West Ham are away at Burnley in the last 16 of the newly dubbed Capital One Cup, this evening. We have a real chance of going through to the quarter finals, but must be weary of underestimating the Championship high-flyers. With that in mind, the appropriate question to ask is: “Should we play a full strength team?”
Although this seems simple to answer initially, there are many factors involved that make this a tricky question. On the face of it, we are not in a position where we can field a second-string and win cup competitions. As much as people refer to the League Cup as a “Mickey Mouse” cup, I’m sure every West Ham fan would bite your arm off if you were to offer them the trophy, especially bearing in mind we haven’t won any proper silverware for almost 34 years!
Winning this cup is also our most likely route into Europe and if Swansea City can win it then there is absolutely no reason why West Ham can’t. And even if we don’t win the trophy, a cup run can be a great morale boost for the players and the fans, and a trip to Wembley is a great day out. For these reasons it can be argued that we need to take this competition seriously and play our best team.
However, the last time we had a good cup run we were relegated. I am not suggesting that history will repeat itself in this regard, but it could negatively impact our league form. We have an important game at home to Aston Villa on Saturday, and while it is too early in the season to be dubbed a ‘must win’ game, three points would be very welcome indeed.
The team put in a shift against Swansea on Sunday, and resting the more tired players so they are fit for the weekend could be a sensible move. Furthermore, there is a lot to be said for sticking with the players that got us this far. It would be unfair to disband a team that has played well in this competition so far, beating Premiership opposition. I’m sure they would feel aggrieved to lose their place in a side when they have not put a foot wrong. And it is good experience for players like Adrian and Leo Chambers who may otherwise not have got an opportunity.
I personally would be reluctant to change a winning formula and would not tamper too much with the starting line-up that taught Cardiff City a lesson, and trust that we have the quality to see of Burnley tomorrow.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments or on twitter @myers_whu
