Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was quick to communicate with fans when they were moaning at David Raya at the Emirates yesterday.
Raya endured a nervous start and was perhaps fortunate not to concede an early goal for Arsenal.
It seemed that an errant pass in France during midweek was still firmly on his mind come the weekend.
Raya was receiving a lot of the ball early on against Manchester City and looked nervous and unsure for the whole first half.
Moreover, given Arsenal seemed set on their game plan – they wouldn’t merely bypass Raya at the back, fans were starting to become audibly frustrated.
And that’s when Odegaard stepped in.
Viaplay pundits actually spotted Odegaard gesturing downwards with his arms towards the Arsenal fans, asking them to support Raya instead.
Odegaard may have hoped to have had more of an influence on the game himself, but was part of a strong defensive unit.
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And Raya will no doubt be very grateful that he was able to ride out a tricky period to keep a clean sheet.
Odegaard thought Arsenal fans needed to encourage Raya
Of course, Raya is in a very difficult period of his career right now.
Although he’ll be delighted to receive the number one spot from Mikel Arteta, he does have a ton of pressure on his back.
He’ll be aware that Aaron Ramsdale was a fan favourite, and it seemed that a lot of these emotions were at play yesterday.
But with a clean sheet secured, and Odegaard on his side, Raya will surely be a better player after he overcomes this period.
Moreover, a couple of errant passes shouldn’t be hyperbolised – Raya has been brilliant since he’s come in.
And Raya is only human, he can’t be flawless immediately.
But Arteta clearly trusts his new goalkeeper, and Arsenal fans will probably share that faith in time.