Mikel Arteta must ensure his Arsenal team bounce back from their crushing Carabao Cup final defeat as transfer and tactical issues have emerged
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s wait for a trophy drags on
Arsenal remain under fire for their style of play following their disappointing Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s team endured a 2-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, spending large portions of the second half under pressure. The Gunners’ pursuit of four different trophies ended in frustration, with their attacking issues exposed once more at a pivotal moment in the campaign.
After the international break, Arsenal must regroup and ensure the psychological impact of this setback doesn’t derail their Premier League title bid. They currently hold a nine-point advantage over City, who have a game in hand, while they also face an FA Cup quarter-final trip to Southampton and a Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP. Here’s all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium.
Declan Rice cut a frustrated figure as Arsenal watched Manchester City lift the Carabao Cup(Image: AFP or licensors)
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Rice transfer issue
England legend Chris Waddle has raised doubts over whether Arsenal require Sandro Tonali’s signature given they already possess Declan Rice.
The Gunners were strongly connected with a January swoop for Tonali after Mikel Merino’s injury, but Newcastle refused to sanction the departure of one of their star performers, reports the Mirror.
Nevertheless, both Arsenal and Manchester United remain connected with the Newcastle midfielder, 25, who carries a valuation of approximately £100m.
Despite the Italian’s evident talent, Waddle contends Arsenal don’t require the player considering how comparable he is in his approach to Rice.
Sandro Tonali continues to be the subject of speculation(Image: PA)
Waddle told FootballTransfers: “They’ve got Declan Rice and they’ve got Martin Zubimendi, who’s a very good player. But Arsenal seem to collect players.
“Tonali has had a couple of great seasons, he’s got better this season. He’s a good age and I’m not surprised there’s a lot of clubs interested in him.
“He’s a very economical player, he’s a little bit like Declan Rice, let’s be honest, he’s very consistent with his pass ratio, he’s got a good shot and he’s got a good engine.
“In my mind, he’s a very similar player to Declan Rice, though. Do Arsenal really need another player like that? I know squads strengthen every year and that’s how football moves on.”
Saka ‘lost’
Bukayo Saka applauds Arsenal fans after their Carabao Cup final defeat(Image: Getty)
Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has attributed Arsenal’s tactical approach for Bukayo Saka’s difficulties this campaign.
Saka’s statistics this season have markedly declined compared to the previous term, with the England winger recording merely nine goal involvements across all competitions thus far.
He was again subdued in the recent Carabao Cup final loss, which analyst Scholes attributes to Arsenal’s inability to construct attacks properly, resulting in Saka scarcely receiving possession in threatening positions.
Scholes commented on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: “Their better players just weren’t performing. You talk about these forward players not performing but you have to look at your midfield players and your centre-halves, they couldn’t get the ball to them.
Bukayo Saka has struggled to make an impact this season(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
“Did you see the bit where Bernardo Silva sprinted out to try to stop it going for a corner? Even when you’re playing against it, you don’t want to give it away.
“It’s almost like playing against Stoke what we did years ago, sometimes because the throw-ins were that good the manager told us to kick it out for a corner because of [Rory] Delap, because the delivery is not as good.
“What we’re saying is, I think they’ve become obsessed with it. They’ve forgotten about the other way that they can actually score goals.
“They’ve got good players. You’ve got Saka who looks lost at the minute because they can’t get the ball to him, more than anything, he’s got great ability.”