Arteta Was Right To Start Kepa In Carabao Cup Final – Sagna

Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has said that Mikel Arteta was correct to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.

According to him, he refuses to scapegoat the goalkeeper for the result because a lack of tactical pragmatism in the second half is the reason Arsenal missed out on the trophy.

He added that a more direct approach might have given the Gunners a better chance of coming out on top.

His words, “Mikel Arteta did not make a mistake by starting Kepa in goal instead of David Raya. Kepa is a top goalkeeper and while his mistake cost Arsenal a goal, it wasn’t the only reason why the Gunners lost the game. Arsenal started to sit back in the second half and they invited pressure from Manchester City. They must learn to play dirty and send the ball long to relieve some pressure and position a higher block, rather than in their own box. Whenever they got the ball, they were adamant in playing from the back and they were punished for it.

If Kai Havertz had scored his early chance in the game, it could’ve been a completely different result. He needed to shoot a bit earlier in order to have more of the goal to aim at, but James Trafford produced a set of great saves – he deserves a lot of praise for his performance. Arsenal need to forget about this result and learn from their mistakes. Arteta will use Sunday’s defeat to inspire his team for the remainder of the season and compete for the three major trophies they have a strong chance of winning.”

WOW.

Arsenal Football Club is an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London. Arsenal compete in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.

The club has won 13 league titles (including one unbeaten title), a record 14 FA Cups, two League Cups, 17 FA Community Shields, the Football League Centenary Trophy, one European Cup Winners’ Cup and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In terms of trophies won, it is the third-most successful club in English football.

After conducting an overhaul in the club’s operating model to coincide with Wenger’s departure, Spaniard Unai Emery was named as the club’s new head coach on 23 May 2018. He became the club’s first ever ‘head coach’ and second manager from outside the United Kingdom.

In Emery’s first season, Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League and as runner-up in the Europa League. On 29 November 2019, Emery was dismissed as manager and former player and assistant first team coach Freddie Ljungberg was appointed as interim head coach. On 20 December 2019, Arsenal appointed former club captain Mikel Arteta as the new head coach. Arsenal finished the league season in eighth, their lowest finish since 1994–95, but beat Chelsea 2–1 to earn a record-extending 14th FA Cup win. After the season. Arteta’s title was changed from head coach to manager.