David Raya was expected to bring more stability to Arsenal when he replaced Aaron Ramsdale as the Gunners’ first choice goalkeeper. However, the Spanish goalkeeper does not appear to be the solution that Arsenal needs at the moment, and it’s debatable whether he’s an improvement over Ramsdale.
Initially, Raya instilled a great deal of confidence when he first joined the team. Nevertheless, in recent weeks, he has had several subpar performances that suggest he might not be ready to contribute effectively to the team.
In the recent match against Chelsea over the weekend, he conceded a cheap goal due to poor positioning, and his height may have been a contributing factor. Pundit Steve Nicol also observed Raya struggling with high balls in the game against Sevilla.
He told ESPN FC:
“They’re now thinking crosses into the box, we haven’t got Aaron Ramsdale who is 6ft4 and a big imposing goalkeeper, that makes a defender’s job different. When you know your keeper has got that authority in the box then it makes your job slightly different.
“When you have a keeper who is not particularly good in that area, as a defensive unit you might have to change your mindset a bit.
“I think the concern is, and we’re a long way from it, that his inadequacy from these balls in could start seeping through. There are early signs that this could be a problem.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
When a goalkeeper is very tall, it helps and that is an advantage Ramsdale has over Raya.
However, being tall is not enough to make a goalie better than his competitor and Mikel Arteta alone can explain why he prefers Raya in goal.
—————————————–
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
