Bitter comeback against the ‘hammers’

In east London, among the bubbles of the London Stadium that welcomed West Ham’s goals, there was an unexpected and small party on Wednesday, at the expense of the Gunners. Mikel Arteta. For the first time since he moved north of the capital for 122 million euros to wear the red and white Arsenal shirt, Declan Rice He returned to the Hammers stadium, with the fans of the club who have seen his growth and success. No doubt he would have liked another day and another less sad outcome, after a night of misfortune, which the goalkeeper will not want to remember either. Aaron Ramsdalewho conceded three goals, on his return to Arsenal’s starting team.

Everything is upside down Mikel Arteta in a match and competition, the EFL Cup, Carabao Cup, where he wants to encourage the many substitutes he has on the waiting list for Premier League matches. Players like it Jakub Kiwior, Fabio Vieira, Kai Havertz and Reiss Nelson They had their chances and their bet made sense given the amount of play the Gunners had, but the game soon went wrong. Since the defender Ben WhiteAfter a corner, he rebounded the ball into his goal, which he defended again, after many games, Aaron Ramsdale. Bad luck, the Stoke-on-Trent goalkeeper might have thought, but it was more than that. That was shown Tomas Soucek He grabbed the Arsenal goalkeeper’s shirt, preventing him from jumping, but VAR did not call the referee this time to certify it. It was a foretaste of the difficulties that would plague the Gunners throughout the match, against a highly motivated West Ham, who would score as many as three goals. The roots of Ramsdalebecause of his desire to convince, and all of Arsenal will cause the inevitable, Arsenal’s elimination from the EFL Cup.

Also recognized Declan Rice He must have thought of hiding from the celebration his former team gave to qualify for the quarterfinals. He entered the field as a substitute in the 57th minute on the day of the reunion with his beloved fans, when Arsenal were already losing 2-0. SA rice He demanded a reaction in an always difficult field, where he grew up and succeeded in a ‘blue and claret’ West Ham shirt. But even in that situation where the English international was happily playing for a long time, he was unable to contribute to avoiding defeat.

A few minutes after jumping onto the pitch, with visible applause from the fans who idolized him, the game was over. rice saw how the shot deflected Jarrod Bowen In the 60th minute he finished entering the goal of Ramsdale to ensure the victory of the ‘irons’. Chants in the stands reflected the bad day: “Declan Rice ‘you chose the wrong club’. (you have selected the wrong club). This is not an outcome that can be deciphered soon, when rice It is now very important for Arsenal to fight to win the Premier.

Stiff competition with Raya

About Ramsdale, this was not the night he was most looking forward to. His lack of trust is noticeable, although he is not really directly responsible for any of the goals, except for the bad luck of the diversions. The decision of Arteta sign David Raya and putting him on the bench, despite his good performances last season, did him a lot of psychological damage. Having two good goalkeepers competing can be a problem in the end. The player himself recognized this: “I’m having a bad time. There are days when I’m depressed about the situation.” And the nerve with which he was seen performing at the London Stadium reflected that tension.

Arteta He always believed that the game of the English goalkeeper, to develop the game from the back, can still be improved to go for the titles. The competition of David Raya should be encouraged Ramsdale, although he doesn’t seem to understand a state of permanent replacement very well, despite insisting that they get along well and both improve with practice. One of the virtues of a great goalkeeper is mental strength and this is the courage he always displays. Ramsdale, who was seen to keep a cool head in moments of greatest pressure. But with the coveted Spanish Raya competition now there is another concern for Arsenal. There have been chants at the Emirates in favor of Ramsdalewhich came in the first failures of Drawing.

Meanwhile, David Moyes He will be pleased with West Ham’s response after a poor run of four games in all competitions without a win. The Carabao Cup is far from being the most important prize in English football, but it offers a chance for a title, when some of the greats, such as Arsenal, City and United, have been eliminated. Moyes He saw how much the Europa Conference League had given the Hammers, after winning the final in Prague, and what a title can do for a small club’s confidence. “Maybe we are becoming a cup team,” he acknowledged optimistically.

After remaining unbeaten in the Premier and beating Sheffield United in the last round, Arsenal’s first defeat of the season led to reflection. Arteta: “It shows you that in football what you did three days ago is irrelevant.” On Saturday he visited Saint James’ Park, when Newcastle was experiencing a moment of great confidence, after eliminating United with a decisive win at Old Trafford (0-3). “It will be different there,” warned the Arsenal coach, who is ready to once again rely on all his starters and perhaps also David Raya on purpose. SA RamsdaleAfter his unfortunate return, he will continue to compete and wait.