Arsenal title march might benefit from losing to Man City in FA Cup
[ad_1]
Each week, ESPN’s Luis Miguel Echegaray offers his latest thoughts and permutations from the world of football. You have the analysis, now comes LME’s commentary. Welcome to the first edition of the Tap-In!
Is it better for Arsenal to lose against Man City in the FA Cup?
As Arsenal continue their almost indomitable run toward the Premier League title, with Manchester City a manageable if not entirely comfortable five points behind (having played a game more), attention now turns to the FA Cup fourth round. And wouldn’t you know it? The pair will face each other on Friday at the Etihad (3 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+).
It’s one of three encounters between these two teams before the end of the season, and it could tell us a lot about what to expect from the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign — not everything, but enough to paint a picture.
Mikel Arteta against Pep Guardiola. Student against master. South against north. Cockneys against Mancunians. Coldplay against Oasis — all right, I took it too far. The point is that this trilogy of matches will play out like a good old game of Texas Hold ‘Em, and both managers will aim to call each other’s bluff.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
What if, however, in this cup match, the best hand to play is a losing one?
Hear me out.
There’s a strategy in American sports — sometimes even a constructive one, if done right — where embracing a losing season can essentially help you to win in the long run. If a team with no star power, a disjointed squad and disgruntled fan base identifies early on that there’s no legitimate hope for the playoffs, the franchise could reconsider its roster and, most importantly, plan ahead for the extremely important draft, where high-school, college and international athletes are eligible for selection. The more you lose, the more likely you are to be able to select a coveted star.
This is tanking, and it is obviously a massive risk, with seemingly infinite variables determining the…
[ad_2]
