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Johnson, Hargreaves, Oxlade-Chamberlain & more - five players with a point to prove in Arsenal's League Cup clash with Manchester City
A number of stars who have found their chances limited this season will be looking to prove their worth to their managers when the two sides meet at the Emirates Stadium
29 Nov 2011 07:55:00
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ANALYSIS
By Danny Hart
Ahead of the League Cup quarter-final between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, a number of fringe players are looking to stake their claim for a regular starting spot.
The likes of Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero are set to be rested after featuring over the weekend, giving players who have been out of the first-team picture for much of the season a chance to prove their worth.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has already confirmed he will "use some players who have played less" for the clash against the Premier League leaders, while City manager Roberto Mancini has bemoaned the timing of the fixture and says he will field a completely different XI to the one which started against Liverpool on Sunday.
Looking ahead to the League Cup tie, Goal.com runs through five players with a point to prove on Tuesday night.
However, despite a goalscoring start to life with the Three Lions in the early stages of Euro 2012 qualifying, the winger has failed to entirely convince Mancini with his performances, with the Italian claiming earlier in the season that his player still needs to improve.
The City boss has since stood by his criticism of Johnson, who he substituted after just 40 minutes in the 2-1 Champions League win over Villarreal in October, and insists he is only so tough on the England international because he knows he has the potential to become "one of the best wingers in the game".
The form of James Milner and David Silva for City has seen the former Middlesbrough star have to settle for a place on the bench in recent weeks, failing to start a match since City's last League Cup tie against Wolves.
But the 24-year-old, who recently signed a new deal with the club until 2016, looks set to get the opportunity to stake his claim for a regular place in Mancini's side with a starting spot against the Gunners at the Emirates.
Having arrived at the club with a reputation as one of the hottest prospects in English football, the 18-year-old was given the daunting task of making his competitive debut in the 8-2 thrashing away to Manchester United, coming on as a second-half substitute with his side losing 3-1.
It would appear Wenger is not fully certain the player has what it takes to star at the highest level yet, though, with the midfielder having not played in the Premier League since that defeat against United in August.
Even goals in successive games earlier in the season - against Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup and Olympiakos in the Champions League - have not been enough for the youngster to force his way into his manager's Premier League plans.
Impressive displays of late from both Theo Walcott and Gervinho have not helped the England Under-21 international's cause for a place in Wenger's side, but he may get the chance to prove his worth against City as his boss looks to rotate his squad.
But while the Ivorian had a relatively easy return to first-team action by captaining his side to victory against Birmingham in September, he was partly at fault for both Bayern Munich goals in City's 2-0 Champions League loss in Germany a week later.
Joleon Lescott - on the bench that night against Bayern - has since formed an excellent partnership with Vincent Kompany in the centre of defence, meaning Toure has been restricted to just one League Cup start and three substitute appearances in the Premier League since the end of September.
The defender has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium due to a lack of appearances this season, and the player himself has admitted that a move to French club Paris Saint-Germain would interest him.
With Toure battling to prove he still has the ability to cut it at the top after spending the majority of 2011 out of the first-team set-up at City, Mancini - and maybe even potential suitors - will be keeping a close eye on the former Arsenal man at the Emirates.
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By Danny Hart
Ahead of the League Cup quarter-final between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, a number of fringe players are looking to stake their claim for a regular starting spot.
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The likes of Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero are set to be rested after featuring over the weekend, giving players who have been out of the first-team picture for much of the season a chance to prove their worth.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has already confirmed he will "use some players who have played less" for the clash against the Premier League leaders, while City manager Roberto Mancini has bemoaned the timing of the fixture and says he will field a completely different XI to the one which started against Liverpool on Sunday.
Looking ahead to the League Cup tie, Goal.com runs through five players with a point to prove on Tuesday night.
| PARK CHU-YOUNG |
Park Chu-Young had looked set for a move to French champions Lille in the summer following Monaco's relegation from Ligue 1, but a U-turn late in the transfer window saw the forward sign for Arsenal.
The exit of Nicklas Bendtner on loan to Sunderland, as well as Marouane Chamakh's considerable drop in form in the second half of last season, meant Park seemed likely to have his fair share of opportunities for the Gunners this term.
The South Korea international is yet to feature in the Premier League, though, and has made just three appearances for the club in all competitions so far this season, with Chamakh often preferred when Robin van Persie has been rested.
Wenger praised the striker after he was among the scorers in a League Cup victory over Bolton Wanderers in October, but after handing him a start a week later against Marseille in the Champions League, the Frenchman admitted the player could not keep up with the pace of the game and still needs time to adjust.
But Park insists he is now in his "normal condition" after a difficult start to life at the Emirates, and with Wenger set to make changes for the visit of City, the striker has the chance to show his boss and the Arsenal faithful that he is ready to challenge for a first-team place on a regular basis.
| OWEN HARGREAVES |
Manchester City pulled off one of the shock deals of the summer when they completed the signing of free agent Owen Hargreaves on a one-year contract on transfer deadline day.
But after a dream debut saw him score the opening goal in City's 2-0 League Cup win over Birmingham in September, the former Manchester United midfielder, whose injury problems restricted him to just 18 league starts during his four years at Old Trafford, has featured just once since.
So rare have Hargreaves' appearances been for the Eastlands club, City first-team coach David Platt was forced to insist after the 5-2 victory against Wolves in the last round of the League Cup that the player has not suffered an injury setback and has been available for selection for the majority of the season.
Platt also revealed before the recent international break that the former England midfielder had been training well for a week after a slight calf strain, yet he is still to feature for Roberto Mancini's men since playing the last 13 minutes in the 4-1 win against Aston Villa in October.
With Hargreaves having played a combined total of just 70 minutes in a City shirt so far, Tuesday night's game against Arsenal provides the perfect opportunity to prove his fitness once again.
| ADAM JOHNSON |
However, despite a goalscoring start to life with the Three Lions in the early stages of Euro 2012 qualifying, the winger has failed to entirely convince Mancini with his performances, with the Italian claiming earlier in the season that his player still needs to improve.
The City boss has since stood by his criticism of Johnson, who he substituted after just 40 minutes in the 2-1 Champions League win over Villarreal in October, and insists he is only so tough on the England international because he knows he has the potential to become "one of the best wingers in the game".
The form of James Milner and David Silva for City has seen the former Middlesbrough star have to settle for a place on the bench in recent weeks, failing to start a match since City's last League Cup tie against Wolves.
But the 24-year-old, who recently signed a new deal with the club until 2016, looks set to get the opportunity to stake his claim for a regular place in Mancini's side with a starting spot against the Gunners at the Emirates.
| ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN |
Having arrived at the club with a reputation as one of the hottest prospects in English football, the 18-year-old was given the daunting task of making his competitive debut in the 8-2 thrashing away to Manchester United, coming on as a second-half substitute with his side losing 3-1.
It would appear Wenger is not fully certain the player has what it takes to star at the highest level yet, though, with the midfielder having not played in the Premier League since that defeat against United in August.
Even goals in successive games earlier in the season - against Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup and Olympiakos in the Champions League - have not been enough for the youngster to force his way into his manager's Premier League plans.
Impressive displays of late from both Theo Walcott and Gervinho have not helped the England Under-21 international's cause for a place in Wenger's side, but he may get the chance to prove his worth against City as his boss looks to rotate his squad.
| KOLO TOURE |
But while the Ivorian had a relatively easy return to first-team action by captaining his side to victory against Birmingham in September, he was partly at fault for both Bayern Munich goals in City's 2-0 Champions League loss in Germany a week later.
Joleon Lescott - on the bench that night against Bayern - has since formed an excellent partnership with Vincent Kompany in the centre of defence, meaning Toure has been restricted to just one League Cup start and three substitute appearances in the Premier League since the end of September.
The defender has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium due to a lack of appearances this season, and the player himself has admitted that a move to French club Paris Saint-Germain would interest him.
With Toure battling to prove he still has the ability to cut it at the top after spending the majority of 2011 out of the first-team set-up at City, Mancini - and maybe even potential suitors - will be keeping a close eye on the former Arsenal man at the Emirates.
Follow Danny Hart on
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