How to deal with Raya ‘battle’ Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already revealed to Aaron Ramsdale
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, has already informed Aaron Ramsdale that he can handle the adversity of being cut by simply being himself.
During the summer, Ramsdale revealed in a revelatory essay his first conversation with the Spaniard and how he adapted to Arsenal’s ‘aggressive’ style of play.
The 2021 transfer of Ramsdale from Sheffield United to Arsenal for £24 million was severely criticized. The goalkeeper was relegated in consecutive seasons with the Blades and his previous club, Bournemouth.
Nevertheless, Arteta alleviated Ramsdale’s stress during their initial conversation. Ramsdale disclosed that the Gunners head coach advised him to “just be yourself” in order to overcome adversity.
This advice could prove beneficial to the England international in the coming weeks. Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Everton saw David Raya, an unheralded summer signing, start in place of Arsenal’s regular No. 1 goalkeeper.
Arteta will likely anticipate Ramsdale to be his customary self in training as he fights to regain his starting goalkeeper position.
“As long as the right people believe in you, and they see how hard you work and what you can bring to a team, it doesn’t matter what haters say,” Ramsdale wrote for The Players’ Tribune.
“The fact that Mikel Arteta saw something unique in me was all that mattered. When I met him for the first time, he told me, “Just be yourself.”
“Perhaps some people think we’re an odd couple because he’s so extremely driven and may come across as overly serious. And I am a man who enjoys a good jest. But for whatever reason, it works.
“I recall him explaining that he wanted me to perform significantly higher and more aggressively. Consequently, I would perform higher and more aggressively each day in practice.”
After initially struggling with the tactic of playing higher up the field, Ramsdale adapted and enjoyed two excellent seasons under Arteta.
He added, “It was actually brilliant because he allowed me to explain my feelings about feeling somewhat exposed while playing so aggressively, and he showed me 10, 20 various examples of teams playing the way he wanted. Occasionally, I thought to myself, “S*** boss, we’re watching vintage Barcelona here.” Are you confident we can accomplish this?
In the end, however, we were able to reach a compromise where I wasn’t overthinking, and the results spoke for themselves.
Ramsdale will hopefully spend the upcoming days heeding Arteta’s advice. The 25-year-old is expected to start Wednesday’s Champions League match against PSV for Arsenal.
How to deal with Raya ‘battle’ Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already revealed to Aaron Ramsdale