Following an underwhelming start to the new Premier League campaign, we recorded our first competitive victory of the season against League One outfit Wimbledon in the second round of the Carabao Cup.
There’s a tendency among football supporters to underappreciate the importance of the Carabao Cup or to utilise the competition as a means to develop young players or appease fringe players. That said, last night’s triumph against Wimbledon represented more than a measly triumph against minnows in a second-round of an underrated domestic cup. In truth, it could prove to be the confidence booster that the squad requires to kick-start our league campaign.
Despite the excitement and the expectations that were surrounding the team before the start of the season, our opening three games of the new Premier League season haven’t progressed as we would have hoped. We’re currently languishing at the bottom of the table. Hence, the victory against Wimbledon was so significant.
Naturally, as is the case with this club, we made life difficult for ourselves having conceded in the game’s second minute. Nonetheless, the team persevered and looked to exploit space and create purposeful opportunities to score.
Accordingly, we scored three second-half goals to seal our progression to the third round of the competition. Hopefully, this victory will allow the team to play with greater confidence and freedom as we approach a critical run of fixtures in September.
Without question, failing to attain a single point from our first three league games is hardly the best start to the new season. That said, there’s sufficient quality in the team to overcome our early season difficulties. Furthermore, as we’ve recorded our first victory of the new season, we should be hopeful of maintaining the momentum that we’ve attained as we host Wolves on Saturday. Given the quality of players that are in the squad, and while considering the pedigree of Manuel Pellegrini, we should enjoy a successful campaign.
What are your thoughts? Let us know!
