Arteta's admission over "mistake" speaks volumes after Neville's Arsenal theory
The jury is still out when it comes to Mikel Arteta 's bold decision to start the season with two No.1 goalkeepers.
Arsenal fans and pundits alike were surprised when David Raya arrived to compete with Aaron Ramsdale for the goalkeeper jersey at the Emirates. It hasn't taken the on-loan Brentford man to leapfrog Ramsdale in the pecking order, either, with Raya starting the Gunners' last five Premier League games.
But Arteta's innovative approach is experiencing plenty of teething problems. Not for the first time in recent weeks, Raya produced a less than convincing display in the 2-2 draw against Chelsea, where he was badly caught out by Mykhailo Mudryk for the Blues' second goal.
Arsenal fans responded by signing Ramsdale's name at Stamford Bridge. It seems unlikely Arteta will be phased, though, given that even he predicted that more mistakes would come after Raya was at fault in the defeat to RC Lens in the Champions League earlier this month.
Speaking to TNT Sport post-match, the Arsenal boss said: "This happens. Mistakes are part of football. They will continue to be there somehow.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
"The difference was in both boxes but especially in Champions League, you don’t generate ten clear-cut chances in the Champions League. When you get there, you have to put the ball into the back of the net and you have to defend the box better than we have done."
Join the debate! Do you think Raya should be No.1 ahead of Ramsdale? Let us know here.
Gary Neville has again questioned David Raya after the Arsenal goalkeeper endured a difficutlt game vs Chelsea (Michael Regan/Getty Images)While Arteta may not have any further concerns after the events of the weekend, Gary Neville has once again scrutinised the situation. The Sky Sports pundit, who was commentating on the Chelsea game, pointed out how nervous Raya looked in the first-half of the win against Manchester City prior to the international break and has previously expressed his doubts about the situation with Ramsdale and Raya working out.
"David Raya started his Arsenal career well but then he had a poor Champions League game [against Lens] followed by that first half against Manchester City," Neville said during commentary at the weekend.
"Now, this game. It's getting hot for him. He's got that look on his face like, 'help'. It's the toughest position to play and certainly when you're at one of the biggest clubs in the league, you're under the most amount of scrutiny - particularly if you're a goalkeeper.
"Mikel Arteta has created that, let's be clear with the Ramsdale and Raya situation. It's unusual but he says it can work. I've never believed it could, and I believe we're seeing in front of our eyes the challenges that exists because now, there is going to be pressure.
"Aaron Ramsdale hadn't done a lot wrong at the start of the season. Raya has now started to make mistakes."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
