It’s Time for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal to Deliver Silverware — Starting With the Carabao Cup

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta should go all-in on winning the Carabao Cup.

There’s something almost serene about the way Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have started this season. Nine games in, top of the Premier League, just three goals conceded, and scoring set-piece goals for fun.

They look like a team that’s done being “promising”. They’re efficient now – controlled, confident, and faintly terrifying.

And that’s why the Carabao Cup might just be the perfect place to make it official: this version of Arsenal knows how to win.

Now, let’s be honest: the Carabao Cup isn’t the one anyone grows up dreaming about. No one’s sticking posters of the third-round draw on their bedroom wall.

However, it’s a competition Arsenal are more than capable of winning, and one that would feel like an important milestone in Arteta’s journey as manager. Sure, progress is nice. But trophies are better.

Arsenal’s Squad Depth Is Built for Cup Success

On Wednesday night, Arsenal face Brighton in the last 16, which is undoubtedly a tricky tie, but exactly the kind of fixture Arteta’s team is built to handle.

This is where squad depth stops being a luxury and starts being a weapon. When other top sides use the competition to blood youngsters or rest their stars, Arsenal can call upon a second string that still looks Champions League-worthy.

The likes of Ben White, Piero Hincapie, Mikel Merino, and Ethan Nwaneri can slot in seamlessly – the kind of depth that wins cups almost by accident.

Arteta doesn’t have to roll the dice; he can just shuffle the pack. And with the team’s current defensive discipline and set-piece sharpness, even a rotated Arsenal feels like a nightmare to play against.

Arteta’s Controlled Style Suits the Carabao Cup Format

One of the most underrated things about Arteta’s Arsenal is how calm they are. Unlike the chaotic, high-energy pressing styles of old-school cup specialists, they control matches through possession and territory.

They play with that quiet, suffocating control, which does more than win games – they win by managing energy, avoiding injuries, and keeping the tempo exactly where they want it.

Arteta’s system is designed for this – it’s possession football as load management. You can almost hear the sports scientists purring.

Arteta Needs a Trophy — and He Knows It

Let’s not pretend otherwise: Arteta needs silverware. Progress is lovely, but it doesn’t glint in the cabinet.

Since that 2020 FA Cup, he’s rebuilt the club’s culture, modernised the squad, and turned Arsenal into genuine title favourites – but the trophy cabinet hasn’t grown since. The Carabao Cup, though modest in name, offers something huge in narrative.

Arsenal will of course be prioritising pushing for both the Premier League and Champions League, but getting over the hurdle of actually winning something could be the spark that propels them to greater heights.

It could even fuel their Premier League and Champions League ambitions, the way early domestic cups once did for City under Guardiola. If history tells us anything, it’s that one trophy often leads to another. Winning breeds winning, and all that.

Why Arsenal Should Go All In on the Carabao Cup

There’s every reason for Arteta to take this competition seriously.

And the thing is, they can obviously do it. They’ve got the squad depth, the tactical system, and the sheer hunger to lift something this season. And honestly, this cup might be exactly what they need – not because it’s glamorous, but because it’s so doable.

Besides, it’s a tournament that’s rather neglected Arsenal – they haven’t managed to win it since the 1992–93 season.

If Arsenal do stumble into the quarter-finals, you can bet that the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and William Saliba will be back in the mix – the full-strength version, locked in, ready to add the first new chapter of the Arteta era’s silverware story.

Because at this point, it’s not about proving they can play pretty football. It’s about proving they can finish the job.