Pundit claims ‘lack of courage’ in Arsenal backline put Raya under pressure against Man City
Danny Murphy has come to the defence of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya after the Spanish shot-stopper came under fire over the weekend.
The Gunners claimed a vital three points against Manchester City over the weekend, but Raya did come in for some criticism, despite keeping a clean sheet.
Gary Neville described the Arsenal goalkeeper as a ‘nervous wreck’ during the first half, but Raya grew into the game and managed to keep Pep Guardiola’s side at bay.
Murphy has stuck up for the 28-year-old goalkeeper as he believes a ‘lack of courage’ in the Arsenal backline was the reason Raya was put under so much pressure.
“Do you know what, I just want to make a quick point on this. I get there’s a little bit of anxiety and criticism early on when he got closed down and stuff like that,” he told FIVE.
“But I didn’t hear anyone once talk about – and Arsenal weren’t just nervy because of Raya, right, they were all a bit nervy to play forward and be progressive on the ball – the amount of times he played out and it ended up back at him when you could see he was going to get pressed.
“And on two occasions where he got closed down fast, especially the one where Alvarez nearly scored, they’ve not even passed it back so he could kick it one touch.
“He’s got to take a touch. Nobody was talking about, I wouldn’t say it was irresponsible, but the lack of courage from the players in the backline to actually once they’ve played it out, you make a pass forward.
“He got rightly some criticism for his nonchalance. But they were all at it as well. In the first 25, half an hour of that game, Arsenal weren’t as confident as they normally are. So it’s a group thing. And I was pleased Arteta stuck up for him.”
There’s been plenty of noise around Arsenal’s goalkeeping department this season as Raya has managed to replace Aaron Ramsdale as Arteta’s first choice.
Despite plenty of pundits rasing an eyebrow at the decision, Raya has done an excellent job since coming into the first team.
The 28-year-old has kept three clean sheets in four matches and he boasts an impressive save percentage of 71.4% which is far superior to Ramsdale’s 55.6% save percentage.
Arteta came out after the game and defended Raya as the Arsenal boss insisted he was happy with the goalkeepers performance.
“I think he was excellent,” Arteta said to Sky Sports. “The way he controlled the ball. How dominant the was and how high he played. I love players with courage and David certainly has big ones.
“[City] give you a lot [of problems] and we gave them a lot of issues as well. It is not easy to get out. You need the right timing, the right movement, the right moments. I like the courage.”
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