Jens Lehmann insists that Mikel Arteta was right to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final for Arsenal and does not blame him for the defeat.
Kepa had a howler in the Carabao Cup final as he was at fault for Manchester City’s first goal and then made a questionable attempt to save the second.
RIGHT or WRONG: Mikel Arteta should not have started Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final…
Many Arsenal fans are adamant that David Raya should have started ahead of him at Wembley, but Kepa is the goalkeeper who did help them reach the final.
During the international break, the debate has rumbled on as to whether Arteta was right to start the former Chelsea keeper or not.
Jens Lehmann backs Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final
Jens Lehmann has backed Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final for Arsenal over David Raya.
Kepa split a cross, which allowed Nico O’Reilly to score the opening goal in the cup final and set City on their way to victory at Wembley.
But the former German goalkeeper insists that it was important to show Kepa respect by starting him, having helped Arsenal reach the final in the first place.
Speaking to Clutch 9 Football: “It’s not only harmony, but it’s also just you have to respect the quality of the second goalkeeper, even the third goalkeeper sometimes, because he got you to the final with Kepa.
“So you have to give him confidence and let him play, and I do not think I see such a big difference between the two of them.
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“Like, I did not see a lot of differences between when I was playing and the number two at the time. So it’s only small margins, and I think it’s on a personal basis.
“As I said, they haven’t lost because of that. I think they’ve lost because they got a little bit too much pressure in the second half.”
Were Arsenal to reach the FA Cup final, it would be interesting to see whether Arteta sticks by Kepa or brings in Raya at Wembley.
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