Mikel Arteta stated it would have been ‘unfair’ to bench Kepa Arrizabalaga for the Carabao Cup final.
Kepa played in the 2-0 loss against Manchester City at Wembley and was responsible for the first goal, mishandling a cross from Rayan Cherki.
Nico O’Reilly capitalized on this mistake and scored, adding a second goal just four minutes later to secure City’s victory.
The choice to start Kepa faced criticism, as Arteta decided to keep the second-choice goalkeeper in the lineup instead of regular starter David Raya.
Kepa had been a key player throughout the Carabao Cup and Arteta mentioned it would have been ‘very unfair’ to drop him for the final.
“I made a decision based on what he has done all season, the fact he has played in the competition and helped us reach this point. It would have been very unfair to choose someone else,” he said after the match.
Arteta clarified that he did not guarantee Kepa his place but thought it was the right call to keep him in goal.
“No, I can never promise a player a specific spot in a competition. They have to earn it just like everyone else. We are guided by performances, and he helped us get here. I believe it’s the right decision, and errors are part of football. Unfortunately, it happened at a crucial moment today.”
“We had eight great months with this team. Today is disappointing. We need to channel that frustration into the next two months for a strong season ahead.”
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