Full Strength Team for Cup or League Matches?

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

In this modern world of football we live in it seems to be that you play your non-first teamers in cup competitions, but is that right?

If your aim is to win the league, as it will be for 3, possibly, 4 teams (Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, maybe Man City) then resting players for cup competitions is fair enough as you have a really good chance of winning the league.

If winning the league is not realistically an option, then why not put your strongest team out to win a cup competition? We're, most likely, going to finish top half, but not top 4/5, so let's try and win all the cups we're in. Does it matter if we finish 10th, but win, for example, the Europa league? Of course it doesn't. Winning trophies is the whole idea of football.

In my opinion, we should always be playing our strongest team possible in all cup competitions, whether it be against Rapid Vienna, Doncaster or Kettering Town. We do this to ensure we win. If there's a game a few days later in the league, then try the fringe players. If we lose, what's a point or 3 really going to matter come the end of the league? Will it be the difference between 5th and 10th? If we go on to win a cup, then we have done what all teams should be trying to do, win a trophy.

Does anyone care or have any thoughts?

[hipkiss92]

Definitley, I'd much rather that the club actually won some silverware rather than just focusing on the league. As last year showed we are capable of reaching cup finals and semi-finals, and I believe a cup win is well within our reach.

[jonzy85]

We won't win the league, we have very little chance of making top 4 and we could win a cup.

No brainer from that point of view.

However, money men at the club may se it differently.

[Hookeysmith]

I believe £900,000 for each league placing is why teams go league first cups 2nd

Not sure what the financial rewards are for winning either domestic cups

[darren woolley]

I would like to see villa play there strongest line in the cups i want silverware at the end of the season that's why we enter the competition's to win them.

[peter w]

Full strngth team for every match. Full stop. Bollocks to this resting players and just concentrating on 38 games a season. This ar ehighly trained and primed athletes. If they play twice a week in means they train less. It doesn't mean that they are continually being flogged like a work horse. if they are looking tired, or drained, then rest them. You want to win things then play your best players. Annoys me with all this bullshit about resting players.

[SashasGrandad]

Dare I say it?

We rested our "best" players last week in Europe so they could be fully fit and on top form yesterday!!!!

[Concrete John]

My answer is neither - we need to learn true rotation.  Take one or two out for the 'easier' league games and have a sprinkling of senior players in the early rounds of the cups.  It shouldn't be two absolutes!

[peter w]

My answer is neither - we need to learn true rotation.  Take one or two out for the 'easier' league games and have a sprinkling of senior players in the early rounds of the cups.  It shouldn't be two absolutes!

Sorry but that's nonsense in my opinion. 'Easier' league games? Like who? These athletes are being well paid to play for Aston Villa and should play as much as possible. 38 games over 9 months is just on average 1 a week. That's all we are expecting from them? They are fitter, stronger, leaner, than they have ever been and when they aren't playing they'll be training.

Why do we need to learn roatation? I agree that we need a squad to be able to move players in when others are struggling. But not just for the sake of it. I really see nothing wrong with expecting opur top players playing a minimum of 50 games a season.

[Concrete John]

If it's nonsense, then why is it exactly what the clubs at the very top of the league do?  It keeps your best players fresher by the end of the season and your fringe players involved so they're better prepared if needed due to injuries.

[mshurst]

I pressed the wrong one. Knock one off league and stick it on cup.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

If it's nonsense, then why is it exactly what the clubs at the very top of the league do?  It keeps your best players fresher by the end of the season and your fringe players involved so they're better prepared if needed due to injuries.

It may have something to do with the fact they have very good players that can step in. We have Heskey to come in for Carew.

[Concrete John]

Or we could have handed Albrighton a few starts for Young or Downing, NRC in for Petrov, the Fonz for Gabby.  Our options may be more limited, but they're not nonexistant! 

[peter w]

If it's nonsense, then why is it exactly what the clubs at the very top of the league do?  It keeps your best players fresher by the end of the season and your fringe players involved so they're better prepared if needed due to injuries.

You have no choice when you buy top players that aren't playing every week and you want to keep them at the club. You don't often see Scholes, Rooney, Vidic, van der Saar, Ferdinand, Evra etc sitting out games.

[Concrete John]

If it's nonsense, then why is it exactly what the clubs at the very top of the league do?  It keeps your best players fresher by the end of the season and your fringe players involved so they're better prepared if needed due to injuries.

You have no choice when you buy top players that aren't playing every week and you want to keep them at the club. You don't often see Scholes, Rooney, Vidic, van der Saar, Ferdinand, Evra etc sitting out games.

Precisely my point - you don't often see it, but it does happen.  I'm not suggesting anything over the top, but just that for 2 or 3 league games a season someone like Gabby is rested to give the Fonz a chance. 

All last season we were hearing about Martin not using the squad enough, now people don't want squaddies bought in??