Ian Wright calls out Mikel Arteta decision vs Man City that cost them Carabao Cup
Ian Wright has named the one thing that he would have changed about Arsenal's Carabao Cup final lineup.
On Sunday afternoon, Manchester City and Arsenal arrived at the iconic Wembley Stadium for the first chance of silverware this season, the Carabao Cup final.
Heading into the match, Arsenal, who lead City in the Premier League table by nine points, were the favourites as Mikel Arteta looked to secure his second major trophy with the London club.
However, two quick goals from English youngster Nico O'Reilly shortly after the hour mark saw Manchester City once again win the Carabao Cup for the fifth time with Pep Guardiola.
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The result is a brutal blow for Arsenal, but there's one change that club legend Wright believes could have made the difference and potentially changed the outcome of the match.
Following a tense opening half, the two rivals went into the changing rooms with the scoreline remaining 0-0 and during the break, Wright was asked for his opinion on the match.
Although he was mostly positive about his side's performance, he admitted that he believed that Gabriel Martinelli would always be a part of his team, suggesting he could have started the match.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "Gabriel Martinelli would always make my team, especially on a Wembley pitch like today. We need someone to run us out of problems.”
He added that Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz were not holding the ball up long enough and that the Brazilian could inject some pace that would cause City problems.
Wright added: "Arsenal need to get out and we’re not holding the ball up well enough or long enough. So Arsenal need someone to run us out of problems and cause some problems ourselves."
Instead of Martinelli, Arteta opted to start Leandro Trossard in his starting lineup for the match.
Arteta did eventually call on Martinelli in the second half, as he came on in the 83rd minute to replace Trossard.
However, the Brazilian was unable to make enough of an impact on the game to overturn City's two-goal lead.
Topics: Arsenal, Ian Wright, Carabao Cup, Gabriel Martinelli, Mikel Arteta, Manchester City, Football
Ben McCrum