‘Most attacking keeper in league’ – why Raya is key for Arsenal

The Premier League changed its goalkeeping strategy this summer.

Ball-playing goalkeepers have been a mainstay for the past few years, but this summer saw some shifts to taller, less athletic shot-stoppers.

At Manchester United, Senne Lammens replaced Andre Onana at 6’4″, while Sunderland signed Robin Roefs (6′ 4ins), and Ederson at 6′ 5″.

Premier League leaders Arsenal haven’t followed this trend, as David Raya, a 6′ tall pass-first keeper, has remained their top scorer since moving to Brentford from Blackburn in 2019 to stay there.

The 30-year-old Spaniard, who has won the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for the past two seasons, has been excellent in his debut season, scoring just 10 goals to take the team to the top.

Raya was cited earlier this year as “the most attacking goalkeeper in the Premier League, by far,” and he consistently displays his forehand when Arsenal launch attacks.

Teams typically aim for either of two goals when they excel.

They either aim to press in a man-to-man way, hoping to get the ball back high up the pitch, or they are trying to force their opponents into uncomfortable areas of the field, frequently toward the flanks, hoping they clear the ball.

The Premier League strugglers pressed Arsenal high with attackers curving their runs in an effort to force a particular side to pass in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Wolves.

Most keepers simply pass the ball in the direction that their opponents are encouraging them to play into, with the risk of losing the ball in these situations.

Raya can read the situation, be brave, and take an unconventional approach thanks to his on-ball qualities.

When faced with this kind of pressure, Raya would pass the ball to one of her team’s teammates on the side with less room, avoiding Wolves’ press, who had anticipated the ball to be played into the spaces they had left open.

Man-to-man pressing is a typical defensive tactic to prevent the attacking team from having an extra player on the field.

However, it can be exploited when the attacking team employs their goalkeeper as one of their eleventh players in place of their 10 outfield players.

Chelsea used a man-to-man press against Arsenal this season, but Raya’s involvement stifled its effectiveness by shifting into a centre-back position.

With the knowledge that Raya could pick a pass, Chelsea had to choose between applying pressure on him and letting him leave an outfielder free.

Raya’s on-field skill is obvious, but trying to build out from the back is risky under the pressure of man-to-man pressure.

Raya, who frequently acts as the spare man, also has the responsibility of deciding which strategy is best when and how often.

In this Champions League game, Bayern Munich engaged an intense man-to-man press against Arsenal.

Arsenal recognized this and made room available by introducing clever rotations that led to unfamiliar positions for Bayern’s players.

Bayern’s defenders were drawn out of the back line by Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze as their movements were wider and deeper before Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli pushed up into the midfield and the previously vacated attacking spaces.

Prior to the rotations, Raya played pin-point long passes to team-mates high up in the pitch, which was a key component of their success on the night.

The importance of playing the pass at the right moment was that it prevented Arsenal from attempting mismatches at a high pitch.

We have established that Raya’s outstanding qualities extend beyond pressing techniques used by teams, but they also extend beyond that.

Only David Raya (105) and Emiliano Martinez (102) have won more league crosses since 2023). He relies instead on his positioning, timing, and aggression to put up comparable numbers because he lacks the size advantage that the Villa keeper does.

With his consistent claim crosses, Raya’s ability to calm Arsenal’s team and prevent Mikel Arteta from tying up players like William Saliba and Gabriel at corners creates a sense of calm.

Aaron Ramsdale was the team’s number one when he was the keeper, but Aaron Ramsdale’s requires less direct protection.

Arsenal can win aerial duels more frequently, especially when the cross swings away from goal, because of the physically intimidating Gabriel being closer to the opposing players in the middle of the box.

Given Arsenal’s defensive performance this season, it’s intriguing that Raya’s influence has been the main topic of this piece’s so far, besides his shot-stopping.

The least conceded by Arsenal in its 16 games, Raya has the eighth-cleanest record for clean sheets with 10 goals, which is the lowest total in the Premier League.

You could assume that Raya’s explosiveness is a reflection of his impressive on-the-ball skill.

However, according to the data, Raya has allowed 1.42 goals more than anticipated at this point in the season.

Does Raya’s performance as a keeper reflect how effective she is?

In a one-time game, elite shot-stoppers frequently determine a team’s ability to win or lose.

Arteta spoke about Donnarumma’s heroics for the French champions following Arsenal’s Champions League defeat by Paris-St Germain last season.

If two of our front players, one against one, play Donnarumma, each other, will have a different score, according to the Spaniard.

The difference in the Champions League is that he made the saves against Liverpool and Villa, which he did against Villa.

Despite Raya not having this particular quality, Arsenal are able to maintain impressive numbers thanks to their defensive structure and level of control over their play.

With fewer possessions and fewer turnovers, Raya’s ability to keep the ball and help Arsenal develop attacks reduces their chances of attacking themselves.

His ability to claim high balls from set pieces and crosses prevents attacks from being stopped before shots are fired, something that won’t appear in the goals prevented data.

Raya accurately swept 64 times between the years of 2023 and 2024, which is impressive.

Only Robert Sanchez (67) and Jordan Pickford (75) have more in this time, which shows how proactive the Arsenal keeper is in stopping attacks before through balls can be snatched up.