Gunners keeper insists: Our youngsters can end Tottenham's Wembley dream at the Lane

13 April 2012

Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski believes Arsenal's youngsters have the character required to beat arch-rivals Tottenham in the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final at White Hart Lane tomorrow night and keep alive his Wembley dream.

The tie is delicately poised a 1-1, but with Spurs holding what could prove to be a crucial away goal.

Scroll down for more

Tomorrow's encounter should, though, have been much more comfortable for Juande Ramos' men, who failed to capitalise further on their dominance and allowed the Gunners back in it when Theo Walcott netted with 11 minutes left.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has indicated he could bolster what has always been a traditionally young Carling Cup side with some experience tomorrow night, as captain William Gallas stands ready to continue at the heart of the defence with the Gunners looking to make it the final for the second successive season.

Fabianski, 22, arrived at Arsenal from Legia Warsaw during the summer and is one player who has been quickly given a regular taste of first-team experience in the competition this season.

Having skippered the team himself for the fourth-round clash at Sheffield United, the keeper is determined to get the chance to emulate another Pole, Jan Tomaszewski, and secure his own taste of glory at the famous venue.

Fabianski said: "We were losing at home, and before we scored the equaliser we didn't have many chances. It didn't look like we could get a goal, so perhaps the tie switched at the moment Theo scored.

"Our young team showed again that of course we have a high technical level, but also we have a great character.

"With the character we have, we have to be optimistic going into the second leg. We have to prepare well."

The former Legia Warsaw stopper declared: "All I am thinking about at the moment is my next aim - to beat Spurs and get into the final at Wembley.

"Yes, that's a dream, but I just want to play more games, wherever that is, so that means winning the semi-final.

"Of course, though, Wembley means something special, everybody knows about it. It just gives me another reason to want to win the semi-final."

With the departure of veteran Jens Lehmann now most likely to come at the end of his contract in the summer, Fabianski looks set for a regular place in the squad next season.

Wenger already stated he would not bring in another keeper should German international Lehmann have left during the transfer window, such is his confidence in the young Pole.

Fabianski has high hopes of earning a place in his country's squad for the European Championships, and believes he is in the right place to develop into a top-class goalkeeper.

"I feel very, very good here, there are no problems for me at all and hopefully I show that on the pitch as well. I think I have used the first half of the season very well," he said,

"We will see what happens from here, but I think the first part of the season has been a big step forward for me. To be honest with you, I have felt at home at the club from August."

Fabianski added: "I always try do my best on the pitch, in training, to show that I deserve my chance. I feel that has happened, and so it's maybe a sign that the boss believes in me."

Despite being outplayed for large spells at Emirates Stadium a fortnight ago, their late rally means the Gunners have now not lost to their north London rivals in 21 clashes, stretching back to November 1999.

In the first leg of last season's Carling Cup semi-final clash, a young Arsenal side recovered from 2-0 down to secure a draw away from home, while Wenger's 'regulars' came from behind to win 3-1 on their most recent visit to White Hart Lane in September.

Wenger reflected: "The result continued our long unbeaten run against Tottenham, and I don't know why it should be that they haven't beaten us for more than eight years.

"They have always had good teams in that period, but we have been fighting for the championship a lot in that time so we always have a high focus. Maybe after a while it becomes psychological as well."

The Arsenal boss added: "We will go there positively, looking for the win, and they will be too, so it is set up nicely."

It remains to be seen just which side Wenger will field tomorrow.

Captain Gallas, 30, is ready to step in and help guide the side towards Wembley, but maintains: "Whether I play or not, I feel like part of the team.

"We are one squad here - if we win the Premier League this season, we would have done it as a squad, the same as if we win anything else."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in