Mikel Arteta gives verdict on David Raya after Arsenal beat Manchester City

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Mikel Arteta gave his verdict on David Raya after his performance for Arsenal against Manchester City.

Arsenal finally triumphed in a Premier League match against Manchester City on Sunday, after having lost this fixture on the twelve previous occasions. Gabriel Martinelli’s late goal was enough to give Mikel Arteta’s Gunners victory and send the Emirates Stadium into raptures.

It was not all plain sailing for the north London club, though. They had some nervy moments, especially early on, as Nathan Ake went close and Declan Rice was needed to make a goal-line clearance. 

David Raya was especially jittery in the first half. He was uncharacteristically poor on the ball and unconvincing in his attempts to claim crosses into the box. The 28-year-old Spanish goalkeeper gave possession away on a number of occasions, and was lucky to avoid conceding in an instance where Julian Alvarez nicked the ball off him.

Raya rises up from wretched start

Despite a tetchy crowd, though, Raya persevered with playing his own game his way. The Brentford loanee, who Arsenal are expected to sign on a permanent basis for a fee of £27 million, was much-improved in the second half.

Whilst he didn’t have a save to make, the twice-capped Spain international produced some excellent long passes and was much stronger when dealing with deliveries into the box. All in all, Raya showed excellent strength of character to overcome a very poor start.

After the match, Arteta gave his verdict on the shot-stopper’s performance. Speaking on Sky Sports (08/10/2023, 18:50), the Spanish coach praised Raya’s bravery, saying, “I think he was excellent. The way he controlled the ball, how dominant he was, and how high he played. I love players with courage and David certainly has big ones.”

Having taken Aaron Ramsdale’s place in the starting XI, Raya needs to keep his standards high. The usurped England man may have sensed his return to the first choice role edging closer in the first half, but Raya’s response after the break was impressive given the scale of the occasion and the fact he is still so new to the club.