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.
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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.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.
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The number 22 is also a commanding presence in the box, which provides calmness amongst the backline and particularly from set pieces.
The data from FBref displays that he is amongst the best in the Premier League at dealing with crosses, ranking in the top 2% of goalkeepers in the division for that metric. Once the possession has been claimed, he is also eager to distribute the ball quickly to start a transition, with 5.5 throws attempted per match. This will be particularly important on Wednesday, as Lens have scored from a cross in three of their last four Ligue 1 matches.
Furthermore, since replacing Ramsdale in between the sticks, Raya has kept four clean sheets in eight Premier League appearances, one less than Andre Onana, Sam Johnstone and Nick Pope, despite playing five games fewer.
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The Spaniard ranks lowest for saves per game in the league with just 1.5, due to how dominant the Gunners are, but as shown by the four saves made in the 3-1 win versus Burnley in Arsenal’s recent home match, he is also a confident shot-stopper.
Even just from a statistical viewpoint, Raya exceeds Ramsdale, and the 28-year-old will continue to be favoured by Mikel Arteta and the goalkeeper department on Wednesday.
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