Following Arsenal’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, Mikel Arteta has come under fire for his goalkeeping selection.
Pep Guardiola’s side outclassed Arsenal on Sunday, in a game that saw City claim their first win in almost three years over the Gunners.
The result also meant Arsenal lost their fourth successive League Cup final, continuing their dismal recent history in the competition and ending hopes of an unprecedented quadruple.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s horrific error gave City a second-half lead, with Arsenal ultimately failing to regain a foothold in the game.
Although Premier League glory may yet await, the nature of the loss has once again raised questions over Arsenal’s ability to assert themselves against top teams.
Carragher and Redknapp weigh in on goalkeeping debate
Speaking on Sky’s post-match coverage, Jamie Redknapp gave a damning indictment of Kepa’s role in the loss.
“I know people will say it’s sentiment and he played in the earlier rounds, but Kepa is not as good as Raya. That’s why he is the No. 2.
“So why, in a major cup final when you’re trying to get across the line and you’ve not won a trophy in so long, do you decide to play him? You have to take responsibility for that. That is a monumental error.
“He’s not a bad goalkeeper, but he’s not as good as Raya. It has backfired big time.”
Redknapp was not alone in his criticism of Mikel Arteta’s bold decision to start Kepa, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher conveying a similar sentiment.
“I’ve got strong views on playing the second goalkeeper. I don’t like it, but I can understand it in some situations – but Mikel Arteta does not owe Kepa anything. He owes Arsenal supporters the best possible chance of winning the first trophy in six years. They’ve won one trophy in nine years.
“The goalkeeper comes to the club because he knows he’s the second choice. He can play through the rounds, but once you get to the final, it has to change for me because they haven’t won enough trophies, and they need to get over the line.
“David Raya is not just the first choice goalkeeper, we’re arguably talking about Arsenal’s best player this season, so it’s not just changing No 1 for No 2, it’s changing one of your best players when you haven’t got a history of winning with this team.”
Arteta doubles down on his decision amid backlash
Despite the onslaught of noise around Kepa’s mistake, Arteta was quick to defend his decision and praise the Spaniard’s performances until this point.
“…I have to do what I feel is right, which is honest and which is fair, and I think we have an understanding goalkeeper in Kepa. He’s played all the [games in the] competition, and I think it would have been very unfair for him and for the team to do something different.”
“I can never promise a player to play a certain competition because at the end, they have to earn it, and they have to do enough like any other position to do that. We are guided by what we’ve seen and what he’s always done in the competition, and he helped us to go all the way through here. I believe it’s the right thing to do, and that’s it. Errors are part of football, and today it happened, unfortunately, in a crucial moment.”
The Arsenal boss even went as far as saying he would repeat the decision.
“I would do it again. he deserved to play this game and has been phenomenal for us. Errors are part of football any anyone can make them,”
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Kepa’s opportunities for the rest of the season are likely to be severely limited, with the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton likely offering the Spaniard an instant chance at redemption.