Arsenal lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, but there were many reasons for such a dismal performance under the arches of Wembley.
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s mistake was one of the decisive moments, but it didn’t help that the Gunners were without Martin Odegaard and Ebereshi Eze through injury.
Combine that with Bukayo Saka’s poor form and fatigue from key players such as Declan Rice and Martin Zvimendi, and it felt like a road to failure.
However, the fact that they lost and the way they lost were certainly surprising. No matter what obstacles are thrown at Mikel Arteta’s side this season, no matter what questions are thrown at them, they have traditionally found a way to get over the line. However, in the biggest game of the 2025/26 season to date, they faltered at the first hurdle in their goal of winning a number of major trophies.
Arteta is unlikely to mess up his playbook after the international break, but Sunday’s defeat showed a few things need to change, mainly in midfield.
Why we need to let Martin Zvimendi go
When Arsenal moved to sign Zvimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer, the deal was greeted with great excitement, mainly because they beat Liverpool to land him.
In the early stages of his career at Arsenal, he looked like an incredible pick-up player. This player was chosen by Spain to replace Rodri, and is also the player who actually stole the number six spot from Rodri.
Of particular note was his superb brace against Nottingham Forest last September.
The Spaniard wasn’t brought in to score goals, but it was an indication of a player who ticked a lot of boxes. Zvimendi is not a bulldozer of a player in the middle of the park. He lacks the physicality and bite of his partner Rice, but what he lacks in those areas he more than makes up for in poise, passing ability and decision-making.
Well, that’s what we thought anyway. The longer the campaign dragged on, the worse Zvimendi’s performance worsened. But should we be surprised?
He started 30 of the 31 games he played in the Premier League, playing a total of 3,575 minutes in all competitions. This is the most playing time of any outfield player at the club. He looks exhausted, but not really shocked.
Arsenal player playing time – 2025/26 | |
|---|---|
player | play time |
1) David Raya | 3,600 |
2) Martin Zvimendi | 2,575 |
3) Declan Rice | 3,462 |
4) Julian Timber | 3,309 |
5) William Saliba | 3,216 |
6) Gabriel | 3,073 |
7) Bukayo Saka | 2,869 |
8) Victor Gokeres | 2,762 |
Zvimendi also made some mistakes that led to goals. It was an easy concession of possession that led to Richarlison’s goal in last year’s North London derby at the Emirates, and it was his spilled pass that led to Brian Mbeumo’s goal when Manchester United visited the Emirates Stadium.
The Spain international also showed his limitations against Man City last weekend, especially when it comes to advancing the ball. After half-time, it took until the 71st minute for Arsenal to record a progressive pass inside the opponents’ half.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the completed pass into the opponent’s goal or into the penalty area.
So after the international break, it was time for Arteta to try something else with Rice.
Arsenal’s Martin Zvimendi’s solution
Zvimendi is not a bad player by any stretch of the imagination. No one who is bad at soccer can play longer than Rice, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel, or William Saliba.
But now is the time to take him out of action. As Arteta looks for a solution, how about deploying Miles Lewis-Skelly in midfield?
The teenager’s campaign could not have been more different from Zvimendi’s, with him playing just 1,298 minutes in all competitions.
It was a truly sad turn of events for a player who made an incredible impact during his debut campaign as a senior player for Arsenal. In 2024/25, he dazzled in the Champions League against both Real Madrid and PSG, but his confidence seemed to be in tatters this season, with him starting just once in the Premier League all season.
This time last year he was about to make his England debut. That was the game in which he scored. But soccer changes quickly. His playing time was clearly lacking, and his chances of being included in manager Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad are all but gone.
The German had warned in November that this would happen if he didn’t play more, but surprisingly he was not selected for the March/April international break.
It’s not a huge shock, and to be fair to Louis Skelly, it’s actually not his own fault. The role of Arsenal’s left-back has changed slightly this season with the arrival of Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafioli. Arteta preferred defensive safety and who could blame him?
That said, there is still a role for Lewis-Skelly in this team, and it could be in midfield, where he grew up playing in the academy but has not made a single appearance since his rise to first-team stardom.
What makes the 19-year-old such an exciting midfield prospect? Well, just like his Rice compatriot, he is phenomenal at not only getting around the press, but also advancing plays. That was a big problem for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, but the use of Lewis-Skelly alongside Rice could solve it at the end of the season.
Last season, the teenager ranked within the top 13% of full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries. In contrast, Zvimendi has only ranked in the top 53% of midfielders in this metric this season, showing his inability to beat players or put the ball at his feet to propel his team forward.
Compare that to Rice and you start to see why Lewis-Skelly is in a similar position when it comes to getting the ball up the field. In the 2026/26 season, the England superstar ranks in the top 15% of midfielders on the continent for progressive passes completed per 90 minutes and in the top 5% for progressive carries, according to Data MB.
Arsenal have relied too much on Rice this season and the midfielder believes Zvimendi has contributed to his development, although he said in an interview that “our understanding of each other was excellent”, but said it was now time to seek another midfield partner.
Lewis-Skelly is too good to sit on the bench much longer. He has been hailed as a ‘future captain’ by Arsenal club officials and they just have to give him more playing time.
The youngster has been on the sidelines for some time, but could still play a key role in Arsenal’s hopes of winning the famous treble before the end of the season.
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