Arsenal’s EFL Cup final loss against Manchester City saw a lot go wrong for the Gunners. Hindsight has given a lot to process in the wake of the result, from the lack of any appreciable attacking/ball carrying option in the midfield to the safe/scared tactics By Arteat to the decision to wait too long to bring on players to change the game. Everything that could have gone wrong did, and the Gunners found themselves entering the international break on the heels of their worst performance of the season.
But the biggest talking point since Sunday has been Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga at keeper. The former Chelsea number 1 looked unsteady and out of sync all match, ultimately conceding a massive error on a cross that led to City’s opening goal in the second half. By the time Nico O’Reilly headed the ball into the empty net, the damage was done.
There wasn’t a single player who looked like they were prepared to put the team on their back and will the Gunners over the line, but on a day where nearly every player looked off the mark, Kepa’s performance has been scrutinized, dissected, and critiqued under the most intense microscope. Perhaps if they hadn’t failed in such spectacular fashion in a cup final against Pep Guardiola, we aren’t having this discussion. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
We knew what we were (and weren’t) getting when Kepa joined over the summer. A decorated, experienced PL keeper who could push David Raya all for the very fair transfer fee of £5m made the signing a no brainer, especially after Arsenal suffered through the performances of Neto the season before. Chelsea’s willingness to let him go didn’t really surprise anyone considering their recent acquisitions of several keepers, but it was telling that they let him go to a direct rival for such a paltry sum.
His deficiencies up until the final had been masked by a series of relatively manageable fixtures in the Carabao Cup. Port Vale and Brighton didn’t pose much threat, while the average performances against Crystal Palace and Chelsea were overlooked in the wake of victories. His shaky distribution from the back and his penchant for poor decision-making was always a concern, but it wasn’t until Sunday, when Pep Guardiola made a tactical shift in the first half, that those two issues were on full display at the worst possible time.
When City shifted to a passive front four press, Kepa looked like he had no clue as to what to do. Footage of him standing on the ball for agonizingly long stretches before hoofing it long while City refused to press have made their rounds as critics have had a field day seeing Arsenal look devoid of ideas and genuinely outclassed for the first time this season.
Credit has to be given to Pep. Once he recognized that Arsenal’s first option to build up the play was to restart it out of the back with Kepa, Gabriel, and William Saliba, he had four attackers occupy a line 30 yards out from goal, refusing to take the press bait and daring the Gunners to pass through the middle. An endless series of passes between the three meant City just simply had to wait it out, as Kepa was unable, or unwilling, to attempt a line-breaking pass.
It didn’t help matters that the midfield didn’t drop deep to receive or change their structure to give him options. But even with fullbacks and wingers pushed wide to provide options and outlets, the Spanish shot stopper consistently took the safe pass to the CBs before inevitably sending long, hopeful balls upfield to the attackers, who routinely got beaten in the air before City mopped up the second ball. From there, it was lather, rinse, repeat, as City grew in confidence that Arsenal had no clear plan B.
It’s fair to assume that, had David Raya started, this match takes on a much different complexion. It may not have changed the fact that Arsenal looked lacking in energy and confidence after the first 30 minutes, and it wouldn’t have changed the fact that there was no player in the midfield who could receive the ball on the turn, but it’s not unreasonable to assume that Raya’s elite distribution would have made a difference.
And that all leads to the question that has been asked across the Arsenal-sphere: with so much on the line, should Arteta have started Raya over Kepa?
Personally, I am torn. In my match preview, I was fully supportive of Arteta’s decision. Kepa had been the starting keeper all the way through the cup and, by all rights, had earned a chance to start in the final, which Arteta defended post match, stating that “I have to do what I think is right, honest and fair. It would have been very, very unfair on him and on the team to do something different.”
But with a chance to win a trophy on the line, does “right, honest, and fair” hold as much weight as what is best? It’s tough to say. Arteta’s take is understandable, and it is completely in line with his track record of defending and supporting his players in the wake of defeats. It’s noble, sure, but at what cost?
The decision to start Kepa seemed fair when ahead of the match, Pep announced his decision to start James Trafford over Gianluigi Donnarumma. Cup keeper for cup keeper seemed reasonable, because what is the point of having a solid back-up option when you aren’t willing to give him a run out when it matters?
But, much like Arsene Wenger, Mikel Arteta has been accused at times during his tenure of playing favorites and making the “nostalgic” decision over the tactical one. And, much like Wenger, that decision came at the detriment of a big result. Although it was only the 4th loss of Arsenal’s campaign, it has felt much more disastrous and impacting than the others, for reasons both tactical and emotional.
Backup keeper is a weird role to have. Good ones don’t stick around very long, and average ones are primed for dog’s abuse when they inevitably remind fans why they aren’t getting any run out. Kepa is a sharp improvement from the likes of Ospina, Runnarson, and Neto, but showed on Sunday why he hasn’t been first choice for several seasons.
That the loss happened in a defining match certainly colors the way we are all viewing it. But now Arteta has big decisions to make. With the FA Cup still in play, there’s yet another chance that Arsenal find themselves playing at Wembley. Does he continue to do what is fair at the expense of the better option?
