30 September 2023 , 13:09
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Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel has once again questioned Mikel Arteta's decision to rotate his goalkeepers, as he admitted he's struggling to see "sense" in the Arsenal manager's plan.
Arteta has caused a stir over the past fortnight by switching between new loan signing David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale, who's spent the past two seasons as his first choice. The Gunners boss insists he'll select his starting goalkeeper on a game-by-game basis, a strategy which Schmeichel doesn't think will be successful.
The topic was brought up again on Saturday after Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi followed Arteta's pattern and changed his goalkeeper for the third time this season. "We debate this Raya-Ramsdale situation a lot, and I only get that situation if Arteta thinks Raya is a better goalkeeper," Schmeichel told Premier League Productions ahead of Brighton's trip to Villa.
"That's the only way I can find some kind of sense in it. I think having the competition between two goalkeepers, it will just create situations in the games where they will have to go and prove themselves, and that's the one thing you don't want from your goalkeepers."
Ex-Brighton striker Glenn Murray then raised the point of whether or not the Dane was speaking from a goalkeeper's perspective or a manager's. "I don't see the benefit from a manager's point of view," Schmeichel responded. "I don't see that it will make any of them better because the goalkeeping position is a reactive position.
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Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya are competing with each other for Arsenal's No.1 spot (Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)"All you can do is wait for something to happen and then you react to it. So you can't go and change anything, basically you have someone who has the full confidence, 'Whatever I do in the game, I'm also there next time'. Okay, if you make seven mistakes at some point you might change it, but sometimes you just can't do anything other than what's presented to you.
"So, if you're in competition with the other goalkeeper, you might just feel you have to go and prove you're better than him. For instance, if he's a little bit better than you on crosses, maybe you start chasing crosses [and step outside your comfort zone]."
It's not the first time the former United goalkeeper has raised concerns over Arteta's decision, warning him that it could cause a "bad atmosphere in the dressing room." Schmeichel added on BBC Radio 5 Live : "Ramsdale was fantastic for Arsenal last season.
"He's brilliant with his feet and he's brilliant with the core business of goalkeeping. I was very surprised when Arsenal paid that amount of money for him because I didn't see him as that, but he has surprised me and, for me, he is the best English goalkeeper. He has been fantastic and I don't understand why Arteta would create this potential problem, because it could be a problem."