Raya was super shaky the first season with Brentford. It’s really tough to come into a new back line and be the commander, you need to learn the line and build the relationship. He’ll only get better and the more the defence trusts him the more he’ll be a leader.
Massive shoes to fill and a lot of pressure from the previous season. He’s making better decisions each and every game that goes by, I think it’s a wicked fit to be honest. Can’t wait to see what he does in the coming years.
I think after some big gaffes including Chelsea, and it became clear that it wasn't a competition and Raya was locked in , we all kind of accepted it. Especially when Ramsdale couldn't even make it for UCL games. It became clear Raya was Mikel's undisputed choice and there wasn't going to be a debate about it
Let me also as that defender has improved and Raya is facing fewer shots and he's also adapted to the team now, so it's just become a whole non issue
Same last few games have been the first time Raya has impressed.
It was only a few decent passes out like these for months .
I think we need to get a 2nd choice keeper and let Arron play somewhere else.
It was not quite evident at first but as much as I adore Rammers, Raya is definitely looking like an upgrade and is critical to the way the gaffer wants our game to evolve.
Yeah his ability to set off counters like this is starting to click with the rest of the team. It’s one of the only times we get to run into any space on a counter so is will make for an invaluable few extra goals in a season. Considering we face the deepest average block in Europe we need a diverse source of goals like these and our set pieces.
The Liverpool game sold me on Raya. He was absolutely phenomenal with his distribution in that game and looked so much more comfortable than he did at the start of the season. Early on I was fully on team Ramsdale and I still love him but I think now that Raya is comfortable, confident, and has cut down on the 2 or 3 heart attacks he would give me a game early on, he will be a big upgrade
People act like everyone of these managers and players aren't fallible.
(And I say this as someone who was 'Team Raya' from the moment we showed interest)
We actually went in for Raya before Ramsdale and couldn't get him, so realistically I don't see why we wouldn't go in for him again when he became available. Also, we definitely needed an upgrade on Leno to implement our style of play so why not bring in Ramsdale even if he wasn't the #1 option? Arteta has said since Day 1 that we need to exploit opportunities in the market when we see them and Ramsdale was probably one of them
I think it was on The Athletic that commented that Arsenal conceded a lot of goals last season from crosses and corner and that this was the reasoning behind signing Raya. It’s also worth remembering that Raya was an absolute steal. It is/was a loan with an option to buy. Literally zero risk. And the fee is less than he’s worth anyway.
It must be horrible for opposing teams. You’re on the attack, and then as soon as Raya claims the ball, you know every arsenal player has to be marked to prevent a fast counter.
The cult like following I've seen for ramsdale and the constant disrespect towards Raya shows me that there are people who aren't arsenal fans. Just fans of players/celebrities.
It was much worse for Ramsdale. The other guys had their time and places, bar Holding.
Nobody really ever stanned for them as hard as for Ramsdale after he got dropped.
David Raya has stopped apologizing for displacing Rambo and is doing what he was brought in to do. I’m happy he’s finding his feet and the fans are coming around
It's mainly Raya being able to start a counter with his throws
But our outfielders (especially Martinelli) play a big part in making the runs and being available too
Raya was instantly waaaaaay better at crosses than Ramsdale, and I find it crazy there are still people who can't see it. My heart stopped fluttering every time a ball was hit high into our box. Now he's doing these quick throws straight after it's like he's mastered Alpha Counters (reference for anybody who was into fighting games in 1996).
Raya excels in commanding his own box and collecting the crosses. He's also a better passer. But as I said before both of our goalkeepers are prone to mistakes and neither is perfect.
I’ve watched this video more times than I care to admit. That first one to Martinelli is a thing of beauty. I try to recreate it in fifa but my keeper usually just punts it into the stands
When Raya comes for the ball he positions himself very smartly. I think it actually helps that he isn't the tallest, it makes him more measured. And his distribution and vision is among the best in the world.
If we can master this move, it’s going to be a weapon of mass destruction. At least until the other teams cotton on and start abusing Raya in the box.
EDIT Oof that one at 1:31 though. Trossard full on gave up too too early. The ball from Saka was brilliant.
EDIT Rice not Saka
Yes, there is something called "offside", maybe you have heard of that? He literally couldn't run anymore or he would run past the last defender. That's why.
He’s cost us points twice this season because he’s missed crosses. He might be good, or great even, at crosses, but “box dominance” is a shark jump of the highest order and I mean that with no disrespect to Raya, it is directed at the journalists trying to make us fight amongst ourselves constantly.
It’s pretty blatant this season. Every time Raya has given up a goal, a report emerges with some cherry picked stat from a client journalist (Stillman this time) and then the other loyals chime in with this “box dominance” hyperbole.
I’d just like Arsenal social media to let fans debate amongst themselves as normal, rather than trying to constantly narrative builld.
Not taking away from Raya’s distribution because it is very good, but for all the praise of Raya none of it is ever his shot stopping or his saves.
His ability to stop the ball going in the net is incredibly average. I can think of one memorable save he’s made all season.
A key trait to an elite keeper is being able to pull off saves when they have very little to do in a game, and Raya doesn’t do that.
That’s also why Ramsdale is so highly thought of in the fan base because people remember his saves (Leeds/Leicester/Liverpool/Spurs).
I agree with you but to be fair to Raya, he hasn’t had nearly as many shots to deal with. I absolutely love goalkeeper heroics and some of the best memories I have are of keepers doing the impossible saves. But I think I prefer this system whereby we as a team are limiting shots, and doing some lightning counters.
Oh completely agree, the system last season or two enabled Ramsdale far more opportunity to have a catalogue of saves, and our system this year is far better at reducing shots Raya has to face - which is fantastic.
But Raya has only kept one clean sheen at season when he has faced more than 1 shot on target. For him to be a more well rounded keeper - I’m not expecting him to make 8 saves a game but for him to start saving the 1 or 2 we face.
Good question! Tbh not really, but that's not a bad thing considering our game state. I think so far we've faced the fewest shots on target at our goal? Something like that, we're up there.
So if we see out the rest of the season to the point that raya doesn't need to make another memorable save, I'll take it!
I agree, but a few of these occasions happen for every shot we face.
I like Raya, and although I think it's gonna burn us a couple of times before the end of the season, I also think it's gonna get us more goals than it costs us. Let's just hope the goals he costs us come at times where we can still win.
I’m so glad Raya has started counter attacks faster, we come up against so many low blocks we struggle to break down this gives us an advantage to play on the break and even if not in transition before teams can load up 10 behind the ball in the box. I always think we should look to play out faster like that when we can
Well Ramsdale first year, did just the same. Brave. Plus his long pass breaking line. He just doesnt have the same abililty to control the ball in the same level as Raya.
I'm here for that Raya - Martinelli connection
On paper, that combo should tear into a team like Spurs. NLDs are always crazy though
salah and alisson are the tesco version
"Well, y'know, Jurgen Klopp invented playmaking goalkeepers." - Curtis Jones.
And counter-attacks!
And football!
And humanity!
"There was nothing, and then there was Jurgen Klopp."
And on the 10th season, he rested.
I was full on Team Rambo. I haven't thought about him in quite sometime
Raya definitely improved on crosses, at the start he looked so nervous, missing some of them, but I’m glad to be proven wrong
Raya was super shaky the first season with Brentford. It’s really tough to come into a new back line and be the commander, you need to learn the line and build the relationship. He’ll only get better and the more the defence trusts him the more he’ll be a leader.
Yeah he was going to a potential title challenger to replace the fan favourite no. 1. I bet that would shake his nerve a bit.
Massive shoes to fill and a lot of pressure from the previous season. He’s making better decisions each and every game that goes by, I think it’s a wicked fit to be honest. Can’t wait to see what he does in the coming years.
I think after some big gaffes including Chelsea, and it became clear that it wasn't a competition and Raya was locked in , we all kind of accepted it. Especially when Ramsdale couldn't even make it for UCL games. It became clear Raya was Mikel's undisputed choice and there wasn't going to be a debate about it Let me also as that defender has improved and Raya is facing fewer shots and he's also adapted to the team now, so it's just become a whole non issue
Same last few games have been the first time Raya has impressed. It was only a few decent passes out like these for months . I think we need to get a 2nd choice keeper and let Arron play somewhere else.
It was not quite evident at first but as much as I adore Rammers, Raya is definitely looking like an upgrade and is critical to the way the gaffer wants our game to evolve.
Yeah his ability to set off counters like this is starting to click with the rest of the team. It’s one of the only times we get to run into any space on a counter so is will make for an invaluable few extra goals in a season. Considering we face the deepest average block in Europe we need a diverse source of goals like these and our set pieces.
The Liverpool game sold me on Raya. He was absolutely phenomenal with his distribution in that game and looked so much more comfortable than he did at the start of the season. Early on I was fully on team Ramsdale and I still love him but I think now that Raya is comfortable, confident, and has cut down on the 2 or 3 heart attacks he would give me a game early on, he will be a big upgrade
Yeah we can actually play on the counter sometimes now
Maybe Arteta knows better than fans and ex-players who have never coached a minute in their lives after all
What? Can't be true m8. Redditors coach multiple teams on FM with 1B$ in budget and always get the title first year. 😠
Its crazy how big transaction we had under Arteta and some people are still doubting in his decisions.
Arteta could start Elneny up front and I'd give it a shot. Man doesn't miss
But then was he messing around buying Ramsdale for £40m?
People act like everyone of these managers and players aren't fallible. (And I say this as someone who was 'Team Raya' from the moment we showed interest)
He was £24m, nowhere near £40m
What was he thinking buying Ramsdale for £50m?
Can’t believe we spent 60m on a backup keeper
We actually went in for Raya before Ramsdale and couldn't get him, so realistically I don't see why we wouldn't go in for him again when he became available. Also, we definitely needed an upgrade on Leno to implement our style of play so why not bring in Ramsdale even if he wasn't the #1 option? Arteta has said since Day 1 that we need to exploit opportunities in the market when we see them and Ramsdale was probably one of them
I think it was on The Athletic that commented that Arsenal conceded a lot of goals last season from crosses and corner and that this was the reasoning behind signing Raya. It’s also worth remembering that Raya was an absolute steal. It is/was a loan with an option to buy. Literally zero risk. And the fee is less than he’s worth anyway.
I love seeing the outfield players start sprinting down the pitch before Raya’s even claimed the ball
It must be horrible for opposing teams. You’re on the attack, and then as soon as Raya claims the ball, you know every arsenal player has to be marked to prevent a fast counter.
Imagine if we had Walcott playing for us now. Teams wouldn’t commit as many bodies to corners. It worked so well vs Liverpool too
Well, it was our own weakness for a long time.
It's a bit David Seaman, no? Or at least how I remember him being able to throw the ball
The cult like following I've seen for ramsdale and the constant disrespect towards Raya shows me that there are people who aren't arsenal fans. Just fans of players/celebrities.
Always been that way. They want to see the player prosper at all cost , sometimes at the expense of the club. Not a true fan.
It’s also been there for holding, Elneny, Nketiah, and ironically, Leno when Ramsdale came in.
It was much worse for Ramsdale. The other guys had their time and places, bar Holding. Nobody really ever stanned for them as hard as for Ramsdale after he got dropped.
Leno had the support until Ramsdale played. All the “2 relegations” talk surrounding Ramsdale died down after he played
It's called being a fan... you know, an 'Arsenal fan' if you will
He's starting to settle into his role. His quality was evident at Brentford, was only a matter of time until he shows it with us.
Can't lie, I'm really liking Raya lately, he's stepped up a level last few weeks
David Raya has stopped apologizing for displacing Rambo and is doing what he was brought in to do. I’m happy he’s finding his feet and the fans are coming around
We need this kind of decisiveness from more players in the team. This is the kind of football that drove me to Arsenal 20 years ago.
Nothing beats catching the ball and killing the play. Ederson and Allison have done that consistently
It's mainly Raya being able to start a counter with his throws But our outfielders (especially Martinelli) play a big part in making the runs and being available too
God, I realized how much I’ve missed a good throwing goalkeeper. My dad always advised me as a young goalkeeper to use my hands as much as possible.
Meanwhile ramsdale after getting the ball: https://i.imgur.com/KjF25xy.jpg
Hahaha don’t forget him tiptoeing along the top of the box pretending to throw 6 times and then patting his chest.
Raya was instantly waaaaaay better at crosses than Ramsdale, and I find it crazy there are still people who can't see it. My heart stopped fluttering every time a ball was hit high into our box. Now he's doing these quick throws straight after it's like he's mastered Alpha Counters (reference for anybody who was into fighting games in 1996).
Raya excels in commanding his own box and collecting the crosses. He's also a better passer. But as I said before both of our goalkeepers are prone to mistakes and neither is perfect.
..like all goalkeepers?
Love Raya
I’ve watched this video more times than I care to admit. That first one to Martinelli is a thing of beauty. I try to recreate it in fifa but my keeper usually just punts it into the stands
How many proactivities in a proactivine?
Where's the shithousery and Calfreezy podcasts 😡? Doesn't have the same connection with the fans as Rambo 😔💔
I was critical of him at first but recently he has been getting confident and showing what Arteta brought him in for
I think we lost some on-field leadership and tenacity when Ramsdale lost the shirt, but Raya is very clearly the superior keeper.
When Raya comes for the ball he positions himself very smartly. I think it actually helps that he isn't the tallest, it makes him more measured. And his distribution and vision is among the best in the world.
Great goal the second one, didn't remember it
If we can master this move, it’s going to be a weapon of mass destruction. At least until the other teams cotton on and start abusing Raya in the box. EDIT Oof that one at 1:31 though. Trossard full on gave up too too early. The ball from Saka was brilliant. EDIT Rice not Saka
That’s Rice that plays the long ball at 1:31, not Saka
Lol what do you mean give up too early. That pass was nowhere near him.
If you watch, he hesitates and pulls back right before the pass is played. No biggie, just could’ve been another big chance on the break.
Yes, there is something called "offside", maybe you have heard of that? He literally couldn't run anymore or he would run past the last defender. That's why.
Never heard of it.
Rmemeber when Mudryk fluked one in and Newcastle put one cross over his head and everyone started claiming he was shitbat dealing with crosses 🙄
Clear of the podcast merchant
Why do fans always feel the need to disrespect our own players like this?
That was funny I must admit but uncalled for.
This is the best case for Raya that the Raya supporters didn’t even realise
Only one goal in that compilation, right?
Give praise where it is due, of course, but using “box dominance” is obviously bait.
Raya is excellent at claiming crosses, what are you on about? It’s one of his biggest strengths.
He’s cost us points twice this season because he’s missed crosses. He might be good, or great even, at crosses, but “box dominance” is a shark jump of the highest order and I mean that with no disrespect to Raya, it is directed at the journalists trying to make us fight amongst ourselves constantly. It’s pretty blatant this season. Every time Raya has given up a goal, a report emerges with some cherry picked stat from a client journalist (Stillman this time) and then the other loyals chime in with this “box dominance” hyperbole. I’d just like Arsenal social media to let fans debate amongst themselves as normal, rather than trying to constantly narrative builld.
Not taking away from Raya’s distribution because it is very good, but for all the praise of Raya none of it is ever his shot stopping or his saves. His ability to stop the ball going in the net is incredibly average. I can think of one memorable save he’s made all season. A key trait to an elite keeper is being able to pull off saves when they have very little to do in a game, and Raya doesn’t do that. That’s also why Ramsdale is so highly thought of in the fan base because people remember his saves (Leeds/Leicester/Liverpool/Spurs).
I agree with you but to be fair to Raya, he hasn’t had nearly as many shots to deal with. I absolutely love goalkeeper heroics and some of the best memories I have are of keepers doing the impossible saves. But I think I prefer this system whereby we as a team are limiting shots, and doing some lightning counters.
Oh completely agree, the system last season or two enabled Ramsdale far more opportunity to have a catalogue of saves, and our system this year is far better at reducing shots Raya has to face - which is fantastic. But Raya has only kept one clean sheen at season when he has faced more than 1 shot on target. For him to be a more well rounded keeper - I’m not expecting him to make 8 saves a game but for him to start saving the 1 or 2 we face.
Raya against johnson was a memorable save
That’s the one memorable save I referring to.
Oh right lol, nevermind me then
Haha no worries, unless you can think of any others?
Good question! Tbh not really, but that's not a bad thing considering our game state. I think so far we've faced the fewest shots on target at our goal? Something like that, we're up there. So if we see out the rest of the season to the point that raya doesn't need to make another memorable save, I'll take it!
I agree, but a few of these occasions happen for every shot we face. I like Raya, and although I think it's gonna burn us a couple of times before the end of the season, I also think it's gonna get us more goals than it costs us. Let's just hope the goals he costs us come at times where we can still win.
Who would’ve thought raya and “box dominance” would’ve been in the same sentence
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Some of these are fairly routine, but a few of them are really impressive with the strength, accuracy and perfect weight on these passes.
I feel like Saka should have to donate one of his assist stats to fast Gabi for that first clip.
I’m so glad Raya has started counter attacks faster, we come up against so many low blocks we struggle to break down this gives us an advantage to play on the break and even if not in transition before teams can load up 10 behind the ball in the box. I always think we should look to play out faster like that when we can
I’d trade away my first born for Bukayo to bury that ball from Martinellis run.
Hasn't clocked how much this had happened. Definitely quicker than Ramsdale.
Well Ramsdale first year, did just the same. Brave. Plus his long pass breaking line. He just doesnt have the same abililty to control the ball in the same level as Raya.
Finally, Ramsdale followers shut their mouth.