David Raya or Aaron Ramsdale - Should Mikel Arteta swap his goalkeepers again?
- Arsenal have two of the Premier League's best goalkeepers on their books
- David Raya recently replaced Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks
- Mikel Arteta has faced criticism for switching his goalkeepers
By Sean Walsh
"It is my fault. They can boo me because I asked him to do that," Mikel Arteta said at his press conference when asked about Arsenal fans' resistance to David Raya's performance during Sunday's 1-0 win at home to Manchester City.
"I think he was excellent. The way he dominated his box, the way he came out for crosses and set pieces, the height that he played. When the crowd goes like this, other players I have seen it, they start to kick balls everywhere. I said to him, 'you don't do that, make sure you don't do it', and he didn't do it."
Raya's resolve as a Gunners starter was put to the test last week. He gave the ball away with an misplaced pass leading to Lens' equaliser in an eventual 2-1 loss in the Champions League on Tuesday before he was hounded by home supporters for continually baiting Man City's press at the weekend.
He was also caught cold on a corner which saw Josko Gvardiol have an effort cleared off the line by Declan Rice before Julian Alvarez nearly scored after robbing Raya of possession, with his interception slamming against the side-netting.
The decision to bring Raya in for Aaron Ramsdale after the September internationals was a controversial one, and there is now talk that the latter could be reinstated after the October break.
So is Raya's position already under threat? Does Ramsdale deserve another chance? 90min assesses what Arsenal should do next.
Why have David Raya's performances been shaky?
The following statement comes from someone who closely covers the Bees and has ties to the club going back to their days in League One, so it's from a place of the greatest of respect - playing for Brentford is definitely not the same as playing for Arsenal.
During his time in west London, Raya's confidence and stature grew year on year. He arrived at Griffin Park, committed a fatal blunder at Wembley and headed slightly east in an empty Gtech Community Stadium before Brentford even reached the Premier League.
Raya built up enough credit and developed his game without much burden of pressure. While with the Bees, he would consistently run over to the touchline to share information and tactical thoughts with the coaching staff.
Understandably, it's harder for Raya to play to his unique strengths in the Emirates Stadium pressure cooker. The fact he had the confidence to even play with such confidence from the back in the Premier League for two years prior to his big move suggests he has the temperament and mentality to keep at it and cement his place for good, though.
Should Aaron Ramsdale come back in?
When Ramsdale was dropped from the Arsenal starting lineup, the main criticism of Arteta was that his goalkeeper had done nothing wrong, which seems a rather significant oversight.
During their title-challenging 2022/23 season, Ramsdale had as many poor games and glaring errors as his great games and point-savers. Based on last year alone, Raya was an upgrade, if only a minor one.
But those are the fine margins when you're competing with Man City to finish first. Arsenal's return of 84 points was impressive but still short of that required to take the title most years.
Arteta is a maverick manager. Sure, his suggestion he could switch out goalkeepers mid-game was likely just a deflection tactic, but he's innovative enough that people took his word on it. It wouldn't be a shock if he did substitute his number one.
But he's also a coach who sticks with what he believes in and there's good enough reason for him to believe his Raya experiment will bear fruit sooner or later. The problem may simply be a matter of the 28-year-old scaling up to a bigger club, but the sample size is too small to make sweeping assessments.
Raya deserves further chances to prove his worth. Once he's bedded in for good, Arsenal will understand the importance of an elite distributor, a 6'0 cross-claimer who plays like he's 6'6, a reliable and calming influence rather than an erratic one. He, like every other signing in the history of this sport, just needs a bit of time.
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