Mikel Arteta has made his choice. The Arsenal manager will stick with Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.
Arteta Trusts Kepa to Start in Goal for Carabao Cup Final
The decision ends weeks of debate among fans and pundits. Kepa has started every domestic cup match for Arsenal this season.
He played all five Carabao Cup games and three FA Cup ties. However, David Raya’s recent brilliant form for the club’s Premier League campaign created a major talking point ahead of the final.
According to The Athletic, sources with knowledge of the club’s plans indicate Arteta will remain loyal to the Spaniard who helped the team reach this stage.
Arteta kept his cards close to his chest during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
When a reporter asked directly if Kepa would keep his place, the manager said: “We will see how everybody is [after training on Saturday], and then we’ll make the decision.”
He dismissed the idea that changing goalkeepers causes disruption. “No, because we don’t have that feeling amongst players,” Arteta explained.
“We really trust our teammates and in that case especially when you work with the quality of the keepers that we have right now at Arsenal.
They played at the highest level with other clubs and they have the experience to deal with any kind of situation.”
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson, who won the League Cup with the club in 1993, agrees with the manager’s approach.
“Kepa has been first-choice in the Carabao Cup, and I think they should stick with him,” Merson said.
“It’s only fair because he played well and got you to this stage.”
The pundit admitted Raya’s quality makes the call tough.
“But I must admit, Raya is world-class. The saves he made against Everton and Leverkusen were absolutely phenomenal.”
Despite that, Merson believes loyalty should win out. “However, if I were the manager, I would still stick to my principles and choose Kepa as the keeper for the final.
He’s not let the team down in this competition and deserves to start.”
Arteta now backs his cup goalkeeper to deliver silverware against the Premier League champions at Wembley.
