19 May 2023 , 15:00
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Aaron Ramsdale has hit back at accusations Arsenal “bottled it” in this season’s title race. Ramsdale insists Arsenal will not give up until it is mathematically impossible to catch Manchester City but they have let an eight-point lead slip at the top of the table.
Arsenal have been left kicking themselves after dropping points against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton during the run-in which has seen their mentality and character questioned.
But Ramsdale, suggesting he respects the views of former players turned pundits, there was a thinly-veiled dig at the influencers and so-called social media experts who “do not have the experience or knowledge.”
When asked whether it frustrates him, the Gunners keeper said: “It does when it comes from certain people who don’t necessary have the knowledge or the experience.
“Yes, we have been disappointed in certain games. West Ham away 2-0 up, we should not have drawn. Southampton at home, me giving a goal away after 30 seconds. Should not have drawn.
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“Anyone can go to Liverpool and draw. Anyone can get beaten by Brighton on their day, they are a top, top, top team.
Aaron Ramsdale has hit back at Arsenal's detractors (AFP via Getty Images)Can Arsenal catch Man City next season? Have your say in the comments
“But I think this narrative of bottled it, I think is an easy way out. It is just quick, cheap, narrative from certain people and have not actually gone digging into stories of what we have achieved.
“Some people are saying it and forgetting that other teams in other years have had the same experience as us by missing out on the title by a certain number of points.
“We let them worry about that, let them get views and people listening to them. We know for us we are disappointed but extremely proud of ourselves as well.”
Ramsdale certainly deserves to be proud of his season. Yet another solid year and he has more than played his part in Arsenal’s unexpected title challenge. This week, Ramsdale was rewarded with a new contract until 2026.
Instead, Arsenal have pushed arguably the best team in Premier League history all of the way in a remarkable season which will probably finish without a trophy but should be regarded as a success.
The final setback came on Sunday when City won at Everton and Arsenal lost at home to Brighton. Unfortunately that came on Ramsdale’s 25th birthday which was hardly the best celebration.
Ramsdale went out with his family and fiancé Georgina for dinner on Sunday night and, rather refreshingly, old traditions remain and he brought in a birthday cake for his team mates on Tuesday.
But then, Ramsdale remains grounded and down to earth. That probably comes from growing up the hard way, suffering back-to-back relegations with Bournemouth and Sheffield United. But he insists those years gave him invaluable experience on how to handle pressure.
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Ramsdale suffered back-to-back relegations earlier in his career (AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)“People always say you can’t do things if you’ve lost a game,” said Ramsdale. “If I’m honest after the first two years I had in the Premier League, if I’d taken that advice I would have just been sat in a dark room in the house on my own because I had a tough time of it.
“The pressure of a relegation battle is much worse than fighting for the title. Who wouldn’t want to be going for the league? A new pressure will now come because of the expectation of going again next year and trying to sustain that.
“I think the pressure we put on ourselves this year came from inside the training ground, inside the changing room. And it’s a healthy pressure of what we can achieve.
“We can use this season, as we did last year, to bounce back and be hungrier and fight again and be there for the same amount of time next year.”