Micah Richards slams Mikel Arteta decision after Arsenal’s FA Cup exit | Football

Micah Richards has issued a Premier League title warning to Arsenal after their FA Cup defeat to Southampton and criticised Mikel Arteta for not playing David Raya.

An Arsenal side who had outside possibilities of winning a historic quadruple just two weeks ago have now fallen short in two competitions.

The Gunners lost 2-0 to Manchester City within the Carabao Cup final before the international break before being knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Southampton.

Arsenal’s first back-to-back defeats of the season means the club’s only hopes of winning a trophy this season lie within the Premier League and Champions League.

Mikel Arteta’s side boast a nine-point lead at the highest of the Premier League but Manchester City have a game in hand and a house match against Arsenal to try to close the gap.

Man City stumbled twice before the international break, dropping points against Nottingham Forest and West Ham, but beat Arsenal in a Wembley final before thumping Liverpool 4-0 to storm into the FA Cup semi-finals.

Richards now expects Pep Guardiola’s team to push Arsenal ‘all the way in which’ within the title race and insists the Gunners’ recent slump will probably be concerning for Arteta.

However the ex-England defender believes Arteta could have made life easier for himself by picking first-choice goalkeeper Raya ahead of back-up Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Richards admitted Arrizabalaga, who made a howler within the Carabao Cup final, was not at fault for either of Southampton’s goals at St Mary’s but was still baffled by Arteta’s decision to not ‘play his best team’ with a trophy on the road.

‘There may be going to be a lot noise around them now,’ Richards said on BBC One after Arsenal’s FA Cup exit.

‘With Arsenal against Man City you possibly can get beat in a final. Tonight you asked me if I’d play [David] Raya. I don’t think it was anything to do with him by way of them losing, but you’ve to play your best team.

‘It was only a few weeks ago people were saying Arsenal could do the quadruple, now they’re in two competitions.

‘Man City, after what they did earlier on [beating Liverpool 4-0], they appear like they’ll push all of them the way in which for the league and the Champions League – anyone can win that.

‘Essentially the most disappointing thing for me was watching them and their attitude.

‘They’ve been excellent defensively, in transitions they’ve been superb, the form has been good and the trouble has been nearly as good as anyone.

‘For them to show up the way in which they did today, I assumed was very poor.’

Arteta admitted he was ‘very upset’ after Arsenal’s FA Cup exit and criticised each his side’s defending and efforts in the ultimate third.

‘We’re very upset in the style that we lost the chance to get back to Wembley,’ the Gunners boss said.

‘I feel we again had many, many periods of dominance from our side after we generated possibilities and situations – we didn’t capitalise on that enough.

‘After which once you defend in and across the box and directly in the style that we did today, you’re going to place yourself in a very difficult position.

‘They did capitalise on that, and that’s the explanation why they’re through and we’re out.’

Arsenal have little time to wallow as they begin a two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Portuguese giants Sporting on Tuesday night.

Arteta’s side resume their Premier League campaign with a house match against Bournemouth on the weekend.

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