ARSENAL Invincibles goalkeeper Jens Lehmann backed Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
The Spanish stopper in Sunday’s final.
Kepa was trusted by Arteta in the Carabao Cup finalCredit: Getty
But he spilled the ball in a vital moment to give Man City the leadCredit: Alamy
But , 56, insisted Arteta was right to stick with cup keeper Kepa, instead of twisting to play instead.
told SunSport: “bought them to the final, he’s a good keeper.
“He , he tried to catch the ball which is something I like, but apart from that he had a good game.
“He made one mistake, it happens, but didn’t score which was a disappointment.”
The gaffe came with the arguably lucky to be on the pitch.
Minutes earlier he charged out of his box in an attempt to intercept a ball over the top to but failed to make contact and ended up fouling the Belgian winger.
The referee judged that the ball was not directly stopping a clear goal-scoring opportunity – meaning he stayed on the pitch and got a yellow card.
The Gunners’ next game will face with the same dilemma.
But the also said that Kepa should be trusted in the quarter-final against Southampton.
He added: “Why not stick with him? is a good keeper and he’s up for the cup games.
“You should give him playing time because something could happen to Raya and then you need a good backup on the bench who is full of confidence and knows he has the trust of his manager.”
Lehmann though also knows how important Raya will be in the run in, and how vital he will be in a season where “should” win silverware.
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The 56-year-old said: “It’s hard for me to say how good he is because you’re talking to a keeper who was very consistent.
“I could talk a lot about goalkeepers, but I hope he has a fantastic end to the season because Arsenal should win something this season.
“Hopefully all three titles that are up for grabs!”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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