Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has defended Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for his team selection against Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Southampton on Saturday.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Sutton explained why Arteta was forced into making changes and why he would be “shocked” if it now impacts player confidence for the Premier League run-in.
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“The EFL Cup final was the first team and the FA Cup team was essentially reserves and that is the big difference,” said Sutton. “I have a bit of sympathy for Arteta because he clearly picked the wrong team, but he has to prioritise the Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon.
“I don’t think it is going to affect the Premier League and I will be shocked if the players are feeling really nervous at this moment in time.
“Arsenal’s fixtures [for the run-in] are a little bit more generous than Manchester City’s so they have just got to keep their composure.
“People are looking for things and saying ‘the wheels are coming off for Arsenal,’ but the last team to drop points in the Premier League was Manchester City!”
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However, The Observer’s Rory Smith does not agree that choosing to play some of the ‘reserves’ is an excuse for the defeat when Arsenal have such a big squad.
“The one thing that has characterised Arsenal this season is their depth and that is the advantage they have on everyone else,” said Smith. “We have been saying all season they have a squad that has two – or even three – players for every position.
“That seemed like it was a deliberate strategy to help them win a cup.
“They have built a squad to compete on four fronts so I’m not sure you can get knocked out of the FA Cup by a Championship team and then say ‘it’s fine because we played the fringe players.'”
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