£45m star should not start again for Arsenal after Wembley

If Arsenal continue to win the Premier League title, their supporters will forgive their side for their late-season ruckus at Wembley Stadium.

This was the club’s first final since 2020 and the first since Mikel Arteta lifted the FA Cup trophy into the sky. However, it was his only trophy as manager after a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

This felt like a huge missed opportunity. Playing freely this season hasn’t been the best for Josep Guardiola’s side, who were missing three key defenders in Jojoko Gvardiol, Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias.

Unfortunately, winning the League Cup for the sixth time in 11 years didn’t matter to the Citizens, who defeated Arsenal. Despite the hate the competition has received over the years, Guardiola is hardly ignoring it. City’s performance on Sunday night showed that.

However, the selection of Arteta in goal certainly made things easier.

Arteta makes serious mistake in Carabao Cup final

Since becoming Arsenal manager, the Spaniard has been very ruthless in many of his selection decisions.

The way Aaron Ramsdale was thrown to one side in favor of David Raya just months after signing a new contract is proof of that.

That is exactly why his decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in Sunday’s final is questionable. The former Chelsea player had started in every round of the Carabao Cup up to that point and had rarely made a mistake.

Arteta felt like he owed Kepa a favor for starting at Wembley, but he doesn’t owe him anything. But what he owed was a trophy to his supporters.

It’s been six years since Arsenal last lifted a silver medal under the arches at Wembley, and he owed it to the fans to play in his best team.

Martin Odegaard, Ewerki Eze and Julian Timber were all injured, but Raya was not and he should have started. If the club’s number one, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, had started the game, they might have gone away ending their trophy drought.

Sadly, Arteta chose Kepa and it turned out to be a terrible failure. Forget the fact that keepers were limited in their ability to play from the back. His mistake for the opening goal was just shocking.

A cross came in from the right and the Spanish stopper dropped the ball into the path of Nico O’Reilly, who couldn’t have missed it just a few yards away.

Kepa has a history at Wembley. It’s not even good history. In fact, he was quite cursed in the League Cup final. There was an infamous moment in 2019 when Chelsea lost on penalties after refusing to come on as a substitute.

Then in 2022, he missed a penalty kick in the final defeat to Liverpool. Once again, the Spaniard’s mistakes cost the team.

Kepa was also the preferred goalkeeper in the FA Cup, but this should be the last time we see him in an Arsenal shirt. Arteta cannot afford to make any more mistakes in the race for a historic treble.

However, he is not the only player Arteta should ignore.

£45m Arsenal star faces exit door

Despite Sunday’s loss, Arsenal are still very successful, and that is down to the depth of their squad.

The Gunners have faced some major injuries this season, but have largely been able to ride the wave thanks to the plethora of options at their disposal.

But the team has a few passengers, especially as we get closer to the end of the season. For example, Leandro Trossard has not scored in 17 consecutive games. Bukayo Saka has scored just two goals since December 3rd.

However, Gabriel Jesus is a player who is clearly no longer up to the task of starting regular football matches for Arsenal. It would be no surprise if, like Kepa, he is now dying at the Emirates Stadium.

The Brazilian has enjoyed and endured a checkered career at Arsenal. When he first arrived from Manchester City in a £45m deal, he looked like the best thing since sliced ​​bread.

He scored five goals and provided six assists in his opening 12 Premier League games, but has struggled to repeat that form since then.

Before suffering a severe ACL injury last season, Jesus began to rediscover himself, scoring a hat-trick, especially against Crystal Palace, but last year was arguably the toughest of his career to date.

The Brazil international made an immediate impact upon his return, scoring two goals against Inter Milan at San Siro. However, despite scoring against Leeds, Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic, his form has been appalling.

Jesus has not featured in any of the last four league matches, sitting on the bench without receiving any substitute appearances. Even when he does play, the 28-year-old has scored just once in his last five games. He only played an eight-minute cameo in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against Bayer Leverkusen, and a further eight minutes in the cup final against City.

But his cameo appearance must be a last resort. Jesus, who was preferred over the mercurial Max Domann who became the Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer just eight days earlier, took just nine touches and completed just four passes. He managed to hit a shot that hit the crate, but truth be told, the match was already over by then.

Arsenal may have missed their spark on Sunday, but not Jesus. With Victor Goqueres and Kai Havertz up the pecking order, it would be surprising if the Brazilian star played an extra minute for the club, let alone started another game. If Arsenal need something off the bench, Dauman must be a priority, as was the case against Everton.

Arteta must learn from Sunday’s lesson. It’s about playing with the best players. Cephas and Jesus do not fit into that category.