Arteta must bench Arsenal’s “BIG PERSONALITY” in the Champions League today after 4/10 display v Brentford last weekend
Arsenal host French side, RC Lens, on Wednesday evening, where they will aim to secure qualification from Group B of the Champions League in first place. The Gunners go into the European tie off the back of a narrow 1-0 away win over Brentford at the weekend.
Aaron Ramsdale’s name was ringing around the Brentford Community Stadium after the full-time whistle on Saturday, more so in support and encouragement of last season’s first choice, who – as Football.London suggested, dropped an unfortunate 4/10 display.
Fortunately for the goalkeeper, his teammates rushed to his aid on a couple of occasions as Arsenal climbed to the top of the Premier League.
Aaron Ramsdale’s numbers this season
Ramsdale is known for his “big personality” – as Roy Keane once said – but since being replaced in the side by David Raya, his confidence has taken a massive blow.
The England international looked to seize his chance at the weekend due to Arsenal facing Raya’s parent club, but his lack of belief was evident in the first half against Brentford, as the number one made a catastrophic mistake, gifting the ball to Yoane Wissa inside the six-yard box.
The Brentford attacker set up Bryan Mbeumo, yet his shot was cleared off the line by Declan Rice, the mistake should have led to a goal with the XG of the chances that followed accumulating to 0.51.
Just before the break, Ramsdale accidentally threw the ball into the ground, which landed at the feet of a Brentford attacker in the final third. The attack fizzled out, but the goalkeeper took another hit to his confidence.
The 26-year-old only had a 50% pass accuracy and completed six accurate long balls from 21 attempts, which is extremely poor for a ‘keeper in an Arsenal side with so much control and technical quality.
Unfortunately, this has been a common theme across his five Premier League appearances this season. When looking at Ramsdale’s stats for the 2023/24 Premier League campaign on FBref, it is quite clear that his biggest weakness is when the ball is at his feet. The Arsenal keeper averages just 2.6 long balls completed per ninety and 26.6 passes attempted per ninety, which ranks him in the worst 7% and 34% of goalkeepers in Europe respectively.
Raya is Arteta’s number-one shot-stopper
In Raya’s case, his biggest strength is where Ramsdale falls short, with the Spanish keeper excelling in possession.
His accuracy when playing long balls is particularly impressive, with a 42.9% completion rate. Not only does this provide much more control, but it also indicates that Raya has the ability to start attacks himself by being proactive and taking more risks on the ball.
