Arsenal information: Dressing room ‘chief’ emerges as Mikel Arteta ‘to axe star for cup ultimate’
Arsenal are in the midst of a crucial run-in in the Premier League and Champions League, and the Gunners could first end their trophy drought in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City
Mikel Arteta could win his first trophy in six years on Sunday
Arsenal are merely a handful of fixtures away from European triumph after sweeping aside Bayer Leverkusen to secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
With a European position to maintain against Sporting CP and a nine-point advantage in the Premier League, Mikel Arteta faces a demanding period in the forthcoming weeks as he looks to end their trophy drought after years of near misses and heartbreak for Gunners fans.
Nevertheless, attention will shift back to another tournament as the Gunners prepare for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. The two leading sides in England will clash at Wembley Stadium this weekend in a contest for the opening piece of silverware this campaign. Here’s all the latest news from the Emirates Stadium.
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Final showdown
City were eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday by Real Madrid, suffering a 5-1 aggregate defeat.
The title race opponents will nurse their disappointment and prepare for a challenging encounter against Arteta’s team – and he is embracing the prospect, reports the Mirror.
When questioned if his team selection mirrored Sunday’s significance, the Arsenal manager responded: “No, it was related to the game and certain players that needed to come off, basically. Because of the amount of minutes that they have played. Now we can focus on the final.
“Enjoy tonight and prepare, because we have a beautiful final to play on Sunday.”
Rice names new dressing room leader
Declan Rice has emphasised the significance of David Raya in the dressing room following his outstanding performance in Europe on Tuesday.
The midfield dynamo was hugely influential against Bayer Leverkusen, earning the man of the match award for his display.
Rather than basking in the praise, the England international singled out his goalkeeper as one of Arsenal’s key leaders. During a chat with Gunners legend Thierry Henry on CBS Sports, Rice said: “Yeah, he deserves every bit of credit that he’s getting.
“I wish people could come in and see every day how he trains because the intensity that he trains at and the level that he trains at, there’s literally no reason why he’s not doing what he’s doing on the pitch.
“It’s incredible. To see him every day, the effort and how he is with the lads, he’s turned into a real leader for us and when you’ve got a ‘keeper like that, I think it gives everyone confidence. So, yeah, he’s incredible.”
Potential Carabao Cup final axe
Despite Raya’s elevated status within the Arsenal squad, Kepa Arrizabalaga believes he is edging his team-mate to the starting spot for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against City.
The 31-year-old has served as back-up goalkeeper to the Spaniard this season, but has been in goal for the League Cup matches.
Whilst Raya is in exceptional form, Arrizabalaga has been the trusted choice throughout the domestic cup competition and may have given Arteta a selection dilemma.
He’s confident the Gunners boss will pick him after outlining how he would handle the pressure at Wembley.
The ex-Chelsea ‘keeper stated: “The atmosphere at Wembley is so special, everything around the game is special – the build-up and everything. You know you are out there playing for a title, and right now in this moment of football, every title is so difficult to get.
“You know you are one game away from being able to lift a trophy. Obviously, it’s going to be a tough game, a very difficult game, but we’ll go for it. I have played in the League Cup final before, but I have played many finals in my career, I have been lucky in that way.”
Hinting he could be the starting goalkeeper for Arsenal when the match commences, Kepa added: “So I will just approach the game the best way that I can. We will prepare everything in the best way, because at the end the aim is to win.
“Just focus on the game, focus on us and prepare for the opponent. That’s it. I don’t think we need to approach anything differently.”
