Arsenal might be beating Burnley today but the focus before the game was very much on last week’s clash with Newcastle.
The fallout from that game has been huge. Mikel Arteta went on a huge rant while Arsenal themselves complained to the PGMOL about decisions this season.
Of course, there was more at play than just bad decisions from the referees and VAR.
And speaking on Sky Sports today, former Gunner Paul Merson says Mikel Arteta should be looking at David Raya rather than making excuses.
Paul Merson slams David Raya for role in Newcastle goal
Speaking on Sky before the games kicked off today, Merson was furious with what he’d seen from Raya last weekend.
“At the end of the day, his goalkeeper’s sold him up the river. His goalkeeper should catch that every day of the week. You see his positional play, he’s two yards in front of the post. Any other day of the week a goalie comes out, catches it, bounces it a few times and throws it to the full-back. It’s just covered over, it’s unbelievable. Gabriel does an air shot but that, you watch his positional player. It’s unbelievable, it wasn’t even a great cross,” Merson said.
Arsenal signed Raya in the summer in a move that could end up being worth up to £30m for Brentford.
MORE ARSENAL STORIES
Mikel Arteta has come in for criticism for making the signing and since insisting that both Raya and Ramsdale will be getting equal opportunities.
So far, Raya has done no more than Ramsdale and mistakes have even begun to creep in for the Spaniard.
Arsenal and Arteta will continue to come under the spotlight for this all season long. As Merson says, Raya was at fault at Newcastle and every time he makes an error, the light is going to shone on him.