View: Aaron Ramsdale’s nervy moment on the ball vs Brentford shows why he is Arsenal’s number 2
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Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale returned to the starting XI on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup clash against Brentford.
Spain international goalie David Raya had been in goal for the last three games across all competitions before the trip to the Gtech Community Stadium, and he is expected to return to action when the Gunners visit Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth on Saturday.
Ramsdale has all but been confirmed as the number 2 goalkeeper at Arsenal, and an incident against the Bees last night showed exactly why.
As shared by Sky Sports reporter Nick Wright, a nervy moment on the ball for Ramsdale saw him almost lose possession to Yoane Wissa in his own box.
He was caught on the ball by the Brentford forward, but fortunately for him, the bounce took the ball away and over to Brazilian centre-back Gabriel.
The Arsenal goalie got away with one but was brilliant afterwards, playing a pivotal role with a significant and brilliant save to deny Wissa in the second-half.
Ramsdale later flung himself to his left to deny Frank Onyeka with time running out with another huge save.
The mistake did not prove costly and keepers playing out from the back are often subjected to such incidents.
However, Raya reacted brilliantly during similar incidents against Tottenham Hotspur after Heung-Min Son and Destiny Udogie pressed him in the box at different times.
How both goalies dealt with the heavy press from opposition players speaks volumes, and it is not surprising to see that the Spaniard has established himself as the starter.
Ramsdale remains one of the best keepers in the land and has not been directly at fault for any goal recently, but the story would have been different for Arsenal had Brentford scored after he almost lost possession to Wissa.
Manager Mikel Arteta was full of praise for the England international after his fine performance but would have had his heart in his mouth during the nervy incident.
Raya was brought in to challenge Ramsdale and he has done exactly that, and while the Englishman can still force his way back into the starting XI, having nervy moments like the one against Wissa will not help his cause and he has to be flawless to become the number 1.