Yet again the media is focussing on the youth aspect of the win over Tottenham, ignoring the fact that of the sixteen involved, only Almunia, Traore, Denilson, Walcott, Poom, Diaby and Aliadiere can be considered to be players who are not first team regulars. Even then, Denilson, Walcott and Aliadiere feature on the bench frequently, on their own or in some combination of the three. As the tournament has progressed, Arsene has introduced more experience as the situation has required. There is no doubt that he would have preferred not to play Adebayor last night and only did so because of Julio Baptista’s injury on Sunday.

All of which puts the media frenzy into perspective. The players involved in this run have done well so far and recorded some impressive wins against Premiership opposition, particularly on their travels. To have come away from Anfield, Goodison Park and White Hart Lane with two wins and a draw would have pleased Arsene immensely in a Premiership season, let alone in a cup run. It highlights the strength in depth of the squad for one – off ties, something upon which experience can be laid to improve the team without needing to dip into the transfer market every time a window opens. This factory of youth talent will no doubt be continually added to but is not something that can be taken for granted.

But has that particular run come to its natural conclusion with reaching the final? Should Arsene now foresake those players who have participated in the run, replacing them with experience for the final? The first issue to consider is the level of the opposition. It may seem that I am denigrating the abilities of the players or their opponents in the next sentences but I am not. Well, not on purpose anyway. In fairness to the team(s) Arsene has put out, it is really only Liverpool who have not played their full starting XI. Even then, Benitez put out a squad similar to Arsene’s in that it contained a mix of first teamers, fringe players and youth. It just so happens that the Arsenal squad proved to have more depth and fundamentally, better players. WBA, Tottenham and Everton all put out what could be classed as strong or complete first team line-ups.

However Chelsea are a different matter. They have been undeniably the most consistent team in the Premiership over the past two and half seasons. Obviously that has been influenced by their immense spending power but that is not the question here. Where they have been found lacking is in the absence of defensive cover, a lack of adaptability that Arsene was able to cajole, con or bully out of the players over the past eighteen months as and when injury required. As an opponent, they are still a step up from their predecessors this season and this, I believe, is where Arsene’s decision must be based, what is the best of their development?

That premise seems to be a contradiction with the earlier comments about the number of “regulars” who have been involved in this Cup run, particularly for the Quarter and Semi Finals. The issue to me is in the combination of inexperienced players used and whether Arsene can afford to risk this system in the Final, when mistakes will be punished. For example, if you look at Wednesday night’s midfield, the only experienced player fielded was Gilberto Silva; it is a brave man who would opt to put Denilson, Walcott and Diaby in there to lock horns with Lampard, Ballack, Essien and Makelele or whichever four Chelsea choose to field. Whilst there is little doubt that these players can make the grade, at the moment I would suggest it is one step too far for them all to play from the start. In the centre, a pairing of Gilberto and Fabregas for example would contain more nous than any of the others.

The other area Arsene will need to address is whether Jeremie Aliadiere is the right forward to lead the line in that match? My view is that he would not trouble Terry and Carvalho too much whereas a combination of Adebayor and Baptista would, on paper, appear to be better suited to find the net. I do not expect Thierry Henry to start the Final but I believe he will be on the bench, the experience that Arsene mentioned before the Tottenham match being available if it is required. There is a school of thought that suggests that if Henry is available, he is the single strongest goal threat that the club has, particularly in the absence of Robin van Persie.

The key question though could well be how important Arsene views this trophy. Qualifying for the Final has guaranteed a UEFA Cup place unless Chelsea have an unprecedented collapse of spectacular proportions, their Champions League spot not assured but not far from it. My own view is that once you get to a Semi-Final, all competitions become important and therefore worth winning. Whether Arsene shares that view is unknown but given his winning mentality, I would be surprised if he even thought differently from the moment the Club entered a competition. Much I suspect will depend, for both teams, on the first leg of their Champions League matches, which take place the midweek before the Final. A bad result or poor performance may lead to a managerial rethink. The good thing about the Final is that at present, there are no fixtures directly afterwards, the week being set aside for FA Cup Replays, I believe.

A final thought; is there an obligation upon Arsene to field his strongest side as there is silverware at stake? I believe there is but it is not a Final that can be looked at in isolation, consideration needs to be given to the state of injuries in the squad and progress in other competitions. It is something for him to cogitate on over the next three weeks although I am sure he is more concerned with Middlesbrough on Saturday than anything else.