Wednesday Cannon Fodder: Sporcle-day

What do you get when you cross Arsenal kicking off action in the Carabao Cup with a Sporcle Wednesday? A quiz about the Carabao (League) Cup, of course. Today’s quiz is simple — name the League Cup winners. And I think the hint almost goes without saying - just name clubs in England and hope you get them all correct.

In past years, we’ve made jokes like, “I don’t know who really cares about the Carabao Cup” or that they should rename it the Jamie Vardy Invitational, you know, because he likes energy drinks and that is Carabao’s main product.

But not this year. Arsenal should care about the League Cup. For one, it’s silverware, and winning silverware is good. The Gunners also aren’t in Europe — the early rounds of the cup competitions are the only chance they’ll have for “easy” matches that matter less than every weekend’s pivotal Premier League tilt. The younger and second-choice players still need minutes, and this year, they’ve got just the cups in which to get them.

And finally, Arsenal really, really, really need a win and to score some goals right now. Morale is low (at least from the outside looking in) and winning football matches is a panacea. With a tough trip to Manchester City on Sunday, Arsenal are staring down the barrel of an 0-3 start. A win against West Bromwich Albion will make everyone feel better. And let’s not go into what a loss to a Championship side might do.