Arsenal fans may already be questioning whether Illan Meslier was the right choice to start against Fleetwood Town after his disappointing performance in the Carabao Cup, which ended with the Gunners suffering a humiliating elimination on penalties.

Mikel Arteta surprisingly selected the former Leeds United goalkeeper ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga, hoping to give him an opportunity to demonstrate his quality and strengthen his case for more playing time.

However, the decision did not produce the desired outcome, with Meslier struggling to inspire confidence during a night Arsenal supporters would rather forget.

The biggest concern was his hesitation when Aaron Loupalo-Bi broke through to score Fleetwood's opening goal, with the attacker managing to get his shot through the goalkeeper's legs after overpowering young defender Marli Salmon.

Although Salmon deserves considerable criticism for allowing the forward to beat him so easily, Meslier also had questions to answer because he failed to make himself sufficiently effective in dealing with the danger.

For a goalkeeper hoping to convince Arteta that he deserves greater responsibility, such moments can be costly, particularly when they occur against lower-league opposition.

The disappointment continued during the penalty shootout, when Meslier failed to save any of Fleetwood's attempts as the League Two side secured a remarkable 5-3 victory on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

While goalkeepers cannot be expected to save every penalty, supporters naturally want their shot-stoppers to provide a decisive moment when the team needs them most, especially in matches where progression is at stake.

Meslier's performance has therefore intensified concerns about Arsenal's goalkeeping depth, with some supporters likely to wonder whether Arteta made the right decision by overlooking Kepa for such an important cup fixture.

The fact that Arsenal were facing a fourth-tier opponent made the disappointment even greater, because the occasion offered Meslier an opportunity to build confidence and demonstrate that he could be trusted in competitive matches.

Instead, his display has raised further questions about whether he can provide the reliability Arsenal need whenever David Raya is unavailable or requires a rest.

Nevertheless, it would be unfair to place the entire blame for the elimination on the goalkeeper, considering Arsenal's wastefulness in front of goal, Max Dowman's late red card and Bruno Guimaraes' missed penalty also contributed to the defeat.

Arteta must now decide whether Meslier deserves another opportunity to recover from this setback or whether Kepa should move ahead of him in the competition for the backup goalkeeper position.

For Meslier, the challenge is straightforward: he must respond with stronger performances and demonstrate greater composure whenever the next opportunity arrives.

Arsenal fans may be disappointed with what they witnessed against Fleetwood, but the bigger question is whether this was simply a difficult debut or an early warning that Meslier might struggle to establish himself at the Emirates.

Source: [Sky Sports' Fleetwood Town vs Arsenal match report](https://www.skysports.com/football/fleetwood-town-vs-arsenal/5392900173048033232?utm_source=chatgpt.com)