gunnersayit.com

Here we are at Wembley Stadium, the stage for the Carabao Cup Final.

Our opponents, are Mancheatster City… The scourge in our progress. The stone in our shoe, that itch in the centre of your back, that you can’t quite scratch. The punishment evaders, and the team that mainstream media would rather apologise for, or make excuses for… rather than criticise them.

The Arsenal can only dream of such courtesy, being extended to us.

This is the first silverware on offer, and an offering The Gunners will go all out to accept.

We’re on the precipice of greatness, and we shall not be moved.

There’s nothing like a good cuppa, to galvanise a team, and give the players extra strength, pace, stamina, and increased mental toughness… to carry us through, for the rest of the season.

Let’s not forget, an immeasurable amount of confidence too!

In the buildup to this game, I had been talking about the importance of playing your best players in every position. Sentiment cannot come into it. The players’ feelings, cannot come into it. All that matters is, we give ourselves the best chance to win the final.

Imagine my dismay, when the team sheet was released, and Arteta had the nerve to ignore me completely… and start Kepa Arrizabalaga, instead of David Raya.

I felt this decision IMMEDIATELY put us on the backfoot, as I believe it’d make the defence less confident, and things they’d usually do naturally… they’d probably overthink, due to the choice of goalkeeper. Obviously though, I hoped I was wrong.

So, back to the team selection…

Kepa Arrizabalaga started in goal, Benny Blanco (Ben White) at right-back, Saliba and Gabriel central, and Hincapie at left-back.

Midfield was Rice, Zubimendi, and Havertz.

The attack was Saka on the right, Gyokeres through the middle, and Trossard on the left.

We started the game well, and looked confident… ready to play the occasion, and not let the occasion play us.

The passing was direct, quick, and incisive… and Mancheatster City, didn’t quite know how to cope with it.

We were cutting them open at will, but failed to draw blood.

Havertz clean through, should’ve definitely scored, but his shot was straight at the keeper. Their keeper went on to make further saves, but we made it easy… because our shots weren’t good enough. We should’ve been at least 2-0 up, in that opening 20 minutes… but City not only survived, they started to impose themselves in the game.

It got a little scrappy from then on, with both teams surrendering possession, and little niggly fouls breaking up play. The referee loved, adored, and cherished his whistle… and that didn’t help matters either.

There were multiple other “Nearly moments” for both sides, but as far as spectacles go… it wasn’t much of one, and as the curtain closed on the first half, the scoreline remained at 0-0.

An extremely forgettable half of football, that I wish to never clap eyes on, ever again.

The Arsenal needed to recapture the form shown in the opening 20 minutes, or risk losing this cup final. Risk not having a cuppa.

When the curtain raised on the second half, there was no change in our play. In fact, there seemed to be an element of doubt creeping in… both offensively, and defensively.

To make matters worse, City grew in confidence, and were now the better team.

In the 60^th minute, a simple cross from Cherki was put into the box, and what should’ve been a routine catch for Kepa, turned into a calamitous event… that looked like someone trying to catch a wet bar of soap. The ball squirmed through his hands, and O’Reilly headed the ball into the net. 1-0 to Mancheatster City… and my worst fears were now a reality. Arteta picked the wrong goalkeeper, and it cost us dearly. (Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh)

Surely we’d tighten up, and learn from such an egregious error… but only 4 minutes later, we conceded AGAIN!! A combination of casual defending, and insufficient goalkeeping… meant there was once again failure to deal with a simple cross… and O’Reilly headed in his second goal of the game. 2-0 to Mancheatster City.

Mikel Arteta rang the changes in the 65^th minute. Calafiori replaced Hincapie, and Madueke came on for Havertz. The changes felt hopeful, and were more of a token gesture… rather than confident substitutions, that’ll impact the game.

It was too little, too late… and City began to close out the game. Chances now, were few, and far between… and The Arsenal trying to force the issue, led to fouls, and the unwanted stench, of desperation.

These wounds were both avoidable, and self-inflicted… and players have to learn from it, harness that pain, and use it to make them more determined, to achieve something great this season… which I STILL believe they will.

Further changes were made in the 82^nd minute, when Martinelli replaced Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus, came on for Benny Blanco.

I expected nothing to change, and nothing changed. I hate being right sometimes. The match finished 2-0 to City. We lost the Carabao Cup Final. It was a woeful day at the office.

It’s now the international break, so The Arsenal will have to sit, and stew on this defeat… and listen to silly narratives about “Bottle”… and how this defeat will derail our season, and blah, blah, blah… blahdy, blah.

That’s only the 4^th game we’ve lost all season, in all competitions. We’re still top of the Premier League by 9 points, we’re in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and the FA Cup… and it’s because of this, that I refuse to be reactionary, or overly negative… and instead, feel that perspective is needed.

The Gunners are having a fantastic season, and this is just a bump on our road to success. We’re still on track, and won’t be derailed! We WILL have the last laugh, my Arsenal family… mark my words.

Next up, we have a tricky FA Cup tie against Southampton, at St. Mary’s Stadium. That’s after the international break though, so keep everything crossed, that the players come back healthy, and unscathed.

Do you think Arteta needs to tweak our system?

Are you concerned that our attackers have been lacking ruthlessness lately?

Should Max Dowman be getting more game time?

Let me know in the comments, as usual. COYG!!

Please check out my YouTube channel: @Gunnersayit

Also check out my TikTok: @gunnersayit.com