It’s been a summer of goalkeeping changes in the Premier League.
The ball-keeping goalkeeper has been key for most over the past few years, but this summer some have turned to taller goalkeepers who don’t have good feet.
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The 6ft 5in Donnarumma replaced Ederson at Manchester City, the 6ft 4in Sene Lamenz replaced Andre Onana at Manchester United, while Sunderland signed Robin Roofs (6ft 4in).
But Premier League leaders Arsenal are not following that trend as 6ft first-choice goalkeeper David Raya remains their first choice and has been a mainstay in the Premier League since moving to Brentford from Blackburn in 2019.
The 30-year-old Spaniard won the Premier League Golden Glove award for two consecutive seasons. He started the new season in good form and only conceded 10 goals to help the Gunners reach the top.
But why are Arsenal taking a seemingly different approach to the rest of the league, and how important is he to their title challenge?
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How Raya’s passing dented Wolves pressure
Earlier this season, Arteta called Raya “by far the most attacking goalkeeper in the Premier League” who always wins the ball once Arsenal start attacking.
When teams press, they’re usually trying to achieve one of two things.
Their aim is either to force the opponent into uncomfortable areas of the pitch, usually towards the flanks, in the hope that they will clear the ball, or to press man-to-man in the hope of regaining the ball directly high up the pitch.
The Premier League side put pressure on Arsenal during Saturday’s 2-1 win over Wolves, with attackers constantly twisting and turning in an attempt to force the Gunners to pass the ball to specific sides.
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Given the risk of conceding the ball in these situations, most goalkeepers will play simple passes in the direction their opponents encourage them to attack.
Raya’s ability on the ball, bravery and ability to read situations allow him to adopt an unorthodox approach.
When pressed in this manner, Raya will pass the ball to a teammate on the side with less space, thus counteracting the pressure from Wolves, who will look to get the ball into the open areas they have left.
By subverting their expectations, given Wolves’ current inconsistent defensive shape, Arsenal were able to eliminate Wolves’ pressing efficiency while finding space to attack.
As Wolves tried to squeeze Arsenal down the right, Raya resisted the pressure and passed the ball to the left. [BBC Sport]
How Raya can become an extra holding center back
The man-to-man press is a common defensive tactic used to ensure that the attacking team does not have excess players anywhere on the pitch.
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However, this can be exploited when the offense uses the goalkeeper as their eleventh player (compared to the opponent’s 10 outfield players).
Chelsea used a man-to-man press against Arsenal this season, but the intervention of Raya limited the effectiveness of this man-to-man press, as Raya moved to the centre-back position.
Chelsea were in a dilemma, either put pressure directly on Raya and free an outfielder, or let Raya free knowing he had the ability to catch the ball.
In the example below, Raya’s centre-back position is under pressure from Joao Pedro, who has to move on from Cristian Mosquera. Mosquera crept up the pitch unmarked and Raya passed the ball to him.
Chelsea were man-to-man but Joao Pedro left his defender Christian Mosquera to pressure Raya. Raya then discovers that Mosquera is free. [BBC Sport]
Raya deliberately went long under huge pressure
Raya’s ability on the ball is obvious, but trying to build play from the back with man-to-man pressure is risky.
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For this reason, the often idle Raya took on the additional responsibility of discerning which method was best at what time.
Bayern Munich conducted an intense man-marking press against Arsenal in the Champions League this season.
Recognizing this, Arsenal used clever rotations to open up space and draw Bayern’s players into unfamiliar areas.
Mikel Merino and Eberechi Eze’s runs deeper and wider drew Bayern’s defenders away from the backline, before the likes of Jurrien Timber, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli advanced into the midfield and vacated attacking areas.
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Raya’s ability to play the short ball under pressure during rotation and then deliver precise long passes to teammates on the field was key to their success on the night.
Choosing the right moment to pass the ball is important as it can cause Arsenal to create mismatches up front.
If Raya played a long ball to Merino, he would be up against centre-back Jonathan Tah, who was closer than when he found Timber on the halfway line marked by Serge Gnabry.
When Raya got the ball, attacking players Eze and Merino dropped back, pulling Bayern’s two center backs. [BBC Sport]
Raya acknowledged this and fired an accurate long pass to Bukayo Saka, who didn’t have to contend with either centre-back. [BBC Sport]
Impressive cross puts Arsenal in dominance
We’ve already established that Raya’s ability on the ball allows Arsenal to bypass the pressing tactics implemented by the team, but his outstanding abilities don’t stop there.
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Since 2023, only Emiliano Martinez has completed more crosses in the league than David Raya (105). He doesn’t have the size advantage that Villa’s goalkeeper has, so relies on his positioning, timing and aggression to post similar numbers.
Raya’s reliable crossing ability gave Arsenal a sense of calm and allowed Mikel Arteta to position the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel away from Raya in the corners.
Arsenal’s goalkeeper requires less direct protection than the likes of Aaron Ramsdale did when he was Arsenal’s number one.
The knock-on effect of having the physical Gabriel closer to opposition players in the center of the penalty area is that Arsenal can win aerial duels more often, especially when crosses are directed away from goal.
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Moving the player away from Raya also gives him space to run and jump, making his assertions easier to execute.
Saliba, Gabriel and Merino are all impressive in the air and can stay away from Raya, who is a capable ball-carrier. [BBC Sport]
Impressive stopping issue?
Considering Arsenal’s defensive record this season, it’s interesting that much of this article so far has been about Raya’s impact outside of stopping shots.
Arsenal have conceded just 10 goals in 16 games, the fewest in the Premier League, while Raya is joint first with eight clean sheets.
Therefore, you might think that Raya’s ability to block the ball reflects his impressive ball-handling abilities.
However, according to the statistics, Raya is currently conceding 1.42 more goals than expected this season.
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Does this diminish Raya’s ability as a goalkeeper?
Excellent goalkeepers often determine a team’s victory or defeat in a game.
After Arsenal were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last season, Arteta spoke of Donnarumma’s heroics for the French champions.
“We have two strikers one-on-one with Donnarumma and if they score, it’s different,” the Spaniard said.
“He saves like he did against Liverpool and Villa and that’s the difference in the Champions League, it’s very small.”
Raya does not bring this particular quality to Arsenal, but despite this, Arsenal are still able to maintain impressive numbers because of the structure of their defense and the level of control they exert.
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Ultimately, Arsenal barely conceded a goal by preventing chances and shots from happening from the start through many of the factors we highlighted above.
In last season’s Champions League match against Arsenal, Donnarumma’s outstanding performance was the significant difference between the two teams. [Getty Images]
Should Arsenal prioritize taller goalkeepers?
Raya’s ability to control the ball and help Arsenal build up attacks through short and long distances can extend the time of possession and reduce mistakes, thus reducing the opportunities for opponents to attack themselves.
His ability to win high balls from set pieces and crosses ensures that attacks are stopped before a shot is taken, which does not show up in the goal statistics.
His sweep numbers are also impressive, with Raya having swept exactly 64 times since the 2023-24 season.
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Only Robert Sanchez (67) and Jordan Pickford (75) have scored more goals in this period, underscoring how proactive the Arsenal goalkeeper is in stopping attacks at the source before attackers can seize on through balls.
The article begins with Arteta calling Raya the most attacking goalkeeper in the league, but interestingly it’s those same attacking traits that have helped Arsenal dominate defensively over the past few seasons.
