Football: Wenger takes chance to unveil his side for future

Arsene Wenger has told the 27,000 Arsenal fans who backed his decision to field virtually a reserve team in the Coca-Cola Cup on Tuesday night: "I've given you a glimpse of the future."

Highbury's French manager insists a key motivation in his job is to leave behind a sound basis for Arsenal success way past the millennium, no matter how long he stays at the club himself. And the line-up he selected to beat the First Division side Birmingham 4-1 to earn a place in the cup's last 16 could be the one that will regularly perform in the Premiership in three years' time.

Wenger rested front-line players such as Dennis Bergkamp, Tony Adams, Ian Wright and David Seaman and said: "I picked a team that I was convinced would win the game even though I did become a bit scared at half-time when we were 1-0 down.

"I also wanted to show the supporters that we have many fine young players and that the future of the team is very healthy. We want to win the Coca- Cola Cup even though there is now no European place at the end of it, but the competition also means a chance to give players who are not usually in the team some important experience."

Although Arsenal offered refunds on tickets to fans dissatisfied at the prospect of watching a largely unrecognisable team that contained six debut-makers, 27,097 turned up on a cold, wet night.

"The supporters were very good and lifted the young players," said Wenger, "but I don't know now what sort of team I will field in the next round. We will have to wait and see what the other fixtures are at around that time and what players are available."

Wenger might have to dip into his reserve resources again as soon as Saturday for the Premiership trip to Crystal Palace. Marc Overmars, his pounds 7m winger who has been troubled all season by an ankle injury, aggravated the problem playing in the Netherlands' goalless World Cup qualifier with Turkey last weekend. Luis Boa Morte, the 20-year-old Portuguese winger from Sporting Lisbon, is standing by for his first League start after scoring twice against Birmingham.

The French midfielder Emmanuel Petit is almost certain to be out even though a bone scan has ended Arsenal's fears that he had broken an ankle playing in a friendly against South Africa on Saturday.

Wenger will choose between David Platt and Stephen Hughes as a replacement, but Ray Parlour and Patrick Vieira also need to shake off injuries in time for Saturday.