Your Arsenal morning digest on Thursday, November 10.
Arteta defends Hein
Arsenal were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening following a 3-1 defeat to Brighton. Young goalkeeper Karl Hein was handed his first-team debut by Mikel Arteta but it was a night to forget for the 20-year-old.
Hein was at fault for the first goal after bringing down former Gunners striker Danny Welbeck to concede a penalty. Speaking after the game, Arteta defended Hein and insisted he will get further chances in the first team.
I think he deserves the chance," the Spaniard said. "He’s the first goalie of the national team and at his age that’s not usual.
"He totally deserved his chance. If I have to play him tomorrow again I would. You get experience when you play football matches and if not you never get the experience, but Karl already has that. Errors are part of football."
Xhaka to join Martinelli and Jesus in Qatar
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has been named in Switzerland's Qatar 2022 World Cup squad by head coach Murat Yakin.
Xhaka joins Chelsea's Denis Zakaria, Manchester City's Manuel Akanji and Newcastle's Fabian Schar for the upcoming tournament. The A-Team face Cameroon, Brazil and Serbia in Group G after finishing above European champions Italy in their qualifying group.
It will be Xhaka's third World Cup of his career after appearing four times in each of the 2014 and 2018 editions. The 106-time capped man is set to captain his nation in the Middle East as they look to surpass the Round of 16 stage for the first time since 1954 - the year they hosted the tournament.
Since returning to action for Switzerland from his Medial Collateral Ligament injury in March, Xhaka has featured in every game for Switzerland, including the recent victories over Portugal and Spain in the Nations League.
Carragher and Neville disagree on Gunners top four hopes
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have disagreed on whether Arsenal have already secured Champions League football for next season despite their impressive start to the season.
The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League with 34 points, losing only one of their opening 13 games.. Mikel Arteta's side have surpassed the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea in their string of impressive performances to place them above reigning champions Manchester City.
This season's performances is incomparable to last term, where the Gunners missed out on a top four finish on the final day on the back of vital defeats to north London rivals Tottenham and Newcastle United. Now, Arteta looks on course to lead the club back to Europe's prestigious competition for the first time since 2017 - a feat not achieved since under Arsene Wenger.
With such a hectic schedule on their calendar, Neville and Carragher have failed to agree whether Champions League football is already destined to return to the Emirates. ""I think they will (get top 4)," speaking on The Overlap.
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