Brentford – Arsenal 0–1 (Havertz 89′)
GTECH COMMUNITY STADIUM – First, redemption; on the other hand: curse. Kai Havertz and Aaron Ramsdale have been Arsenal’s most talked about players in a strange season in which players have seemingly underperformed on the pitch but topped the Premier League tables. In the bitter atmosphere at Brentford, someone had finally begun to endear himself to the rightly skeptical fans, with the latter amplifying any vague prejudices or criticisms leveled against him.
You know that recurring nightmare where you’re standing at the goal, hitting shots regularly, but suddenly lose all motor function? You know you need to move. You want it badly, very badly. But your legs just don’t work. And while you’re trying to regain control of your dysfunctional limbs, there’s an aspiring attacker who wants to make you look as stupid as possible.
This was Aaron Ramsdale’s reality fourteen minutes into this quiet affair. He received a short free-kick from Gabriel Magalhaes, looked wistfully down the field, waiting for an option that never presented itself, and was inevitably saved by Yoane Vissa. The Congolese striker passed back to Brian Mbeumo, whose left-footed shot was blocked by Declan Rice before Wissa miraculously fired wide.
This barely preventable disaster occurred shortly after Ramsdale had lofted a long ball into Mikel Arteta’s technical area, and shortly before he completely misjudged a simple throw and smashed it to the turf like a village fast bowler caught missed a point and was never able to finish it. managed to let go. He kept a clean sheet after making just one routine save and being blocked twice on the goal line. It went about as wrong as possible without directly contributing to defeat.
The performance confirmed any concerns Arteta had about Ramsdale and, more importantly, any concerns the goalkeeper had about himself. He knew this was his only chance to live up to his number 1 jersey and that the pressure was evident in every decision. The home fans understood this immediately and constantly repeated his deepest fears that he was indeed just like David Raya.
But this is more Arteta’s fault than Ramsdale’s. It’s not that this opposing goalkeeping strategy can’t work, but it won’t work if Ramsdale is involved. He clearly needs safety, security and support in order to thrive and receive love and appreciation. Competition does not improve it, but consumes it. Uncertainty breeds uncertainty, and at some point you find yourself here, unable to make a simple throw or step in a straight line, and sometimes even unable to move at all.
Failure to acknowledge that Ramsdale is prone to self-esteem issues and crises of confidence is a major criticism of Arteta’s approach to men. He has been working with it for over two years now and must have been aware of the mental impact it could have.
Another issue came to light during the international break when Ramsdale’s father Nick gave an ill-advised podcast interview in which he said Aaron didn’t know why he was dropped.
That’s the real secret of Arteta’s great goalkeeping competition: it’s not really a competition. Raya’s performances this season were better in every way. He prevented twice as many goals conceded (six to three), and improved his shot percentage, passing accuracy and xG (expected goals) in four other games.
The only person who still believes this is a legal marriage is Ramsdale and possibly his father. Arteta will falsely insist that this situation can change at any moment, that this is pure meritocracy, but his refusal to rotate outside the League Cup exposes this. In an effort to elevate both, he psychologically crushed one and had no noticeable impact on the other.
But while the Spaniard’s shortcomings were exposed on one front, the first step towards eventual success was taken on another. Twice capped for Germany at left-back, Havertz came in at the back post in the 89th minute to give Arsenal the lead, his first open goal for the Gunners.
As Arteta said after the game, Arsenal signed Havertz for this reason. This was exactly the moment Ramsdale craved: a possible instant redemption, a complete change of fate and perception in an instant. The Arsenal manager pulled out his favorite project about 30 meters after the game to receive a lot of admiration before the away game. This is a rare opportunity to fundamentally change perceptions of Havertz if he can capitalize on it over the next few games.
But as for Ramsdale, he must now decide whether he wants to push for a starting position again or push for a move. The latter seems to make more sense for both the club and the player, a better choice in terms of the former’s prospects and the latter’s mental health. Ramsdale has long since deleted social media and tried to drown out the ever-increasing outside noise, but it is clear that he cannot calm his restless subconscious. The recurring nightmares only get worse from here.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.