minutes left Walcott made it 4-0 when he came in from the right and stroked the ball past the keeper into the far corner. It was a timely reminder from him too that he can contribute to the team despite his contractual dispute.

With 10 minutes left Coventry got a consolation goal to cheer up their 8,000 traveling fans. A good ball across the Arsenal area was met by ? who finished it first time past the helpless Martinez. It was some reward for a Coventry team that had worked very hard, but tired noticeably in the second half.

Arsenal had rung the changes after their third goal with Emmanuel Frimpong making his comeback after a seven month absence through injury. He's another player who will be looking to make an impact on the first team this season. Arsenal's midfield options are increasing almost weekly at the moment and Jack Wilshere has to return yet as does Tomas Rosicky.

The other players to come on were the aforementioned Gnabry and Marouane Chamakh. It's was Chamakh's first action of the season, as he has become the forgotten man at Arsenal. He has slipped so far down the pecking order that surely his exit will come in January or next summer at the latest.

The fifth Arsenal goal came with 10 minutes left and it was young central defender Ignasi Miquel who scored it. He rose high to head home a cross from the left after he had hit the bar earlier in the game. His inclusion ahead of Sebastien Squillaci shows exactly where Squillaci has slipped to in the pecking order too.

In the final minute Walcott added a sixth goal for Arsenal. It was their second home game in a row managing that feat and he took his goal very well. He collected the ball just inside the Coventry half before beating a few players and finishing into the far corner from the left this time.

All in all it was a good display from Arsenal considering it was a completely different team to the one that played on Sunday. The six goals were well taken and the full house enjoyed the goal festival. A few players showed the manager what they can do and reminded him that they might still have a future at the club.

Arsenal are through to the last 16 of the competition, but the next round will pose a sterner test I would imagine. They play away to Reading who are now a Premier League club and will more than likely play the strongest team available to them. There is a possibility of a few injured players returning for Arsenal in that game, but that won't be known until closer to the actual game.

Here's the highlights of last night's game.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal's Capital One Cup Game With Coventry City Previewed

After the excitement of Sundays draw away to Premier League champions Manchester City it's back to the humdrum of the Capital One Cup tonight for Arsenal. This competition has gone through so many name changes over the years that it's hard to keep track of them. It was called the Carling Cup last season though and it will probably always be known as the League Cup.

For quite a few years now Arsene Wenger has treated this competition as an opportunity to experiment with his team. There is usually a mix of fringe players and reserves and I can't see this game being any different. It's a chance for players who are currently out of the picture to make an impression on Wenger.

I would imagine the first place to look for tonight's team sheet would be the bench for last Sundays game. All or most of the seven players on the bench on Sunday should be in line to start tonight with a few other players brought in to give the team the right balance. I'm not so sure all of those players will be overly happy to see themselves in the team tonight though.

Theo Walcott has spoken about his desire to play in a strikers role rather than in a wide one. He has even gone as far as to state that his chances of signing a new contract will depend on him getting a chance in that role. I'm not so sure if Walcott sees the same player out on the pitch for Arsenal as the fans see when he plays.

There is no doubting his pace and his finishing can be very good at times too. However, his level of consistency just isn't good enough for him to think he can call the shots about his role in the team. Better players than him have had to adapt their role to suit the needs of the team before and his current options are like it or lump it.

I can't see any way Walcott will be an Arsenal player next season and Wenger must know he can't depend on a player who seems determined to run down his contract so he can leave for free next summer. It will be a blow for Arsenal to lose a player they have spent so much time and money on,but there is little they can do about it now. He has engineered the current situation and only he can decide what the future holds for him.

I wonder if Olivier Giroud will play as the central striker tonight in an attempt to break his goal scoring duck. It's far too early for it to be a problem as he has only started three games this season but it would be great for him to get off the mark. A home game against lower league opposition would surely be the ideal opportunity.

It will be the first time players such as Johan Djourou and probably Ignasi Miquel get a chance to show what they can do this season. Nico Yennaris could get a look in too with Andre Santos more than likely playing at left back. Francis Coquelin should play from the start too and I imagine Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be on show also.

I'm not so sure whether both Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh will be involved in the game though. Both of their futures would seem to be elsewhere, but deals were not tied up before the transfer window closed. I would be very surprised if they didn't find new clubs in the January transfer window, as long as deals can be agreed.

As usual there will be one or two unexpected players in the matchday squad, and Wenger hints at who they might be on the club website. It should be a great experience for those players to play alongside some first team players, and in front of 60,000 fans too.

Tonight's opponents Coventry have fallen from grace recently. Not so long ago they were mixing it with the big boys in the Premier League, but now they find themselves in the relegation zone of League One. They haven't won a league match so far this season in eight attempts and League Two beckons unless they turn their fortunes around.

With the pressure on their players in the league growing this game could be a welcome distraction for them. They might see it as a chance to show they can still play a bit and they will welcome the chance to cause an upset. It could be a tough task for a team in their situation though.

Even with a team of fringe players and reserves Arsenal will still have a lot of talent on display. The players will still play the same way that Arsenal always play and Coventry will have to work hard to get anything from the game. I'm predicting a 2-0 win for Arsenal and I hope Giroud plays and scores his first goal too.

That's for today.

See you tomorrow.