soccer

Clough on Arsenal's deadball threat & the 'reawakening' of the cupset

Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town also faced Everton in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season [Getty Images]

Preparing for a set-piece onslaught from Arsenal will be the focus for Mansfield Town as the League One side tries to add to its run of FA Cup upsets, says Stags boss Nigel Clough.

Hosting Mikel Arteta's Premier League leading Gunners in the fifth round on Saturday is the Nottinghamshire club's reward for knocking top-flight side Burnley out of the competition in February.

Before that, the third-tier side got past Championship club Sheffield United with a thrilling 4-3 win at Bramall Lane.

Clough says the aim now is to "make it as uncomfortable as we can" for Arsenal, a side that is 59 places above them in the English football pyramid, boasts a 100% winning record in the Champions League this term and has already booked a place the Carabao Cup final.

And with Arsenal's polarising and prolific set-piece approach dominating conversations after both goals in their 2-1 win against Chelsea on Sunday came from well-worked corner routines, Clough's plan of attack – or defence, in this case – is unsurprisingly zeroed in on the deadball threat.

"We don't know who they are going to play, but we know roughly what their formation will be and we know that whichever Arsenal team is put out is going to be incredibly strong at set plays, especially corners," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"We can concentrate on those sorts of things. But in terms of the open play and what their individuals can do, it will be bit more difficult to prepare for that.

"Anybody in their squad of 25 that they do play will be at an incredible level."

'They could demolish us'

Clough freely admits Mansfield have little realistic hope of reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time in more than 50 years.

He says the experience of taking Burton to the the semi-finals of the EFL Cup in 2019 where they were beaten 10-0 on aggregate by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City - which included a thumping 9-0 first-leg defeat at at Etihad Stadium - is a reminder of what a high-flying Premier League side can do "if they hit their stride".

"Players know the gulf," he said. "We're a bottom half of the League One table side playing against top of the Premier League.

"Without breaking a sweat they could easily demolish us."

And yet, he grins when pointing out the same could have been said for non-league side Macclesfield when they pulled off one of the competition's biggest shocks by bundling holders Crystal Palace out in the third round.

"I think Macclesfield's exploits this season have really reawoken everybody to the possibilities of the FA Cup," Clough said.

"You just had a team from National League North go and knock out the holders. These sorts of shocks can happen."

And Clough would know.

He was still a player-manager in 2006 at the helm of then non-league Burton Albion when they forced Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United - a team which included Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Gerard Pique - into a replay at Old Trafford - where the Brewers eventually lost 5-0.

Clough says Mansfield will be playing for "memories" that can last a lifetime when they face the Gunners in what will be the highest profile game hosted at the One Call Stadium since a controversial Luis Suarez goal earned Liverpool a third-round FA Cup victory there in 2013.

"At Burton they still talk about Manchester United 20 years ago, and the fans will talk about it for the rest of their lives," Clough said.

"It was Liverpool here 13 years ago and supporters still talk about it. You are trying to create memories so fans are in the pub in five or 10 years and say 'do you remember when Arsenal came to the One Call and we gave them a good game?'

"The players know that they won't be in this position maybe ever again, Mansfield might not play Arsenal again.

"So without thinking about it, everyone raises their game a little bit."

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