Mikel Arteta’s decision to continue to trust second-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final “backfired hugely”, says Jamie Redknapp, who gave his battle cry after giving Man City the lead in Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat at Wembley.
Kepa played in every round of the Gunners’ run to the final and was named Sunday’s feature player ahead of David Raya, but his availability was questioned before the game and he returned to bite the Arsenal manager after he failed to kick in Rayan Cherki’s cross, before deflecting it into the path of Nico O’Reilly an hour later.
Arteta defended his decision as “right and fair”, but Redknapp told Sky Sports it was a mistake to be his second-choice goalkeeper as he bids to win his first major title in almost six years.
“I know people will say it’s a matter of emotion and he played in the early rounds, but Kepa is not as good as Raya,” he said. “That’s why he’s number two.
“Then why did you decide to play him in the final of a major cup, when you haven’t won a trophy for a long time and you’re about to cross the line? You have to take responsibility for that. It’s a big mistake.”
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Watch Kepa’s roar give Nico O’Reilly and Man City the lead in the Carabao Cup final.
“He’s not a bad goalkeeper, he’s not as good as Raya, and that backfired in a big way.
City’s number two, James Trafford, also started in goal, as he did throughout the Carabao Cup victory.
“You could say Trafford wasn’t number one either, but he made three really good saves and barely had to touch the ball after that. It was easy for him,” Redknapp continued.
“I wasn’t being smart after the event, I said that before the game.”
Arsenal legend Ian Wright agreed that Kepa was a risk Arteta took, pointing out that mistakes made at the time Riccardo Calafioli and Noni Madueke were preparing to play contributed to the defeat.
“The gamble didn’t pay off. It was the way (Kepa) made the mistake that made you think, ‘That’s number two,'” he said.
“It’s a shame because you don’t see the No. 1 goalkeeper score and it was a turning point.
“If we don’t allow that goal and can bring in some subs, we might be able to participate in the game a little bit.”
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Carabao Cup Final Arsenal vs Manchester City Highlights
Cara: Arteta doesn’t owe Kepa anything
Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher also criticized Arteta’s decision to start Kepa, saying it was up to the fans, not the goalkeeper, to field the best team possible to win Arsenal’s first trophy since 2020.
He also compared the situation to Trafford at Man City and Caoich Kelleher during his time at Liverpool, where he often started in goal in cup games and finals.
Regarding extra time in the Premier League, he said: “I have a strong opinion about playing as a second goalkeeper. I don’t like it, but I can understand it depending on the situation.”
“But Mikel Arteta doesn’t owe Kepa anything. He owes it to Arsenal supporters for giving them the best chance of winning their first trophy in six years. They’ve won one trophy in nine years.”
Kepa replaced David Raya in the starting lineup as Arsenal lost to Man City in the Carabao Cup final.
“A goalkeeper comes to a club because he knows he is second choice. He can play up to the rounds, but if he gets to the final, things have to change for me because they haven’t won enough trophies and they need to get over the line.
“But Pep has a debt to Trafford. He bought him at the beginning of the season to be number one, but then he thought he wasn’t good enough and then brought in Donnarumma. It wasn’t easy for him.”
“Also, they have won four of those games. The pressure on Man City today to win the Carabao Cup again is not the same as before.”
“People may say Kelleher and Liverpool are upside down, the reason he got so many finals was because Liverpool were desperate to keep him, but that’s not the point of Kepa.
“He was signed as a number two but he’s not good enough at the top level. We saw that at Chelsea.
“David Raya is not just a first-choice goalkeeper. We are talking about arguably Arsenal’s best player this season. So it’s not just changing number one to number two, it’s changing one of the best players in this team who has no history of winning.”
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Jamie Redknapp says Manchester City’s victory over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final will give Josep Guardiola’s side confidence in the league and put pressure on the current leaders.
Arteta: “I have no regrets about Kepa’s decision”
Arteta defended his decision to start Kepa, calling his compatriot an “outstanding goalkeeper” and insisting the selection was “correct and fair”.
“I want to do it again. He deserved to be in this game and was phenomenal for us. Errors are part of football and anyone can make them,” he told Sky Sports.
Asked if he expected people to single out Kepa for Arsenal’s defeat, he added: “I understand, but I have to do what I think is right, which is honest and fair. Kepa is an outstanding keeper and it would be very unfair for him to do anything different.”
“We are guided by what we see. We believe it was the right thing to do given what he has done in the competition and how he helped us get to the final.”
“Errors are part of football, but unfortunately it happened at a critical moment.”
