Gary Neville thinks new Arsenal No.1 David Raya is beginning to feel the pressure and making mistakes as a result.
WHAT HAPPENED? After moving to the Gunners on loan, the Spaniard replaced Aaron Ramsdale in the starting lineup between the posts. Raya struggled during Arsenal’s most recent Champions League match against Lens, and his sense of confidence was further damaged when he was caught helpless during a Mykhailo Mudryk mishit cross which ended up in the net during Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea. Neville believes that Raya is starting to feel the pressure of being the new No. 1 after unseating Ramsdale.
WHAT THEY SAID: “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,” Neville said during commentary on Sky Sports [via Daily Mail].
“Now, this game. 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. I’ve never believed it could, and I believe we’re seeing in front of our eyes the challenges that exist because now, there is going to be pressure. Aaron Ramsdale hadn’t done a lot wrong at the start of the season. Raya has now started to make mistakes.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ramsdale had previously been the obvious choice, but the emergence of the Spaniard has caused him to lose that advantage in recent weeks. There are still many uncertainties regarding how well the two will get along in the long run, which makes every error and every accomplishment even more scrutinised.
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