ARSENAL’S foreign stars suffered a “culture shock” the last time they were drawn away to Port Vale in the cup.
But Gunners legend Nigel Winterburn has urged under-pressure Mikel Arteta to throw his global superstars into the mix in this throwback Carabao Cup clash.
A trip to the 16,800-capacity Vale Park awaits the North Londoners tonight in the third round off the back of a below-par start to the Premier League season – already sitting five points adrift of title rivals Liverpool after five games.
It is the first time that Arsenal will face Port Vale for 27 years – previously meeting in an FA Cup third-round clash during Arsene Wenger’s Double-winning season of 1997/98.
Despite a star-studded line-up that included the likes of Winterburn, Dennis Bergkamp, Nicolas Anelka and Patrick Anelka, Wenger’s men were held to a 0-0 draw at Highbury in January 1998 against a second-tier team without a win in two months.
The replay at Vale Park was just as nervy. Bergkamp’s goal in extra-time was cancelled out by Wayne Corden’s dramatic 112th-minute strike before the visitors scraped through on penalties – despite Lee Dixon seeing his first spot-kick saved.
Ex-defender Winterburn explained: “It was a bit of a culture shock for our foreign stars who had never experienced anything like that before.
“You just have to know you’re in a battle. Deep down, you know you’ve got the quality, but you’ve got to bring that quality to the table.
“Big teams are just expected to roll over the smaller teams. But if you’re slightly off and they improve their performance it gets difficult, and we really struggled.
“Let me tell you, those atmospheres can be really intimidating, even if it’s a smaller crowd.
“After a first penalty miss, they suddenly thought they were going through. Thankfully, their moment of glory was short-lived,
“It took us two games and a set of penalties to get that job done, but we went on to win the Premier League and the FA Cup. It just shows you small margins can lead to big gains.”
Winterburn knows the feeling of being embarrassed in the cup with Arsenal, losing 2-1 away to fourth-tier Wrexham in the FA Cup third round in 1991/92.
Considered one of the greatest giant-killings of all time, then-manager George Graham described it as his “lowest moment in football”.
Defeat to Darren Moore’s League One Valiants will surely have Arteta feeling the same way, under huge pressure to lift silverware this term after splashing out £250m on eight new signings this summer and without a trophy since their 2020 FA Cup triumph.
The safety-first narrative around Arteta and his team selections is already threatening to boil over, dropping points against Arne Slot’s Reds and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City so far after three-successive second-placed Prem finishes.
Arsenal cannot afford another lukewarm performance.
And despite their mounting injury list that includes Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke – with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White also struggling for fitness – Winterburn has urged Arteta to silence the doubters with a strong, attacking line-up to reinvigorate the club.
Just like with Bergkamp and Vieira, that means giving the likes of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres and Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi their first taste of the English lower leagues.
Speaking on behalf of Casino.org, Winterburn said: “It’s always nice to get that first trophy of the season. Teams nowadays juggle around a bit more in the cups.
“But just look at us, we went strong, and players in our squad would not have been happy to be left out and rested for a cup match. Arteta should not try and play this fixture down.
“It’s a chance to get to Wembley and play in a final and put some history into the club.
“We have injuries, but we can still put out an incredibly strong team, and that’s what we should be doing, that’s clear.
“I keep getting asked if Arteta is under pressure. The more money you spend, the pressure increases. Let’s judge him at the end of the season.
“But along the way, you’ve got to win trophies, even if they’re not the biggest. That’s been Arsenal’s problem over the last three years.
“They’ve been close, but they need to step over the line.”
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