Saliba gives a good account of himself, Kepa doesn’t, and more from Arsenal's 0-2 loss in the league cup final.
My internet service provider might be clairvoyant.
As we are all too painfully aware by now, it was Arsenal’s first cup final in years. I’d planned my whole day around watching it. I’d woken up a couple hours earlier than I intended to because the excitement of the occasion prompted me awake. I’d sat down for the game with a freshly made iced latte, a snack, and a blanket, ensuring I would not need to move from my couch for the next couple hours.
And then, barely a minute into the match, my WiFi went out. I scrambled to pull up a stream of the game on my phone, which I then was confined to watching the game on for the next fifteen minutes or so. Then, my router indicated that it was functional once more. So I switched back to my television, only to suffer another internet disconnection a few minutes later and revert back to watching on my phone. My wife then received an e-mail from our internet company informing us that they hoped to have the outage fixed by 2:30 PM my time, which would have been shortly after the game ended.
As I continued to do this dance, switching between devices every several minutes to watch Arsenal’s first chance at a trophy this season, I couldn’t help but wonder if invisible forces didn’t want me to see the Gunners play that day. Was someone trying to look out for me, trying to spare me from a painful afternoon? Sure enough, my internet connection worked smoothly again as soon as Manchester City went two goals up. I had persisted in my masochistic endeavor, so whoever was trying to help me gave up.
Much like my viewing experience, Arsenal’s performance turned out quite disjointed. Mikel Arteta’s men began well, creating a great chance inside ten minutes and putting City under significant pressure. But Pep Guardiola’s men weathered the storm and began growing into the match. They got on the ball more. They played around in Arsenal’s third.
And then shortly after halftime, the match was turned on its head. City figured Arsenal out as thoroughly as I’ve seen any team do so this season. A four-man screen of Jérémy Doku, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo, and Erling Haaland stifled the Gunners’ buildup and prevented Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi from regularly getting on the ball, forcing the back line to go long to the forwards. Unfortunately, Kai Havertz remains on the path back to what he was before his string of injuries and Viktor Gyökeres has never been particularly consistent about winning his aerial duels. So Rodri and Bernardo Silva, who sat deep in close proximity to their backline, would almost always regain possession.
To make matters worse, Arsenal were without Eberechi Eze, who could have kept the ball under pressure a bit better and carried it to help open things up. The same goes for Jurriën Timber, who also missed the final through injury. Martin Ødegaard, who is now expected to return following the international break, would likely have dropped into the Gunners’ third to pick up the ball and driven up the pitch, offering a solution to City’s tactics. Mikel Merino, Arsenal’s duel-winning machine, showed up to the match in a walking boot and using a crutch. It may sound like an excuse, but injuries played a large role in this result.
So the ball kept coming back toward Arsenal’s third, Arsenal kept launching it up the pitch again, and City dominated possession enough to pen their opponents in their own penalty area. Eventually, the pressure told. Even if Nico O’Reilly hadn’t bagged a brace, City had such control over proceedings that they would have found a way.
And for me, that’s the part that’s most difficult to take. Sure, Arsenal have lost out on a trophy. But — and I don’t just say this because we’ve now lost out on it — I’ve never felt much of an emotional connection to the EFL Cup. It’s the fourth-most important trophy on offer.
What hurts most is how this result played out. It may often not have been pretty, but Arsenal have demonstrably been the best team in the Premier League this season and among the most elite in Europe. But on Sunday, we were transported back to a pre-Arteta era in which we were consistently embarrassed on the big stages. City, who have been a shadow of themselves this season, gave Arsenal the little brother treatment in front of the whole world, nullifying the Gunners to the point where the match was not a contest. And Guardiola and his playersrelished that.
As did the whole world, but rival banter and bad-faith punditry doesn’t hit the same right now. It’s only the fourth or fifth time all season the general public has been able to celebrate a poor Arsenal result, and it shows. Already, they’re blatantly latching onto Arsenal players pulling out of national team duty to once again chastise the club for something other teams have done as long as we can remember.
But what I’ve had a hard time swallowing is the dominance City showed. It was shocking. A team that has dropped points against West Ham and at home to Nottingham Forest, and were just mauled by an average Real Madrid side in the Champions League Round of 16, refused to lose their title rivals. They executed their gameplan to devastating effect. It sapped the belief out of the Arsenal players in a way that was understandably injected concern into the fanbase. If you’re seriously worried about the trip to the Etihad in a few weeks’ time, I don’t blame you.
However, I think this international break comes at a good time. The players are clearly stretched to their physical limits at this point in the season. Timber, Leandro Trossard, William Saliba, and Gabriel have all withdrawn from selection for their countries while Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have been allowed a few days’ rest before joining up with England. And I hope Thomas Tuchel will seek to use the upcoming friendlies for the Three Lions to get a good look at fringe players rather than put more minutes into players he’ll definitely need at the World Cup. Ahead of the final leg of this season, most of Arsenal’s critical players will get two much needed weeks off.
And a fortnight is a lot of time to stew over the events of Sunday. Arteta, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, and others will be sitting at home until their trip to Southampton on April 4 mulling over how comprehensively they were neutralized. The rest will have it festering in the back of their minds as they go abroad with their national teams. I think it will serve as a spark, a moment of learning that catalyzes the Gunners’ last push for the league and remaining opportunities for silverware.
They will remember Rayan Cherki juggling the ball and knowingly overegging his Oscar-worthy theatrics after Ben White fouled him for it.
They will remember Antoine Semenyo’s smug comments after the game about getting the better of Piero Hincapié.
They will remember Guardiola’s compliments following the match, always an indicator that he feels he’s gotten the better of the people he’s praising.
They will remember seeing City lift that trophy in front of them, and redouble their efforts to ensure it’s the last time that happens this year.
Perhaps I’m naive. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end. City will undoubtedly come away with encouragement regarding their ability to beat Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium and mount a last-gasp comeback in the Premier League. But the Gunners will arrive in Manchester that day with a fuller compliment of players (although Eze will reportedly be out for the next month or so), and a fiery hunger for revenge. And that can be all the difference.
Ballers
William Saliba
Of all the players to feature in red and white at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Saliba is the one who can truly hold his head high. The Frenchman produced an immaculate performance in a sea of disappointing ones. Arsenal’s failure to keep a clean sheet was certainly not down to him — Erling Haaland drifted over to his side early and often, and Saliba took it personally. The center back proceeded to completely nullify the best striker in the world as a threat, winning both his aerial duels, succeeding in four of five ground duels, and making two tackles (including a last man tackle to deny Haaland a one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga). Saliba dominated the physical battle against the Norwegian. Haaland frankly didn’t get a sniff the whole match.
On the ball, Saliba was perhaps the only Gunner who looked like making anything happen. He completed 46 of 48 passes, including three of four long passes. Out of Arsenal’s starting back five, he was the one who did the best job of progressing the ball. He regularly zipped line-breaking passes through the thirds and played the ball up the flank to White, Saka, or Madueke.
Seeing his face as City hoisted the Carabao Cup trophy really struck me. He’s the Arsenal player I perhaps felt the most for on Sunday. If the rest of his team had played as well as he did, he probably would be a champion of the competition right now.
Ben White
With Timber unable to feature, White replaced the Dutchman in the lineup. I think he was ultimately solid, but not as effective as you’d like. He finished with 80% passing accuracy, created no chances, and was dribbled past twice as he attempted to keep Doku quiet. White isn’t in this column because of his performance against City.
I’ve listed him as a Baller because of how he responded to Cherki’s showboating when City were 2-0 up. Instead of letting the French midfielder — as the Brits would put it — take the piss, White clattered him. And that’s something I’ve always loved about the Englishman. He’s one of the steeliest players at Arsenal, always cool, calm, and collected, but just beneath the surface, there is almost a quiet rage simmering within him. He always plays for the badge, and every action he takes is to protect its integrity. So hats off to him.
And I do also want to congratulate him on being called up to the England team. The Dweebs™ have of course taken issue with his return to national duty, but I personally believe he has the quality and the traits to be an asset to Tuchel. Fingers crossed he makes the World Cup roster.
Riccardo Calafiori
Perhaps the most encouraging of the few bright spots from the match was Calafiori’s brief cameo. In recent weeks, the Italian has struggled with injury issues and looked rusty when has made it onto the pitch. But in the EFL Cup, the defender came on as a late substitute and proceeded to show what Arsenal were missing prior to his introduction.
Calafiori’s involvement quickly coincided with an uptick in Arsenal’s ball progression up the pitch. He finished with 100% passing accuracy, including one long ball, and his lone dribble attempt was successful. Calafiori also won three of four ground duels.
Additionally, the Italian’s maverick willingness to take up a variety of different positions on the pitch meant he created some threatening moments for City. In the 73rd minute, Calafiori got on the end of a Rice free kick and steered a header at goal. James Trafford had it handled, but he wasn’t as comfortable five minutes later when Calafiori slammed a shot that clattered off the post.
All in all, it was a good showing for the Italian, who demonstrated there are still games in which Arteta should look his way rather than Hincapié’s. He needs to return from the break in one piece.
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Fallers
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Ahead of the match, I asserted that Kepa had earned the right to start in the final. And my argument essentially boiled down to this: the backup keeper had been in goal for the entirety of the tournament. To yank him out of that role for David Raya, days after Kepa’s countryman became a father, just for the final, would send the wrong message to the rest of the squad. It wouldn’t have been fair to a player who, ahead of Sunday, had not done much wrong when called upon.
Arteta essentially said as much after the game. And for those of you who think this is soft factor nonsense, who will scream to the heavens that all that matters is winning, take a second and put yourself in the players’ shoes. Imagine you’re Myles Lewis-Skelly, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke, or some other footballer at Arsenal who isn’t as prominent in the team as they’d like. Imagine being put under the impression by Arteta and his non-negotiables that those who work hard and perform well will be given their chance. Imagine seeing someone who should have been given that chance lose it because the manager didn’t actually believe in them.
What does that tell a player on the fringes of the squad? It tells them that they’re never really safe from being cast back into purgatory, even if they are performing well in the moment. What does that tell a starter? It tells them they can play as poorly as they want, because the manager will never trust a backup over them when it matters. Those are messages that, over time, can destroy a culture of togetherness meant to convey that everyone has a role to play. And that in turn can see players leave and the quality of a team take a turn for the worse. Even after Sunday, I stand by that.
However, it has to be said: Arteta was required to show faith, but Kepa did not repay that faith. The Spaniard committed a couple of horrible errors to give City an easier path to victory than they probably should have had. Early in the second half, he foolishly charged out of his box to intercept Doku on the counter. But he misjudged the Belgian’s pace and ended up tussling with the City winger to stop him, giving away a free kick in a dangerous area and receiving a yellow card in the process.
He then followed that up by mishandling a relatively routine cross, dropping it right into O’Reilly’s path for him to head into Arsenal’s net. For O’Reilly’s second, I’d posit that Kepa positioned himself poorly and dove away from the ball. And on the ball, the keeper offered far less in buildup than his first-choice counterpart would have; in my opinion, there were out balls Kepa didn’t opt for that Raya would have. Ultimately, I’m not sure Raya would have ensured an Arsenal victory. But Kepa helped pave the way for City to win it. And if the Gunners make the FA Cup final, no one can have complaints if Arteta opts for a different keeper the next time around.
Mikel Arteta
I think the manager got a lot wrong against his former mentor on Sunday, starting with his selections for the starting lineup. For me, as good as Hincapié has been recently, Calafiori should have started the final. The Italian has inflicted damage against City before and almost did so again in the final third of the match, while a left side of the back four consisting of Gabriel and Hincapié simply could not progress the ball reliably.
Additionally, I think it’s quite clear at this point that Gyökeres struggles to affect games against top Premier League opposition, and yet Arteta selected him for this game. And I understand that the manager’s options were limited by the absences of Eze and Ødegaard, but the use of Saka in midfield was a very conceivable alternative. Instead, he opted for essentially a second striker in Havertz in midfield, which I think contributed to Arsenal losing the midfield battle.
But worse than that was Arteta’s inability to make decisive changes once it became clear the team he put out wasn’t working. I was shocked to see he didn’t enact any substitutions at halftime. He waited too long to adjust and City broke open the match, similar to Arsenal’s loss at Anfield in September. Arteta once again wasn’t proactive when he was clear the tide was turning, and the Gunners paid the price.
Lastly, the manager did nothing to inject some dynamism into the Gunners’ play. While he eventually moved Saka inside and brought on Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli, he allowed Rice and Zubimendi to persist with some frustrating staticness. Arsenal needed a ball carrier in midfield, and I can’t help but wonder why Arteta didn’t look to Lewis-Skelly in that regard.
I know injuries made his job much harder on Sunday. But I think the Arsenal manager would have been rewarded for taking a bigger risk, especially in midfield. Instead, it feels like he trotted out rehearsed substitutes, including ones we all knew probably wouldn’t amount to much on the day (cough, cough, Gabriel Jesus).
Piero Hincapié
I am in no way asserting that this is why Arsenal lost on Sunday, but referee Peter Bankes was out of his depth in the EFL Cup final. One of the reasons I say that is because of the yellow card he gave Hincapié in the 16th minute of the match. The Ecuardorian committed a mistimed but ultimately mundane tackle on Matheus Nunes and was immediately booked. It was Hincapié’s first and only foul committed that afternoon. In the meantime, Bernardo Silva committed three fouls and Nathan Aké broke out a WWE move on Saka, but neither received yellows.
That card appeared to weigh on Hincapié for the remainder of his time on the pitch. Although Semenyo only won two of six ground duels and completed one of two attempted dribbles, the Arsenal left back struggled against the Ghanaian winger. Hincapié himself only won two of five ground duels, lost his lone aerial duel, and was dribbled past once.
Furthermore, he just didn’t offer anything helpful on the ball. He attempted only 16 passes and achieved an accuracy of just 63%. His lone dribble attempt wasn’t successful. Hincapié only managed two passes into the final third. And the man on loan from Bayer Leverkusen missed one of Arsenal’s best chances on the day, a header from a set piece that he put off target despite finding himself essentially unmarked. At the end of the outing, he could only watch on as Calafiori took a step toward re-establishing himself as the preferred option at left back.
Kai Havertz
For much of this season, Arsenal fans (myself very much included) have looked to Havertz as a missing piece who could unlock the Gunners’ attack upon his return and take it to the next level. And I still think he’s a very important player who we’ll need. But he was really disappointing on Sunday.
While I have my qualms with the role Arteta deployed him in, the fact remains that he was supposed to serve as an outlet for the long ball over the top of City’s press, win duels, and help Arsenal gain territory. Unfortunately, he failed at that. He lost all four of his aerial duels against City as well as five of six ground duels. He completed only ten of 18 total pass attempts, took only one shot, and created no chances. The German was completely nullified by City’s defenders.
What’s arguably worse is that Havertz could have changed the game early on in Arsenal’s favor. In the seventh minute, Zubimendi cleverly slipped him a ball in behind City’s defense with only Trafford to beat. And Havertz just swung out the ball so languidly, almost casually. Trafford only needed to make a routine save to keep the midfielder-stroke-forward out.
In hindsight, it’s a painful moment to look back on. The game script an early breakthrough for Arsenal would have forced Guardiola’s men into could very well have led to a famous victory for the Gunners; City would have to commit men forward, leaving an already vulnerable backline even more open to the counter. But Havertz didn’t take his chance, and it’s a familiar tale for this team. They do not have the cutting edge to make these moments count, especially in cup football. It’s something Arteta and Andrea Berta must address in the summer.
One last, perhaps mitigating point on Havertz: when he exited the field in the 66th minute, he appeared absolutely shattered. And that’s something we all need to keep in mind. This is a player who has missed the vast majority of the season. It’s very likely we don’t see him at his best before the end of the current campaign. He still may be able to contribute, but clearly Havertz is far from his physical best. As they try to put a bow on the title race, Arsenal will need to adapt to that.
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