Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta felt compelled to defend the goalkeeper David Raya After Arsenal ended a 12-game losing streak against Manchester City to beat the Premier League champions 1-0 on Sunday. “I thought it was excellent,” Arteta said. “The way he controlled the ball, how dominant he was and how high he played. I like players who have courage.”
Arteta has made a big decision on his Brentford loan this season, opting to replace the former No.1 Aaron Ramsdell — An important figure in Arsenal’s title challenge last season — for a different type of player. Raya is the best modern goalkeeper: comfortable with the ball at his feet and able to add a new attacking dimension to the team.
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Manchester United coach Erik Ten Hag is trying to make a similar move, with Andre Onana Coming from Inter Milan to replace David de Gea this summer. But while ball-playing goalkeepers have transformed Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League – Ederson And Alisson Becker They have been crucial to their clubs’ successes – switching from a traditional goalkeeper to a more rounded footballer in goal is no quick fix. Both Raya and Onana have already found themselves in the eye of the storm at their new clubs.
In the match against City, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville described Raya as a “nervous wreck” while commentating on the match for Sky Sports. Meanwhile, Arsenal supporters inside the stadium made their agitation clear whenever the goalkeeper put the ball at his feet by turning up the volume with cries of “Get rid of it”, “What are you doing?” And many ultimatums filled with obscenities.
After almost conceding a goal in the first half when the ball was cleared through a rush Julian Alvarez Inside the six-yard box, Raya set the tone for a difficult afternoon as his presence in the Arsenal goal, ahead of fan favorite Ramsdale, was once again a major talking point.
With 19 goals scored in 10 games so far, Onana’s start at United draws similar levels of scrutiny. Not only because the Cameroon international made a number of big mistakes that led to goals, but also because he replaced De Gea who, despite a mistake-filled final season at Old Trafford last year, is still viewed as a key player. Affection by many United supporters following his departure at the end of his contract in June.
Raya and Onana are both top-level goalkeepers. Raya has been one of the most consistent players in the Premier League over the past two seasons with Brentford; Onana enjoyed success at Ajax and Inter before being identified as De Gea’s replacement by Ten Hag.
Most importantly, Raya and Onana have the unwavering support of their managers, with both Arteta and Ten Hag wanting a goalkeeper who can give their team greater control of the ball. This in turn means they can prepare to defend high up the pitch and look to the goalkeeper to overcome the opposition’s attacking pressure through precise distribution of long and short passes.
This is the ideal scenario, which both Ederson and Alisson have presented for their clubs, but even these two have had meltdowns, when they have been overconfident on the ball or too keen to get out of the box to try and smother the ball. Off the attack.
When Pep Guardiola took over at City in the summer of 2016, his first decision was to replace the title-winning goalkeeper. Joe Hartwho was England’s No. 1 at the time with Barcelona Claudio Bravo. Guardiola wanted to oversee the same transfer that Arteta and Ten Hag are now attempting, but City were not prepared for change. Bravo often exposed deficiencies in defense by causing problems for teammates with risky passes into dangerous areas or causing confusion with his positioning in the defensive third.
Now, City’s defenders feel completely comfortable when Ederson does anything similar because Guardiola has assembled a squad of players who can play with a ball-playing goalkeeper. They had spent more than seven years of training with someone like this behind them.
Raya only arrived at the Emirates Stadium in mid-August and did not make his debut until mid-September, so the opportunity for the goalkeeper and defenders to get to know each other was minimal. And it appears. Arsenal have defenders who are good enough on the ball to adapt to having Raya behind them, rather than Ramsdale, but it will take time.
Onana faces a different problem at United as the majority of his defenders are not comfortable handling the ball. When Onana passes to Prov Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot or Victor LindelofIt gives the ball to players who do not want to receive it in the defensive third of the field. Having had De Gea in goal for the past decade, United’s players have become accustomed to a keeper who rarely leaves his penalty area, so Onana’s confidence in rushing out is another issue they need to take into account.
The secret to success with a ball-playing goalkeeper is having defenders who are confident and comfortable handling the ball. Arsenal have the players to succeed; United can’t say. But the reality for both teams, and any other club willing to try it, is that it will take effort from more than just the goalkeeper to reap the rewards.
