David Raya has been sensational for Arsenal this season.
The Gunners have had several standout players over the course of the campaign, and that is why they are where they are – top of the Premier League and final of the Champions League.
Without most of those players, Arsenal wouldn’t be inches away from glory, and Peter Schmeichel thinks Raya is at the top of that list by a mile.
TRUE or FALSE: David Raya is the best goalkeeper in the world…
Peter Schmeichel says he has never seen any goalkeeper save a team as much as David Raya
David Raya has been earning praise left, right and centre all season.
The Spaniard has gone from being a player whose signing was heavily questioned and criticised to becoming one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Raya isn’t just in the team because he is great with the ball at his feet; he also does the most basic function of a goalkeeper – make saves.
The Arsenal number one has pulled off a few miraculous stops this season and has helped the Gunners pick up points they could easily have dropped.
That has amazed Schmeichel, who claimed that he can’t recall seeing any other goalkeeper do it as much as Raya has done this term.
He said on Viaplay during a ‘Player of the Season’ debate: “There’s one outstanding candidate and that’s Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya.
“If you take him out of Arsenal, Arsenal are nowhere near that first position they’re in now, six points clear of Manchester City [before their draw with Everton]. I can’t remember a goalkeeper who has saved his team that many points as he’s done this season.
“The narrative is that Arsenal have the best defence and I’m a little bit like, ‘No, they concede so many chances… they have the best goalkeeper, he’s saving them time and time again’.
“For me, and it’s not just because I was a goalkeeper myself, but I just think he has been the outstanding performer of this Premier League season.”
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Arsenal need David Raya at his best in the Champions League final
Arsenal have reached their first Champions League final in 20 years.
The Gunners will face one of Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in Budapest, and both of those teams score goals for fun.
Arsenal definitely have the defence to contain them for long periods, but it will be extremely difficult to stop either team from firing shots at goal.
That is when Raya will need to step up. If he is at his best in that game, Arsenal’s chances of winning the Champions League will improve significantly.
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