"That was a big blow to me," said Pires - but the Cup has been kind, too.
Last season, for instance. "We went to Manchester United and they were big favourites," he recalled. "But we turned in an incredible performance and won 2-0.
"Then there was the replay at Chelsea. It came just a few days after we won a tough league game at home to Everton.
"We were like old men in the warm-up! But we won 3-1 even though so many things seemed against us.
"Then, of course, in the final I scored the winning goal against Southampton even though I played probably one of my worst games for Arsenal. The only thing I did well was score!"
Pires certainly values the competition. "It is 17 matches since we were beaten and that was in the final against Liverpool! That shows how much it means."
