Jamie Carragher criticized Mikel Arteta’s decision to start second-choice Kepa Arrizabalaga ahead of David Raya after he barked during Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Kepa played in all of the Gunners’ matches leading up to the final and was Sunday’s highlight, 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, deflecting it straight into the path of Nico O’Reilly to give City the lead.
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Watch Kepa’s roar give Nico O’Reilly and Man City the lead in the Carabao Cup final.
Arteta defended his decision as “right and fair”, but Carragher believes Arteta owes the former Chelsea goalkeeper nothing.
He also compared the situation to James Trafford at Man City and Caoihin Kelleher during his time at Liverpool, where he often started in goal in cup competitions and finals.
“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,” Carragher said during extra-time on Sky Sports’ Premier League.
“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.”
“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 to win the Carabao Cup again is not the same as before.”
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Carabao Cup Final Arsenal vs Manchester City Highlights
“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.”
Redknapp: “Arteta’s decision backfired badly”
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Jamie Redknapp and Ian Wright discuss whether Kepa Arrizabalaga should have started against Arsenal No. 1 David Raya in the Carabao Cup final after Kepa’s mistake gave Manchester City the lead
Redknapp shared Carragher’s bewilderment at Arteta’s decision.
“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.”
“He’s not a bad goalkeeper. He’s not as good as Raya. It backfired in a big way.”
Meanwhile, City’s number two Trafford also started in goal throughout their victorious Carabao Cup campaign.
Kepa replaced David Raya in the starting lineup as Arsenal lost to Man City in the Carabao Cup final.
“You could say Trafford wasn’t number one either, but he made three great 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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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.”
