Arteta must drop 3/10 Arsenal star who lost 90% duels

And with that, Arsenal’s quest for a historic quadruple is done and dusted. They headed to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final but it felt like they simply forgot to get off the bus and walk onto the hallowed turf under the arch.

Much has been made of Arsenal’s six-year trophy drought now and with a 2-0 defeat under the lights in London, that drought continues, at least until they potentially lift the Premier League title in two months.

For now, the Gunners are still in the driving seat to do just that, but how this defeat to Manchester City will impact them psychologically remains to be seen.

This was a seismic blow as Pep Guardiola’s men secured what was an extremely straightforward 2-0 win courtesy of a brace from England’s World Cup hopeful, Nico O’Reilly.

How Arsenal suffered defeat at Wembley

Until this day, Mikel Arteta was unbeaten as a player and as a coach at Wembley. Therefore, what we saw in the English capital on Sunday night was rather perplexing.

While the Gunners have not been the most free-flowing side to watch in Europe this term, they have been regimented, organised and simply found a way to win.

This weekend was the polar opposite and while Arsenal did start the game as the better team, forcing James Trafford into a series of three exceptional saves, that was about as good as it got for Arteta and Co in the final third.

Truth be told, this was a story of two back-up goalkeepers. While Trafford kept City in it during the early exchanges, Arsenal stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga made a huge mistake that saw Guardiola’s men take the lead.

Kepa had started every single game of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup run and was handed the gloves over number one David Raya. That decision, however, came back to bite the Gunners.

It would not have been easy to tell the former Chelsea man he wasn’t starting but this was yet another horrible moment for the Spaniard in a League Cup final.

In 2019, the goalkeeper lost on penalties after refusing to be subbed off. In 2022, he missed his penalty as Chelsea lost to Liverpool and in 2026, it was his fumble that led to O’Reilly opening the scoring.

A ball in from the right was straight at the ‘keeper but he failed to catch a regulation cross. It went over his head and straight into the path of the Man City left-back who could not miss from a matter of yards out.

Kepa could not have done much about the second, another effort from O’Reilly but the damage was done in that moment. It was also done when Arsenal failed to click into gear when they came out for the second half.

Arsenal’s attack falters again

Only three teams in Europe’s big five leagues this term have scored 100 goals: Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal. Therefore, to say they are the ‘boring’ team of the Premier League would be over the top. That said, it’s the viewpoint of many and after the club’s display at the home of football on Sunday, they had a point.

The second half was nothing short of embarrassing for a team gunning for a trophy and truth be told, they did not look like a side that wanted to end six years without a major honour.

While Kepa was abject in goal, the midfield and attack were incredibly disjointed. Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi were nothing more than fine in the middle of the park but they really missed either Eberechi Eze or Martin Odegaard ahead of them.

Both players missed the final through injury which meant Kai Havertz started as the 10 behind Viktor Gyokeres. Sadly, it did not work.

Both wingers in Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard failed to really get into the game but the German was abject to say the least, perhaps putting in one of his worst displays for the club since joining. Given how much of a struggle he endured when he first arrived, that’s saying something.

Havertz has been a brilliant centre-forward in recent years but in that role behind Gyokeres, he really struggled on Sunday. How different things could have been had the 26-year-old put away an early chance to score. Played in, he took a little too long to get his shot away and the opportunity was smothered by Trafford.

What was most concerning, however, was Havertz’s inability to hold the ball up. Supporters have bemoaned Gyokeres’ inability to do just that throughout the season and in all honesty, this was a very Gyokeres-esque performance from the £65m signing.

The Germany international won just one of his ten duels, which was extremely out of character for such a physical and usually reliable presence.

He also only completed 56% of his passes and lost the ball on 12 occasions from just 30 touches. With that sort of a focal point, the rest of Arsenal’s forward line never stood a chance of getting into the game and linking up with each other.

It also explains why the Gunners found it difficult to break through Man City’s press. They simply didn’t have a player capable of holding onto the ball in the final third. Gyokeres was very much the same, completing only three passes in his 90 minutes on the field and winning just two of his 11 duels.

Together, they were extremely poor, but they were not the only ones. Kepa is to blame, as are the wingers. For a team that has been so consistent, it was extraordinary the way in which they slipped to defeat at Wembley. Should Eze be back after the international break, you would hope Havertz is taken out of the team again.

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