Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta felt compelled to defend goalkeeper David Raya after the Gunners ended their 12-game shedding streak in opposition to Manchester Metropolis to defeat the Premier League champions 1-0 on Sunday. “I believe he was glorious,” Arteta stated. “The best way he managed the ball, how dominant he was and the way excessive he performed. I like gamers with braveness.”
Arteta has made a giant name over the Brentford loanee this season, selecting to switch earlier No. 1 Aaron Ramsdale — a big determine in Arsenal’s title problem final time period — in favour of a special sort of participant. Raya is the last word trendy goalkeeper: snug with the ball at his toes and able to including a brand new attacking dimension to the workforce.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, extra (U.S.)
Manchester United supervisor Erik ten Hag is making an attempt to make an identical transition, with André Onana arriving from Inter Milan to switch David de Gea this summer season. However whereas ball-playing goalkeepers have been transformative at Manchester Metropolis and Liverpool within the Premier League — Éderson and Alisson Becker have been essential to their golf equipment’ respective successes — switching from a standard ‘keeper to a more-rounded footballer in objective will not be a fast repair. Each Raya and Onana have discovered themselves within the eye of a storm at their new golf equipment already.
Within the recreation in opposition to Metropolis, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville described Raya as a “nervous wreck” throughout his commentary of the sport for Sky Sports activities. In the meantime, the Arsenal supporters contained in the stadium made their agitation clear at any time when the ‘keeper had the ball at his toes by elevating the amount stage with shouts of “Do away with it,” “What are you doing?” and a number of other expletive-laden expressions of alarm.
Having virtually conceded a first-half objective when his clearance was blocked by an onrushing Julián Álvarez contained in the six-yard field, Raya set the tone for a tough afternoon by which his presence within the Arsenal objective, forward of followers’ favorite Ramsdale, was as soon as once more a significant speaking level.
With 19 targets in 10 video games conceded to date, Onana’s begin to life at United is prompting comparable ranges of scrutiny. Not solely as a result of the Cameroon worldwide has made quite a lot of high-profile errors resulting in targets, but in addition as a result of he has taken the place of De Gea who, regardless of an error-ridden last season at Outdated Trafford final yr, continues to be regarded with affection by many United supporters following his departure on the finish of his contract in June.
Raya and Onana are each extremely rated goalkeepers. Raya has been one of the vital constant within the Premier League over the previous two seasons for Brentford; Onana loved success at Ajax and Inter earlier than being recognized as De Gea’s alternative by Ten Hag.
Crucially, Raya and Onana have absolutely the backing of their managers, with each Arteta and Ten Hag wanting a goalkeeper who may give their workforce better management of the ball. In flip, meaning they’ll set as much as defend increased up the pitch and look to the goalkeeper to beat an opponent’s attacking press with pinpoint distribution from lengthy and quick passes.
That’s the splendid situation, which has been delivered by each Ederson and Alisson for his or her golf equipment, however even these two have had their meltdowns, after they have been overconfident on the ball or too eager to race out of the penalty space to attempt to snuff out an assault.
When Pep Guardiola took cost at Metropolis in the summertime of 2016, his first choice was to switch title-winning goalkeeper Joe Hart, who was England’s No. 1 on the time, with Barcelona’s Claudio Bravo. Guardiola wished to supervise the identical transition that Arteta and Ten Hag are trying now, however Metropolis weren’t prepared for the change. Bravo usually uncovered the deficiencies in defence by enjoying his teammates into bother with dangerous passes in harmful areas or sparking confusion along with his positioning within the defensive third.
Now, Metropolis’s defenders are completely snug when Ederson does something comparable as a result of Guardiola has assembled a squad of gamers who can play with a ball-playing goalkeeper. They usually have had over seven years of follow with somebody like that behind them.
Raya solely arrived on the Emirates in mid-August and didn’t make his debut till mid-September, so the chance for the keeper and his defenders to familiarise themselves with one another has been minimal. And it reveals. Arsenal do have defenders who’re ok on the ball to regulate to having Raya behind them, slightly than Ramsdale, however it would take time.
Onana has a special downside at United in that almost all of his defenders aren’t snug on the ball. When Onana passes to the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot or Victor Lindelöf, he’s giving the ball to gamers who do not wish to obtain it within the defensive third of the pitch. Having had De Gea in objective for the previous decade, United’s gamers have grown accustomed to a keeper who not often left his penalty space, so Onana’s confidence in speeding out it’s one other problem they should take into accounts.
The key to success with a ball-playing goalkeeper is having defenders who’re supremely assured and cozy on the ball. Arsenal have the gamers to make it work; United arguably do not. However the actuality for each groups, and another membership that wishes to attempt it, is that it takes effort from extra than simply the goalkeeper for it to reap rewards.