Browsing: Arsenal FC

‘I don’t like the situation!’

It was a night to forget for the former Hammer.

Two very bad performances.

‘I tried to warn them for 48 hours.’

Arteta was criticised by Arsenal fans for benching Declan Rice, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka.

The midfielder missed the 3-1 defeat in east London.

He won’t be short of options.

‘He loves the club and has been a wonderful player since he joined.’

The Frenchman feels an unnecessary problem has been created.

The Arsenal legend has been very impressed with his old rivals’ start to the season.

The Norwegian was rested in Saturday’s 5-0 win over Sheffield United.

‘You’re telling me this boy couldn’t play for Man Utd?’

Gabriel Magalhaes was also benched.

David Raya’s punch nearly cost Arsenal in their Champions League win over Sevilla (PA)

Thierry Henry admits he got ‘a little bit scared’ by David Raya’s goalkeeping in the closing stages of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Sevilla in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Raya’s shaky performances have come under scrutiny ever since Mikel Arteta installed the on-loan Brentford goalkeeper as his first choice ahead of Aaron Ramsdale last month.

Despite receiving criticism after his mistakes in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea, Raya kept his place for Arsenal’s trip to Sevilla but showed signs of nerves in injury time when he attempted to punch clear Juanlu Sanchez’s cross but got it wrong and the ball span narrowly over his own goal.

Henry was critical of Arsenal allowing too many crosses into their box in the closing moments and concedes Arteta’s side ‘got lucky’ after another show of questionable goalkeeping from Raya.

When reviewing footage of Raya’s punch in the closing stages, Henry said on CBS Sports: ‘Is it a save? I mean, I stopped breathing for a little while.

‘That’s how it was in the last five, six minutes which I can understand away from home, we talked about it off air that it’s a tough place to go and win or play Sevilla,

‘I just thought at times we were inviting too many crosses and when I saw Raya coming to save that I got a bit scared but we got our luck this time, we got lucky.’

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Meanwhile, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has called the situation between Raya and Ramsdale a ‘pantomime’, while Michael Owen was critical of the Spaniard’s display against Sevilla.

‘Listen, all eyes are on Raya at the moment. If you’re keeping clean sheets all the time no-one says anything,’ Owen told TNT Sports.

‘But because of what’s happened in the past, every single thing he does we end up scrutinising and saying, “Ooh would Ramsdale have done that?” and, “Ooh should they be playing out in that situation?”

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‘He came for a cross, he went to punch it, he miscued it a little bit and it nearly spun into his own goal.

‘He had a couple of little mistakes in the first half as well trying to play out.

‘But at the end of the day we’re nit-picking and that is a cracking result for Arsenal. I think they’d have been happy coming away not getting beat tonight, but to get the three points puts them in a really strong position now.’

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Gabriel Jesus’s sublime goal and assist gives Arsenal vital victory over Sevilla The Guardian says In the end they were made to resist, but Arsenal…

‘I never want to go out.’

His deal expires next year.

Ramsdale is back in the squad after missing the Chelsea draw.

David Raya has had a shaky start to life at Arsenal (Picture: Getty Images)

Mikel Arteta has complicated his goalkeeping situation and helped make David Raya a ‘bag of nerves’ as his shaky start to his Arsenal career continues, believes Jamie Redknapp.

Raya struggled again in the Gunners’ 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Saturday, conceding a miscued cross from Mykhaylo Mudryk and nearly suffering even more embarrassment as he passed the ball to Cole Palmer but the Blues star failed to make the most of the mistake.

The loan signing from Brentford is under pressure as he steps up to a bigger club, along with the fact that he replaced Aaron Ramsdale in Arteta’s starting XI, despite the England international doing little wrong to deserve being ousted.

Liverpool legend Redknapp feels Raya was out of position to allow Mudryk’s cross to evade him and the Spaniard is looking extremely nervous so far in an Arsenal shirt.

The former England midfielder believes it is a problem created by Arteta, who has put pressure on both his goalkeepers by bringing in Raya from the Bees.

‘Raya is now going to come under a lot of scrutiny,’ Redknapp told Sky Sports. ‘There’s no doubt that Mudryk wants to cross it for his goal. If you look at Raya’s positioning before the cross that is a David Raya position. It’s very aggressive. Normally, I would want my goalkeeper two yards further back just to make sure you don’t get caught with the lob.

Misha’s second goal for Chelsea! 🥅 pic.twitter.com/GG8av4sk5s— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 21, 2023

‘But he’s looking to be aggressive and on the front foot. I think it’s a bad position. A lot is going to be said about Aaron Ramsdale now, but I actually think you should forget about Ramsdale for a second… what’s happened with this situation is that it’s made [Raya] look worse.

‘He looks like a bag of nerves right now. Raya is really struggling with the pressure and the scrutiny he’s under. He’s giving the ball away, he’s looking like he’s always going to concede goals. The situation hasn’t helped him.

Raya could not stop the seemingly miscued cross from Mykhaylo Mudryk (Picture: Getty Images)

‘People have said that Aaron Ramsdale should consider leaving, but I disagree. I think he should hang in there given the way Raya has given away so many goals. He’s not showing that he’s good enough to be No 1.

‘Mikel Arteta has complicated a situation that he really didn’t need to.’

MORE : Gary Neville gives verdict on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya’s huge mistake vs Chelsea

MORE : Aaron Ramsdale breaks silence on getting dropped by Mikel Arteta and losing Arsenal place to David Raya

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‘The work Arteta is doing there now is brilliant.’

Will the England international win his place back?

‘He’s got to have a word with himself!’

Bring back Aaron Ramsdale?

‘If the decision was up to me…’

Major blow for the north Londoners.