there isn’t enough to award a foul as Gabriel had made an action to play the ball before any contact

Remember, that if a player tries to play the ball, it’s not a foul. This just is further proof how out of their depth they are, that their verdict contradicts 120 years of precedent. They are just making things up as they go along.

I meant that they are close to the same quality, so results haven’t suffered in Partey’s absence. Didn’t mean to say they share the same qualities across the board, rather, they are both level raisers.

Last season we would not be where we are without Partey. The dropoff from Partey to this season’s Jorgingo is massive, though, so we look vulnerable without Rice and Partey in the team. At least now we have a like for like replacement.

I agree. The midfield looks anything but creative. ESR, if he is mentally focused and confident, can combine with Saka and create overloads, leading to openings, but I don’t expect an easy game. Unless sheffield’s defense leaves gaps for us to exploit.

Havertz needs to be more ball dominant, but we’ve seen nothing of it so far, so I am a bit concerned with how the midfield will facilitate our front three.

Yeah, Ramsdale needs to take this challenge on and work on improving his distribution. Raya is no Allison, so Ramsdale has the talent to regain the starting position, but he is not there right now.

Many have speculated that he needs competition to thrive. Let’s hope he’s motivated to take his place back.

The difference is that Raya, rain or sunshine, will folllow instructions, while Ramsdale bailed on his distribution responsibilities when pressed. I don’t know why this isn’t a universal opinion among fans. Ramsdale, apart from his first couple of months, played very safe. It’s not that he didn’t try difficult passes, he did, but he didn’t try them when put under pressure and he didn’t invite pressure to create space often enough.

Ramsdale, you can argue, has close to the same passing range, but not nearly the same bottle to accept and handle the small margins for error to keep the ball the way Raya has. That’s why Arteta took the blame and praised Raya’s uneven performance against City. He appreciated that Raya accepted the role he was given and kept doing it, despite having a couple of very close calls, that could’ve lost us the game.

We are top of the league and just beat the treble winners, while not close to top form.

Yeah, it’s more that Raya makes decisions when to launch it long when a pass is on, and not just becuse he’s under pressure. Ramsdale, and this was a critique I had of him way before Raya arrived, had a tendency to get rid of the ball as soon as he was put under pressure, instead of passing to Saliba or Gabriel.

We didn’t play out as much from the back last season as we have done since Raya became 1st choice. He’s much more involved from the eye test at least, but if you have stats that prove me wrong that’d be interesting to see. I have seen stats that say Raya has made more passes and had more touches per game.

Yeah, it’s more that Raya makes decisions when to launch it long when a pass is on, and not just becuse he’s under pressure. Ramsdale, and this was a critique I had of him way before Raya arrived, had a tendency to get rid of the ball as soon as he was put under pressure, instead of passing to Saliba or Gabriel.

We didn’t play out as much from the back last season as we have done since Raya became 1st choice. He’s much more involved from the eye test at least, but if you have stats that prove me wrong that’d be interesting to see. I have seen stats that say Raya has made more passes and had more touches per game.

Ramsdale is not a bum. He has periods where he is dialed in and shows great promise as a shot stopper. I don’t think it’s at all outlandish to suggest there isn’t much between them in that regard. If Ramsdale had played the position like Raya does in possession, we wouldn’t have signed his replacement.

At least to me, it’s a stark difference between how Ramsdale and Raya are on the ball and their willingness to invite pressure. I don’t even think it’s a lack of talent for Ramsdale, but, for whatever reason, he hoofed it long constantly when he lacked time on the ball. Arteta wants the opposing team to press, so that we can bypass it and create transitions, or to create gaps to exploit as the lines get disjointed. It’s a crucial part of the GK role in the modern game, and Ramsdale didn’t evolve. Rather, he became more conservative with time.

Ramsdale is not a bum. He has periods where he is dialed in and shows great promise as a shot stopper. I don’t think it’s at all outlandish to suggest there isn’t much between them in that regard. If Ramsdale had played the position like Raya does in possession, we wouldn’t have signed his replacement.

At least to me, it’s a stark difference between how Ramsdale and Raya are on the ball and their willingness to invite pressure. I don’t even think it’s a lack of talent for Ramsdale, but, for whatever reason, he hoofed it long constantly when he lacked time on the ball. Arteta wants the opposing team to press, so that we can bypass it and create transitions, or to create gaps to exploit as the lines get disjointed. It’s a crucial part of the GK role in the modern game, and Ramsdale didn’t evolve. Rather, he became more conservative with time.

Yeah, it’s more that Raya makes decisions when to launch it long when a pass is on, and not just becuse he’s under pressure. Ramsdale, and this was a critique I had of him way before Raya arrived, had a tendency to get rid of the ball as soon as he was put under pressure, instead of passing to Saliba or Gabriel.

We didn’t play out as much from the back last season as we have done since Raya became 1st choice. He’s much more involved from the eye test at least, but if you have stats that prove me wrong that’d be interesting to see. I have seen stats that say Raya has made more passes and had more touches per game.

Ramsdale is not a bum. He has periods where he is dialed in and shows great promise as a shot stopper. I don’t think it’s at all outlandish to suggest there isn’t much between them in that regard. If Ramsdale had played the position like Raya does in possession, we wouldn’t have signed his replacement.

At least to me, it’s a stark difference between how Ramsdale and Raya are on the ball and their willingness to invite pressure. I don’t even think it’s a lack of talent for Ramsdale, but, for whatever reason, he hoofed it long constantly when he lacked time on the ball. Arteta wants the opposing team to press, so that we can bypass it and create transitions, or to create gaps to exploit as the lines get disjointed. It’s a crucial part of the GK role in the modern game, and Ramsdale didn’t evolve. Rather, he became more conservative with time.