Every minute counts for Carroll
5th November
Loanee Tom Carroll is aiming to make every minute count at Swansea City as he looks to settle a personal score against Arsenal on Sunday.
The Swans host the Gunners at the Liberty with the on-loan Tottenham midfielder hoping to taste victory against his parent club's main rivals for the first time in four attempts.
Carroll went up against Arsenal in only his fourth appearance in senior football during a loan spell with Leyton Orient. Having helped Orient clinch a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup at Brisbane Road back in 2011, the replay went Arsenal's way following a 5-0 victory.
The following year Carroll made his return to the Emirates, which again ended in misery as Tottenham suffered a 5-2 derby loss.
Now the 22-year-old aims to change his fortunes against the Gunners as he hopes to fill the void in the Swans' midfield left by Jonjo Shelvey's suspension.
"I've played against Arsenal a few times in the past and I've not experienced a win yet, so that would be a nice record to change this Sunday," said Carroll, who made his first Barclays Premier League start in the Swans' defeat at Stoke City last month.
"It would be great for me to get another league start and as Arsenal play a similar style it promises to be a very good game with plenty of football played, which is ideal for me.
"The last few games I've been involved in we've been reduced to ten men - which wasn't ideal - but the manager wanted me to keep the ball and play it safe, which I think I did.
"It can be difficult to stick to your normal game when you come off the bench and particularly when you're on loan because you want to really impress the manager. But it's about sticking to the gameplan and what the manager asks of you.
"Hopefully we will get a good result on Sunday and build on our recent performance and results in the league."