Arsenal legend Ian Wright has hit out at the decision to start second-choice goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for the EFL Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday.
The Gunners’ search for a first major trophy under Mikel Arteta since the 2020 FA Cup final faced a significant setback following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Man City in the Carabao Cup final.
Arteta’s team arrived at Wembley looking to validate their status as elite contenders but were ultimately undone by a clinical second-half display from Pep Guardiola’s men.
Despite a competitive opening period, the North London side struggled to impose their rhythm against the Manchester giants, leaving the Emirates hierarchy to concentrate on their domestic league campaign as the Premier League leaders shift their focus to the top-flight title and Europe.
Wright slams monumental error as Kepa starts over Raya
Wright believes that the decision to play Kepa from the off ahead of David Raya handed the trophy to Guardiola’s team.
“The goalkeeper’s mistake handed it to them a bit,” said Wright via football.london. “It’s a very disappointing one. We’ve got to front up and say ‘OK, we’ll go again’, but it was a poor performance for me.
“Too many people had bad games for us. The fact is it’s a final and a mistake from the second goalkeeper has cost us.”
Jamie Redknapp effectively echoed Wright’s comments, reprimanding Arteta for starting Kepa instead of Raya in the final.
“I know people will say it’s sentiment and he played in the earlier rounds, but Kepa is not as good as Raya,” said the pundit. “That’s why he is the number two.
“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.”
EFL Cup: Arsenal’s mental resilience questioned as Gunners turn focus to league
The nature of the performance has sparked fresh debate regarding the collective mentality of a squad that appeared to lose its way after the opening goal.
While the absence of key creative figures like Eberechci Eze and Martin Odegaard hampered their attacking output, the inability of the midfield to retain possession remains a concern.
“People will ask questions,” said Wright. “Arsenal’s project is about trying to win that league, so this might be the catalyst to make them understand, ‘we can do this’.
“We won’t be playing with Kepa in goal, we’ll probably have [Eberechci] Eze back, we might have [Martin] Odegaard back, so it’s a different team that’s going to be out there.”
Arteta must now ensure this failure serves as a catalyst for the title race rather than a terminal blow to their remaining ambitions.
Arsenal are next in action in the FA Cup quarter-finals, when they travel to Southampton on April 4, with their next Premier League match seeing them welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium.