As thoughts turn to the Carling Cup again, I’m starting to wonder if our largely successful policy of blooding youngsters in the competition is something of a double edged sword. I, like a large number of arsenal fans, am really not that fussed about the tournament itself but think the way Wenger has approached it over the years has been very beneficial to the fringe players and youngsters at the club.

To give these players a chance to play in front of big crowds against seasoned pros, on the face of it, can do nothing but good. However, given the recent problems that have been highlighted with our current squad, I think results like the 6-0 against Sheffield United might make Wenger feel vindicated about not adding to the squad in the summer (or in January by the sound of things).

Most Gooners I know feel this squad is lacking in certain areas and something needs to be done about it.

Which leaves me asking the slightly awkward question of, “What do I want out of the Wigan game?” I’ve heard supporters of all clubs utter the words “Maybe it would be better for us to lose as things need to get worse before they get better”. I’ve never really subscribed to that, it goes against every footballing instinct I have to want anything else other than an Arsenal victory.

However, looking at the bigger picture, the logical part of my brain wonders whether Wenger may have a different view about our squad had they lost to Sheff Utd. For all the brilliant football the youngsters put on that night, that success might be costing us in the long term as it masking the problems we have - i.e. a squad which lacks balance and a little bit of depth and experience.

At the time of writing this, I don’t really have answer to question I am posing. The experience we give the youngsters in this tournament really is tremendous and 90% of the time they prove themselves to be more the capable of representing the club. I just can’t shake this feeling that it might not be in the best longer term interests of the club on this occasion.