Arteta fails to keep Arsenal promise in Lens loss
Robin Bairner
- 4 Oct 2023 07:29 BST
- 5 min read
Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat against RC Lens in the Champions League on Tuesday to experience their first loss of the season, and during the match, manager Mikel Arteta failed to keep one big promise he made just a matter of weeks ago.
Arteta boldly said in mid-September that he would be willing to use goalkeeper substitutions to change the momentum of matches. He had the opportunity in northern France but elected not to.
It is an area of controversy at the Emirates at present. David Raya was signed to replace Aaron Ramsdale, and while it’s not been confirmed, it’s clear that Arteta’s idea is to make the Brentford loanee his No.1. It was a twist that celebrity Gunners fan Piers Morgan described as "humiliating" for the England keeper.
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Raya, like Andre Onana at Manchester United, has been brought in because of his qualities with the ball at his feet, yet in a couple of recent matches errors that he has made have changed the course of the game. And like Onana, he is struggling to justify that change as the error count rises.
Arsenal looked comfortable 1-0 up in Lens, yet a loose pass from the Spaniard switched the momentum of the game, leading to the French side’s well-taken equaliser from Adrien Thomasson.
After being pegged back, Arteta’s side rarely offered a serious threat and fell behind in the second half when Elye Wahi swept home a cross from the right.
Previously, Raya’s uncertainty from crosses in the north London derby handed the momentum in that match to Tottenham, who twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at the Emirates.
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What has Arteta said about substituting goalkeepers?
“I’ve been in this job three and a half years and I have few regrets with what I’ve done,” Arteta said after the 1-0 win over Everton that marked the moment he chose to switch from Ramsdale to Raya.
“One of them was that in two occasions, I felt after 60 minutes and 85 minutes, in two games, in this period, to change the keeper in that moment. But I didn’t do it. I didn’t have the courage to do it.
We have all the qualities in another goalkeeper to do something when something is happening and you want to change momentum. Do it.
- Mikel Arteta“But I’m able to take a winger, or a striker off, or put a central defender on to drop to a back-five and hold that result. We drew those games and I was so unhappy.
“Someone is going to do it, and maybe it will be *gasps*. That’s strange? Why? Why not? We have all the qualities in another goalkeeper to do something when something is happening and you want to change momentum. Do it.”
Here was Arteta’s chance to change the momentum. Raya’s error had given Lens new intensity to their pressing, which went unmatched by the visitors. Each time an Arsenal defender got the ball, yellow-clad home players were upon them. Similarly, they were given the hunger to chase down the goalkeeper after his error.
Big chance for some Lens players to put themselves into the shop window for some elite clubs against Arsenal tonight - and there'll be plenty of interest#RCLARS #UCLhttps://t.co/FfPJmP54Kj
— Robin Bairner (@RBairner) October 3, 2023
Arteta also spoke about setting “standards”, which on this occasion Raya failed to hit.
In some ways, this is harsh on the Spaniard. He is being asked to play in a relatively high-risk manner, but in his first Champions League away game, he got it wrong. The margins to create the error were fine, but the outcome was huge.
Instead of preserving Arsenal’s lead with possession, it cost them a goal and opened the door for Lens to stage a famous fightback.
It is also food for thought for Arteta and how he perceives the goalkeeping situation at the club. Raya remains in pole position to play Manchester City on Sunday, but he is now under increasing pressure to avoid any lapses against the Premier League champions.
