“We take the game very seriously,” Mikel Arteta said before Arsenal’s Carabao Cup tie with Fleetwood Town. He has tried to turn the match into a standards test, not a night for half-commitment, and Martin Zubimendi gives the selection a sharper edge by starting in a protective mask after a suspected broken nose.

Arteta's message for the cup tie

Arteta’s point was clear enough in the way he spoke about the squad. “It’s great to have them with us, Marli, Ceadach, Max, Illan as well. We always said everyone is going to be important and has to be ready. The only way is if they play minutes,” he said, and then added: “The best way to express yourself is when you have the chance and you have to play. Give me a reason, give my a headache, give my a problem and show me you have to play more. That’s what they’ve been doing so far.”

He also drew a straight line between the competition and the standard he wants from his team. “These competitions you’re in or you’re out. We need the same commitment to be better than your opponent,” Arteta said. That fits the team sheet here, with three teenagers named and Ceadach O’Neill making his first-team debut.

Zubimendi's masked start

Zubimendi’s mask is the immediate visual detail, but the timeline around it is just as relevant. He suffered a suspected broken nose in the closing stages of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, after coming on as an 80th minute substitute. He was only on the pitch for 10 minutes in that game.

The selection also reflects how lightly Arsenal have used him so far this season. Zubimendi has made 6 Premier League appearances and 1 League Cup appearance, and he has played 108 Premier League minutes. His cup minutes have come more easily than his league run, which is why tonight is more than a token outing for him.

Arsenal’s standing in the league adds another layer to the evening. They are second in the Premier League with 21 points from 8 matches, so this is not a side scraping for momentum. It looks more like control, with Arteta using a cup tie to demand concentration from the first team and responsibility from the younger players.

The match at Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal is still a live fixture, but the message around it has already been set. Arsenal are treating it as a proper examination, and Zubimendi’s masked role is the clearest sign that Arteta wants the night taken seriously from the first minute.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →