Arsenal picked up three points at the weekend but the major talking point was the decision to bring David Raya into the starting XI as the expense of Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal secured a rare win at Everton on Sunday as they kept up with the pace at the top of the Premier League.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half strike was enough to land all three points for the Gunners with Mikel Arteta making the headlines after he opted to drop goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with summer signing David Raya coming into the starting XI.
Arteta has attempted to cool the speculation surrounding his decision, insisting he needs to have two quality players per position.
Arsenal will return to Champions League action after six years this week with eyes firmly fixed on who he picks in between the sticks. Here’s the latest from the Emirates.
Arsenal picked up three points at the weekend but the major talking point was the decision to bring David Raya into the starting XI as the expense of Aaron Ramsdle.
Arsenal secured a rare win at Everton on Sunday as they kept up with the pace at the top of the Premier League.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half strike was enough to land all three points for the Gunners with Mikel Arteta making the headlines after he opted to drop goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale with summer signing David Raya coming into the starting XI.
Arteta has attempted to cool the speculation surrounding his decision, insisting he needs to have two quality players per position. Arsenal will return to Champions League action after six years this week with eyes firmly fixed on who he picks in between the sticks. Here’s the latest from the Emirates.
Arteta accused of trying being clever
Arteta’s decision to swap Ramsdale for Raya has divided opinion and Simon Jordan has accused the Spaniard of trying to look “clever” insisting he’s being “innovative for innovative sake”. Ramsdale has commanded the No 1 spot for the best part of two years.
Eyebrows were raised when Raya was bought in, especially given how vocal he’d been about making a name for himself at a major club.
Now Arteta’s thinking has been criticised on TalkSport by Jordan, who said: “It feels like a bit of innovation for innovation’s sake.
“It feels like Arteta is making sure that everyone thinks he’s a clever, innovative manager who isn’t just following in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola.
“I don’t understand the context of this interview and the structure of why he said it and what benefit this wisdom gives us.”
The ex-official isn’t convinced the footage was “clear” as Arsenal secured a rare win at Goodison Park.
Martinelli, 22, thought he had handed the visitors the lead after he calmly slotted the ball beyond Jordan Pickford.
But, after a VAR check, the goal was ruled out after Eddie Nketiah was judged to be offside during the build-up.
There was general confusion within the ground as Gabriel’s pass deflected off Beto before it reached Nketiah.
The officials though deemed that Beto’s touch was not deliberate and, according to the laws of the game, Nketiah would therefore be in an offside position.
Halsey has revealed he is unsure whether the lines were drawn right to determine that Nketiah was, in fact, offside.
The new kit draws on the spirit of The Invincibles team of 2003/04, marking the beginning of the 20th anniversary of Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League season.
The crest and Adidas’ logo and three stripes down each sleeve feature in gold, and the record of 26 wins and 12 draws over 38 games in that historic season is stitched into the side of the authentic version of the kit.
Neville hails Odegaard
Gary Neville believes Pep Guardiola would take Martin Odegarrd “in a heartbeat” as the Arsenal star again played a crucial role.
Odegaard, a teen prodigy who never made the grade at Real Madrid, has been able to revive his career in north London and has donned the armband in a young side that have become major contenders in the Premier League.
Manchester City have set the standard domestically with their style of play earning huge plaudits. Guardiola likes to work with a certain type of players and has placed huge demands on his forward players, but Neville is adamant Odegaard would be snapped up by the Catalan if he ever had the chance.
Read more here.