Can Ramsdale even win his place back in the team? by Dan Smith
I want to write that this Saturday is one of the biggest games of Aaron Ramsdale’s career.
I want to believe it’s an opportunity to win back his place in our team.
Does a chance even exist? If you listen to Ramsdale senior he’s not confident anything will change.
Ramsdale will start at Brentford due to Raya not being allowed to face his parent club.
All Ramsdale can do is play to the best to the best of his ability and make it impossible for his boss to drop him.
Yet when (ironically at the same stadium) the 25-year-old kept a clean sheet in the third round of the Carabao Cup and produced a world class save, it didn’t change his situation.
We don’t even know if playing well is even the criteria our manager is basing his decision on.
As strange as it sounds, what Ramsdale does or doesn’t do this weekend might not even come into Arteta’s thinking.
Because for Raya to be benched, Arteta will have to put his ego to one side and admit he’s got something wrong.
The best coaches stick to their convictions, but they also are smart enough to recognise when something is wrong.
Gooners can over complicate things with stats.
The main job of a keeper is to keep the ball out of a net.
Our current number 1 was directly responsible for goals in the NLD, Lens, Stamford Bridge and Saint James Park.
That’s not mentioning the errors that on another day could have meant goals for Palmer and Alvarez.
That’s a lot of mistakes in a short amount of time. Certainly, enough to give Ramsdale a chance.
Ramsdale played his part in Arsenal returning to the Champions League, but has been judged on mistakes he made in the title run in.
Shouldn’t the same principles though be applied to Raya?
David Seaman said this week,
‘ If Aaron goes in at the weekend, then he’s left out for the next game, then we know who’s No 1’.
The one crumb of hope Ramsdale has is that he was allowed to start the season in goal, with Arteta waiting for the international break to make the switch.
Is there a chance he’s aware of Raya’s struggle but wanted to wait for this break to revert back? History tells us that’s unlikely.
Arteta hasn’t even told the player what he could be working on, areas to improve. Even his biggest defenders have failed to give a reason why that could be.
When your third in the League with just one defeat it might seem immaterial how Ramsdale is treated.
Long term though, Arteta’s inability to admit he’s wrong could cost us everything.
Is this Ramsdale’s final game as a Gunner in the Prem?
Dan
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