Mikel Arteta criticised for Arsenal cup final decision
Mikel Arteta criticised for Arsenal cup final decision Jamie Carragher believes Mikel Arteta made a mistake picking Kepa Arrizabalaga over David Raya, insisting it’s not the same as Pep Guardiola picking James Trafford. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made the decision to stick with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal for the League Cup final on Sunday, despite David Raya being in excellent recent form for the club. That decision was brought sharply into focus as Kepa made a game-changing mistake, dropping the ball into Nico O’Reilly’s path for the vital opening goal of the contest.
Unsurprisingly, Arteta was asked about the selection decision after the game, and he insisted he stands by it. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images “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,” Arteta said . “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. “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.
” Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images But Jamie Carragher didn’t agree with Arteta’s assessment, arguing that the manager’s first responsibility is to the Arsenal fans, and that Pep Guardiola’s decision to pick James Trafford over Gianluigi Donnarumma was a different set of circumstances. “Mikel Arteta does not owe Kepa anything,” Carragher told Sky Sports . “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 second choice. Yes, 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.