{"id":1729,"date":"2026-04-06T19:17:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=1729"},"modified":"2026-04-06T19:17:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:17:59","slug":"the-briefing-could-arsenal-end-the-season-empty-handed-will-the-fa-cup-help-or-hinder-leeds-survival-hopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=1729","title":{"rendered":"The Briefing: Could Arsenal end the season empty-handed? Will the FA Cup help or hinder Leeds survival hopes?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday, The Athletic <\/i>discusses three of the biggest issues raised by the weekend\u2019s action.<\/p>\n

With the Premier League campaign on hold before it enters its final weeks, the FA Cup took centre stage over the past two days: Manchester City thrashing Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime, Chelsea enjoying a bit of shooting practice against Port Vale of League One, Championship side Southampton stunning top-flight leaders Arsenal, and finally Leeds United beating West Ham United on penalties to secure their first FA Cup semi-final appearance for 39 years.<\/p>\n

Here, we will discuss the potential impact on matters at both ends of the Premier League, as well as the legacy of Bernardo Silva, whose end-of-season departure from Manchester City after nine years of trophy-filled service was confirmed on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n

Could Arsenal end up empty-handed?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s be clear about this. For all the external talk of a quadruple over the past weeks and months, Arsenal\u2019s ambitions for this season never revolved around winning the Carabao Cup or FA Cup. The primary aims were always the Premier League and Champions League.<\/p>\n

Manager Mikel Arteta\u2019s selection of backup goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to start the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City last month illustrated that, as did his line-up for Saturday\u2019s FA Cup quarter-final away to Southampton.<\/p>\n

But Arteta was clear\u00a0before their Wembley meeting that beating City would help Arsenal in pursuit of those higher goals. \u201cWinning always helps \u2014 and winning a trophy helps more, for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gives you confidence. It gives you the feeling that, when it comes to that moment, you can do it and you have enough resources to achieve what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

On that basis, Arsenal\u2019s task for the weeks ahead has intensified.<\/p>\n

The threat of fixture congestion has eased a little \u2014 no FA Cup semi-final or final on the horizon after their shock 2-1 loss to second-tier Southampton on Saturday night \u2014 but the psychological boost Arteta hoped for has not materialised. And if winning breeds confidence, doesn\u2019t it stand to reason that back-to-back defeats might fuel a sense of anxiety \u201cwhen it comes to that moment\u201d?<\/p>\n

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\n Ben White reacts as Arsenal lose to Southampton in the FA Cup (Glyn Kirk\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Arsenal remain clear favourites to win the first Premier League, nine points clear of second-placed City (albeit having played a game more and with a trip to City awaiting in two weeks), and are strong contenders to win the Champions League, where they now travel to Lisbon to take on Sporting CP in the first leg of a quarter-final on Tuesday. Arteta has described this as \u201cthe most beautiful period of the season\u201d \u2014 and if he and his team fulfil either of their prime objectives (a first Premier League championship since 2004 or winning the Champions League for the first time in club history), then it will be blissful for Arsenal\u2019s supporters.<\/p>\n

But there hasn\u2019t been much beauty about Arsenal\u2019s progress lately. It has been a slog for weeks \u2014 months, even \u2014 and it threatens to get harder now that the pressure has been cranked up another couple of notches. Nor does it help that City, with the Carabao Cup secured and through to another FA Cup semi-final, where they play Southampton, seem to be enjoying themselves for the first time all season.<\/p>\n

That title showdown in Manchester on April 19 looks huge. But so does every game for Arsenal now.<\/p>\n\n

Will FA Cup progress help or hinder Leeds\u2019 survival fight?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Nuno Espirito Santo made five changes to West Ham\u2019s starting line-up for their FA Cup quarter-final at home to fellow relegation candidates Leeds yesterday. A place in the FA Cup semi-finals was desirable, but survival in the Premier League is critical. Leeds coach Daniel Farke made three changes to his starting XI, admitting that avoiding the drop was \u201cthe priority\u201d.<\/p>\n

But there was something about Farke\u2019s and Leeds\u2019 approach \u2014 certainly until a pulsating tie entered second-half stoppage time \u2014 that showed greater intent. \u201cIt makes no sense to wrap the players in cotton wool,\u201d he told reporters in his press conference on Friday. \u201cWe have the chance to achieve something special and unique. We want to grab this chance with both hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Leeds grabbed the chance. Yes, it came down to penalties, after West Ham came from two down to level by scoring twice in stoppage time, but there was a sense of fortune favouring the brave as Leeds reached the competition\u2019s semi-finals for the first time since 1987.<\/p>\n

The question \u2014 as with Arsenal \u2014 is whether this result will impact these teams as the focus turns back to the Premier League.<\/p>\n

West Ham are still in the relegation zone. Leeds are four points above them in 15th. For all the media focus on Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s travails, this is a dogfight.<\/p>\n

Nuno suggested afterwards that, whereas the psychological afterglow of victory would have fuelled his players\u2019 physical recovery, the \u201csadness\u201d of defeat might be harder to shake off. But shake it off they must, with a critical game at home to surely doomed and last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers to come on Friday.<\/p>\n

The obvious counterpoint is that Leeds will now have at least one more game to contend with over the coming weeks \u2014 and an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea will take up plenty of bandwidth at Elland Road over the next three weeks. Midfielder Anton Stach and defender Joe Rodon also suffered injuries on Sunday.<\/p>\n

For all the excitement generated by reaching those Wembley semi-finals, Premier League survival remains the overriding objective. Nobody at Leeds wants their season to end on May 24 \u2014 when they will be back at West Ham, as it happens \u2014 with relegation.<\/p>\n

But there is much to be said for the positive energy that continuing this FA Cup run would bring. Farke, who often appears a more optimistic sort than Nuno, will certainly believe so.<\/p>\n

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\n Leeds celebrate their penalty shootout win over West Ham (Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Is it time to recognise Bernardo Silva as a Premier League great?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Last night brought confirmation that Bernardo Silva will depart when his contract expires at the end of the season.<\/p>\n

Wherever he ends up going next, Bernardo\u2019s place among City\u2019s all-time greats is assured. He has made 450 appearances for the club, the ninth-highest total in their history and most by any player since the 1980s. He has won 14 major trophies in a City shirt (and six more in the Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup and the old annual version of the Club World Cup), and few would bet against him, as their current captain, leading them to a third FA Cup success \u2014 and if he gets his way, a seventh Premier League title \u2014 on the way out.<\/p>\n

His departure will not generate as many headlines or as much emotion as Mohammed Salah\u2019s from Liverpool at the same time and after the same number of seasons \u2014 or indeed manager Pep Guardiola\u2019s from City, should that also happen this summer \u2014 but we are talking about another of the leading players in the modern Premier League era. As Jordan Campbell wrote, after City\u2019s 4-0 quarter-final victory against visitors Liverpool on Saturday, Bernardo is still their glue, brains and heartbeat.<\/p>\n

Bernardo\u2019s contribution has never been as strikingly obvious as those of Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero at City, or some of the swashbuckling, show-stopping Premier League midfield legends of the past, but it has been huge nonetheless. His intelligence, his understanding of space, his abundant technical qualities, his non-stop running and his underrated competitive instincts have made him one of the outstanding midfielders in world football over the past decade.<\/p>\n

You will often hear Guardiola suggest that, when players wish to leave to City, he does not stand in their way. But he certainly stood in Bernardo\u2019s way when the Portugal international floated the idea on several occasions over the past nine years, particularly in the summers of 2021, 2022 and 2023. There are some players worth making exceptions for \u2014 and Guardiola must be glad he did.<\/p>\n

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\n Bernardo Silva will leave Manchester City in the summer (Michael Regan\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Coming up<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • The traditional Easter Monday fixture programme has fallen by the wayside in the Premier League, but it remains one of the biggest days of the calendar down in the Football League. Today sees no fewer than 33 fixtures across its three divisions \u2014 including three huge games at the bottom end of the second-tier Championship. Sheffield Wednesday are already down, but only six points separate Blackburn Rovers (19th in the 24-team table) and Oxford United (23rd). This afternoon\u2019s schedule has Portsmouth (21st) at home to Oxford, Blackburn at home to West Bromwich Albion (20th) and Leicester City (22nd) away to Wednesday. A division lower in League One, Lincoln City could secure automatic promotion to the Championship (a level they haven\u2019t played at since the early 1960s) with a point away to Reading.<\/li>\n
  • It is also a big day in Serie A, where third-placed Napoli face Milan, who are a point ahead in second. A draw in Naples would suit leaders Inter, who beat Roma on Sunday night. Como, in fourth, travel to Udinese as they continue their improbable challenge for Champions League qualification.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • The Women\u2019s FA Cup quarter-finals also conclude on Monday after wins yesterday for Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion, with holders Chelsea at home to Tottenham and Women\u2019s Super League leaders Manchester City visiting Birmingham City.<\/li>\n
    • Midweek is dominated by the first legs of the Champions League quarter-finals, with Bayern Munich\u2019s trip to Real Madrid on Tuesday the highlight. Bayern\u2019s form this season suggests they should be considered favourites to beat Madrid, whose title challenge in La Liga faded further on Saturday when they lost away to Mallorca and Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid. But recent history in the Champions League \u2014 the quarter-finals in 2017, the semis in 2014, 2018 and 2024 \u2014 underlines how even Bayern have struggled to live with Madrid\u2019s ability to seize the moment.<\/li>\n
    • The Europa League quarter-final first legs offer some appealing match-ups: Braga vs Real Betis (on Wednesday), Freiburg vs Celta Vigo, Bologna vs Aston Villa and Porto vs Nottingham Forest (all Thursday). Likewise, the same stage in the UEFA Conference League, also on Thursday, where, pleasingly, the clubs still standing are from eight different countries: Rayo Vallecano (Spain) vs AEK Athens (Greece); Crystal Palace (England) vs Fiorentina (Italy); Mainz (Germany) vs Strasbourg (France); Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs AZ (Netherlands).<\/li>\n
    • As mentioned above, after a disorientating near-three-week hiatus for international football and the FA Cup, the Premier League resumes on Friday with a crunch game in the relegation battle: West Ham vs Wolves. A home win would send Tottenham into the relegation zone before new head coach Roberto De Zerbi\u2019s first game in charge \u2014 away to Sunderland on Sunday.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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