Mikel Arteta has said winning the EFL Cup this season can have a transformative effect on Arsenal as they seek to establish themselves as serial trophy winners.
The Gunners face Crystal Palace in Wednesday’s quarterfinal at the Emirates Stadium seeking to move a step closer to their first major silverware since their 2020 FA Cup triumph.
Pep Guardiola’s first trophy with Manchester City came in the 2017 League Cup final while Jose Mourinho also used the competition as a stepping stone to major honours with Chelsea.
Asked if success in the EFL Cup could have the same impact on Arsenal, Arteta said on Tuesday: “It is really helpful, it brings belief, trust, positive energy.
“Touching the cup, and being in the semifinal and beating somebody in the final, it is that energy and it creates the right path to go and do something else, particularly because of the timing and when the competition is played in this country. It gets that momentum going.
“I fully believe in that, the fact that you are winning and you get into the next round and it creates something different around the team and that is why these kind of games are so important.”
Arteta confirmed Riccardo Calafiori (groin) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (muscular) are still sidelined through injury but Declan Rice could be available after picking up a knock in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Everton.
The Gunners faced criticism over their lack of creativity from open play against Sean Dyche’s side and Arteta said: “The frustrating part is watching it back and seeing all the things that the team has done without getting a reward.
“Looking back at all the games in the league our margins are 10 times bigger than many other teams that won that day. This is football. At the end what we have to do is put the ball in the net and then we don’t have that issue. With the way the team dominates the game there’s very little to say.
“When you score five goals then another five then another three, you’re not going to talk about it. If you concede, it’s ‘you don’t have many clean sheets’. That’s normal. That’s the narrative. For us it doesn’t change. We want to improve regardless of if we score three or five.”
