Arsenal Inflicted The David Raya Problem On Itself

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: David Raya of Arsenal fails to make a save as Mykhaylo Mudryk of … [+] Chelsea (not pictured) scores the team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on October 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would have hoped the solidity David Raya showed in his first couple of games could have continued a little longer.

Swapped in for the match against Everton the Spaniard was composed.

A midweek runout in the Champions League was also navigated without controversy.

‘So far so good’ Arteta would have been thinking in the knowledge those steady displays were leaving sparse opportunity for television bosses to train cameras on the man he’d displaced, Aaron Ramsdale and for pundits to wonder ‘Has the Arsenal manager made the right choice?’

But then came the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur, a game that carries more pressure than pretty much any other for the Gunners.

Raya started to look like he was feeling the heat, his passes, normally played with such confidence and composure, were nervous and inaccurate.

Worse still, as the game developed the Emirates crowd grew uneasy at his having possession.

Murmurs of anxiety, the type that only soccer crowds produce, were detectable even to those watching on television.

Mikel Arteta’s problem is that this was no one-off, in subsequent matches, against, Lens, Manchester City and Chelsea, Raya has got worse.

The game at Stamford Bridge was particularly bad with Raya nearly gifting a goal to Cole Palmer and then being caught completely out of position for Mykhailo Mudryk’s audacious lob.

It prompted the visiting Arsenal fans to openly suggest their manager had got it wrong by chanting the name of Raya’s understudy Ramsdale.

Somewhat unsurprisingly when Mikel Arteta was asked about the fans’ calls he decided not to engage with the point the song was making.

“Great. I love him, I will sing every day for him,” he said, “we sang a lot for him yesterday because he was a father which is the most beautiful thing to do.

“I’m so happy he has this charisma and personality and is someone who is very loved around the team.”

LENS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 03: Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal sits on the bench after the full-time whistle … [+] during the UEFA Champions League match between RC Lens and Arsenal FC at Stade Bollaert-Delelis on October 03, 2023 in Lens, France. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

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Outside the club, media pundits have had no reservations about calling out the situation Arteta finds himself in.

“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,” said Sky Sports’ Gary Neville.

“Now, this game [versus Chelsea]. 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.”

As I’ve suggested previously, there are indications the Arsenal manager has not brought in two goalkeepers with the radical idea of using them as different options depending on the opposition.

But that theory holds considerably less weight the longer Arteta sticks with an out-of-form Raya.

This suggests he believes him capable of something beyond Ramsdale, that his ball-playing abilities or precise long balls are more important than the occasional lapses.

To the untrained eye, it’s difficult to see what Ramsdale did at the start of the season when he was number one that was more worthy of being dropped than the mistakes Raya has consistently made in recent weeks.

If it was a meritocracy based on recent evidence the Spaniard would have been jettisoned.

You have to wonder what Ramsdale makes of it all.

A glimpse into his state of mind was revealed before the Chelsea game with the keeper on international duty.

“I need to get back into my club team to keep getting picked [for England] and keep giving the manager a headache because if I’m not, then that’s an easier decision for him,” Ramsdale told the media.

“It is the first time I have found myself in this situation. The manager here [Southgate] is brilliant, he trusts the players he’s worked with before.”

The former Sheffield United stopper is well aware that with an international tournament coming up this summer, he’ll need more game time to ensure he makes the squad.

He wants to displace Jordan Pickford as England goalkeeper but knows whilst he is benched for Arsenal that is a near impossibility.

“I want to get back into my club team. I want to get into my club team and be able to give the manager a headache rather than just have Jordan as the number one and me fall by the wayside.

“First and foremost, I’ve got to give the manager a decision and be available to be picked and that is by getting back into my club team. If that’s not the case, then we’ll see in three or four weeks time.”

Those last words illustrate the stakes Arteta is dealing with. If Ramsdale is still unable to dislodge an unimpressive Raya when the transfer window opens in January it would be understandable for the England man to seek a move away from Arsenal.