'Honourable' decision may have cost Arsenal two trophies - it can't happen again

Arsenal missed the first chance to end their trophy drought when they were beaten by Man City in the Carabao Cup final, before being dumped out of the FA Cup in the next game

The goalkeeping dilemma has surely now been put to bed for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta has to look back on the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup exit at Southampton and wonder why on earth he did not pick his first choice keeper.

David Raya is making a strong case for being one of the best - Arsenal fans might argue the best - keepers in the world. Thibaut Courtois, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alisson Becker may all have something to say about that.

Raya has 22 clean sheets across all competitions this season which is the most of any keeper in Europe’s top five leagues.

And yet for two of Arsenal’s biggest games of the season, Arteta picked his No2 Kepa Arrizabalaga. It was all very honourable, a reward for being back-up keeper.

But it was Kepa’s mistake which handed Manchester City the initiative and ultimately the Carabao Cup at Wembley.

That changed the mood at Arsenal and cost them a trophy. Kepa was by no means to blame for Arsenal’s defeat at Southampton. There were bigger culprits.

But would Raya have been better? Yes. When you look at Arsenal’s performance at Sporting Lisbon and the three top saves he made plus also the reassurance he gives his defenders, then he is a game-changer.

Raya’s distribution and unfortunately City targeted Kepa and just let him have the ball because they knew he might make a mistake or misplace a pass.

It is crazy not to play your best players. On the morning of the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal legend Lee Dixon was on 5Live recalling stories of how different keepers would play though the rounds of the FA Cup but David Seaman was always back in goal for the final.

It was most noticeable in 2002. Arsenal won the Double that year. Richard Wright and Stuart Taylor played and, in fairness, Seaman was out injured for a while.

Wright played in the semi-final but Seaman was back and playing in the Premier League by then. Seaman was back for the final and Arsenal won. They won the final the following year too and Seaman was in goal.

It is all well and good to be honourable. In later years, Arsene Wenger upset Petr Cech by playing David Ospina in the Champions League. That was bonkers.

Wenger also did the same in the FA Cup. In 2015, Wojciech Szczesny was dropped for smoking in the showers. Ospina was made No1. But come the cup final, Szczesny was back in when Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4-0.

But there is a difference. There was not such a gap. Szczesny was the better keeper. But the difference was not as big as Raya and Kepa. No chance.

Surely this will be a lesson for the future. Play your best players. All the other first choice players played against City. So why not drop one of your most important and change the keeper?

Those decisions cost Arsenal one trophy and possibly another. Now, Arsenal stand a much better chance of winning the other two with Raya in goal.