MIKEL ARTETA has received praise for his tactical prowess and decision making this season with Arsenal flying high at the top of the Premier League table.
However, his handling of goalkeepers Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya has come into question on several occasions.
GettyDavid Raya is currently Mikel Arteta’s first choice goalkeeper[/caption]
PAAaron Ramsdale has fallen out of favour[/caption]
Until mid-September fan favourite Ramsdale was Arsenal’s No1.
The England international had just signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners and was high on confidence amid an impressive run of form.
And then Raya came along.
The Spaniard joined Arsenal on an initial season-long £3million loan deal in August with a £27m option to buy.
Raya was introduced to compete with Ramsdale for the No1 spot, but following his debut appearance against Everton in September he has been at the top of the team sheet most weeks.
Arteta insisted that he did not have a set No1, but in recent months it has become clear – Raya is the clear favourite.
The 28-year-old has made 15 appearances so far this season – seven more than his counterpart.
However, he has been susceptible to some huge errors – two of which almost cost Arsenal dearly against Luton on Tuesday.
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With Arsenal leading 2-1 early in the second half, Raya got caught under the ball from a corner and was out-jumped by Elijah Adebayo who headed in Luton’s second equaliser.
Then just eight minutes later, the Hatters took the lead when the Spaniard let Ross Barkley’s low shot to squeeze under him.
And to make matters worse, his overall performance was the lowest rated by any player in a Premier League match this season, according to WhoScored.com.
Luckily for Raya – and Arteta – Arsenal went on to win the match following a last-gasp winner from Declan Rice.
How Raya and Ramsdale’s stats compare
But with the Spaniard now under scrutiny by fans and pundits alike, SunSport look at how he has compared overall to team-mate Ramsdale so far this season.
Firstly, Raya has more clean sheets than his team-mate with seven compared to the England international’s three.
However, that should be expected given that he has played seven more games.
Raya has also conceded 13 goals whereas Ramsdale has conceded just eight, but again, that should be expected.
When comparing stats per game, both goalkeepers are very similar.
On average, Raya concedes 0.9 goals per game whereas Ramsdale lets in one.
Similarly, the Spaniard has a slightly higher save percentage.
In terms of distribution from the back, Raya also completes more passes and has a higher percentage of passing accuracy.
This could be a key reason for Arteta’s preference of the Brentford loanee.
GettyRaya has a higher save percentage than Ramsdale[/caption]
PAHowever, Ramsdale has not made any errors leading to goals[/caption]
Where possible the Gunners utilise the goalkeeper when playing out from the back, so they need someone who is confident with the ball at their feet.
Raya is evidently more comfortable when making those key passes, especially in pressurised scenarios.
However, one key stat that stands out is errors leading to goals – and Raya has made three so far this season.
As well as his two major mishaps against Luton, the goalkeeper made a huge mistake against Chelsea after being caught out of position by Mykhailo Mudryk.
On the other hand, Ramsdale is yet to make any major mistakes that have resulted in a goal.
The England keeper has been heavily linked with a move away in January, but maybe Arteta should consider keeping him around.