Arsenal: Mikel Arteta holds hands up but not to blame for Carabao Cup exit

Fabio Vieira, Kai Havertz, Jorginho and Aaron Ramsdale would all have been rightly disappointed by their performances

Mikel Arteta has shown he trusts his squad enough to rotate this season, but they must repay the faith better than this.

Arteta made six changes for this trip to West Ham and it was an opportunity for many to show why they should start at Newcastle on Saturday.

No one put their hand up, though, and instead Arsenal crashed out of the Carabao Cup with a whimper.

Arteta took responsibility for the defeat and made the point it is unfair to judge players when they have had a lack of time on the pitch. The fact is, however, this is the nature of trying to get into a team that is competing in the Champions League and at the top of the Premier League. Opportunities can be rare and you have to take them when they come.

Fabio Vieira started this season well, so much so he earned a start against Tottenham for the north London derby in September, but his form has dipped since then and he struggled last night.

Arsenal's midfield had plenty of the ball, however they failed to create opportunities against the physical pairing of Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek.

Vieira cannot take the sole blame for that. Kai Havertz was equally anonymous in the second half after a bright start to the game, while Jorginho's lack of physicality compared to Declan Rice was exposed by Lucas Paqueta. Vieira can at least point to the fact he set up a late consolation goal for Martin Odegaard.

Arsenal looked blunt going forward, despite having 72 per cent possession. Three of Leandro Trossard's four goals have come off the bench this season and a quiet showing here only added to the belief he is best used as an impact player.

Arteta should reverse many of his changes for the game at St James' Park and some players may wonder when they will start again.

It was another tough night for Aaron Ramsdale.
Action Images via Reuters

Aaron Ramsdale certainly falls into that category and this was a difficult night for the goalkeeper on his first appearance since the third-round win at Brentford on September 27.

There was little he could do about West Ham's three goals. Ramsdale appeared to have his shirt pulled by Soucek for the opener — a Ben White own goal from a corner — but with no VAR in use it stood.

The second goal followed poor defending as Oleksandr Zinchenko, who could lose his place to Takehiro Tomiyasu on Saturday, was beaten far too easily by a long ball and Mohammed Kudus applied a superb finish.

West Ham's third deceived Ramsdale, as Jarrod Bowen's shot from outside the box took a deflection off Jakub Kiwior. Ramsdale may feel he could have done better and he understandably looked rusty.

He had the worst pass completion rate of any Arsenal player and it felt like there was a lack of communication between him and his defenders.

Much of that can, of course, be put down to a lack of playing minutes but other than Brentford later this month, when David Raya cannot play against his parent club, it is hard to see when Ramsdale will get another opportunity in goal.

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