OUTPLAYED
Now that the dust has settled, this feels like the right time to sit with it because finals do something strange to us. They compress an entire season into 90 minutes and ask you to make sense of it. And when you lose, especially the way Arsenal did, it’s tempting to let that 90 minutes define everything that came before it. But I feel that would be dishonest.
The League Cup was an opportunity for this group’s first real chance to put something tangible in their hands. To feel what it’s like to win together. And yes, there’s value in that. There’s always value in that, but it wasn’t going to be a season-defining moment. I strongly still believe this: winning or losing that final was never going to define our league season. The Premier League remains the priority, the thing this team is truly chasing. That doesn’t change because of one night and yet, this one hurts.
It hurts because it was against Manchester City. It hurts because it was a chance not just to win a trophy but to get one over the team that has, for years now, been our stumbling block. It was a psychological moment as much as a footballing one. A chance to look them in the eye and say: we’re here now, but we failed to rise to the occasion.
We didn’t just fall short; we were totally outplayed. And sometimes, the hardest thing in football is also the simplest: holding your hands up and admitting the other team was better. It wasn’t a case where the players didn’t care or didn’t show up. But because the opposition, in key moments, were simply superior. And the second half told the story. This is where the game shifted from being contested to being controlled. This is where Pep Guardiola once again demonstrated why he is one of the best in the game. He found our weakness and his players exploited it as soon as the second half started. And on the other hand, Mikel Arteta will know he got that part wrong. He got the timing to counter City’s plan wrong and got duly punished.
It was visible that Hincapié was struggling, and it was unfolding in real time. And in finals, you don’t wait for confirmation, you usually have to act on instinct. Maybe bringing Calafiori on earlier doesn’t change the outcome, maybe City still find a way. But finals are not just about outcomes; they are about margins, and how quickly you respond to them. That’s a lesson Arteta will have to learn the hard way, but he has shown that he is capable of learning. If there is one thing this team has done under him, it is to adapt. And that’s why, even in defeat, there is no sense of panic and only a moment of reflection.
The decision to start Kepa is a good example of that clarity. There is so much noise around it, especially when the stakes feel higher than usual. But for me, starting Kepa was the right call. It doesn’t guarantee anything on the pitch, but the consistency and trust it represents off it. It tells me that we have a manager who doesn’t bend his principles depending on the occasion. Yes, the error Kepa made hurts because it directly impacted the game, and in a final, those moments feel heavier than they actually are. But to reduce the decision to that one moment is to miss the bigger picture. Squad harmony is not a luxury, and it’s a necessity over the course of a season. You should never compromise that sentiment, even in a final.
The most uncomfortable truth missing, in my opinion, is that we still show Manchester City too much respect. I don’t think we fear them anymore but that respect we show manifests as passivity. We have a reluctance to fully impose ourselves and against teams like City and Liverpool, that half-step back is all they need. It’s been a pattern this season. We have had controlled performances but have been slightly reserved. We make it look as if we’re still asking for permission to take control, rather than demanding it. And maybe that’s the final step, because to truly arrive, you don’t just compete with the best, you disrupt them. You make them uncomfortable, you impose your game and identity, regardless of the badge in front of you.
For all the disappointment, all the “what ifs,” this season is still very much alive. The league is still in our hands. The FA Cup and the Champions League still offer their own possibilities. This is not the end of anything. If anything, it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come and how little still separates us from where we want to be. And maybe that’s why this league cup final defeat feels the way it does. Because this time, it’s not about hoping to win, it’s about expecting to win.
This season could ultimately unfold in a poetic manner. This group hasn’t lifted a trophy together yet. They haven’t had that moment of collective release and shared validation. And while the League Cup could have been that starting point, maybe it’s not meant to be. Maybe the first taste of silverware for this team isn’t supposed to be a steppingstone. Maybe it’s supposed to be the summit, because if this team is going to win something to truly announce itself, then why not let it be one of the biggest prizes?
The opportunity to win the Premier League is still in front of us. And in that context, this defeat doesn’t feel like the story. It feels like an uncomfortable and frustrating chapter. But it may also be a necessary one, because sometimes, before you take that final step, you need to be reminded exactly how high it is. And now that we know, the question is — what do we do with that knowledge?