Pundits Thomas Sorensen and Michael Bridges have been unimpressed with how Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has treated goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale this week.
Sorensen and Bridges were speaking on the Optus Sport Football Podcast after a big weekend for Arsenal.
All eyes were on Arsenal’s number 22 when the referee blew his whistle at Goodison Park.
David Raya was standing in between the sticks behind a familiar Arsenal defence for the first time in a competitive match.
His goalkeeping rival Aaron Ramsdale was dropped to the bench and although he was in good spirits, it would have put a dampener on a week that saw him handed a rare start for England.
Raya came out of the match with plenty of credit having kept a clean sheet, although he wasn’t really tested by Everton’s attackers.
Arteta was unsurprisingly asked about his decision and admitted he’d even considered changing his goalkeepers during matches.
Bridges and Sorensen were unimpressed with Arteta’s comments and didn’t think he was doing Ramsdale any favours.
The £30m goalkeeper now faces a fight to return to the starting line-up ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven.
After playing a key part in helping Arsenal return to Europe’s premier competition, he may now miss out on the chance to play in it.
Pundits unimpressed with Arteta comments on Ramsdale
Speaking about Arteta’s goalkeeper conundrum, Sorensen said: “What I don’t like about the situation is him [Mikel Arteta] coming out and saying that he wished he had changed keepers during games and that he’ll definitely not say that he won’t do that in the future.
“I think that is taking it a step too far because you need with your back line, you need some stability in and around it because there are so many details in the goalkeeping and especially back line partnership.
“Too many changes in games I think it’s not going to be productive so I like what he’s doing to some extent but if he starts to take it too far I think it will come back as a boomerang and hit him right in the face.
Michael Bridges added: “I thought that was a massive insult when Arteta came out and said that when he said he was thinking of changing things.”
Although some will be unimpressed with how Arteta has addressed this situation, ultimately Ramsdale and Raya’s performances will dictate his selection going forward.
The England international has been backed to start at the Emirates tomorrow but Arteta may have other plans.
He’s keeping the opposition guessing and given Brighton’s current success when rotating their goalkeepers, it might end up being the way other clubs going.
The post ‘Step too far’: Pundits believe Mikel Arteta’s treatment of £30m Arsenal player is a ‘massive insult’ appeared first on The Boot Room.
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