Arsenal: Mat Ryan doing his best to dislodge Bernd Leno

Arsenal have issues all over the pitch. From back to front there are concerns over quality, fitness and suitability, the like of which have plagued the side all season. Who is the best centre-back pairing? Who should start on the left wing? A debate over who should start in goal being the latest.

Bernd Leno is error-prone. Brushing all allegiances to certain goalkeepers aside or any personal feelings on the matter, the German makes mistakes. Too many of them.

His latest came in calamitous fashion against Everton, prompting a very real discussion about who should be in between the sticks for the Europa League tie with Villarreal between him and January loan signing Mat Ryan.

The Aussie missed out in midweek as a superb Leno save helped keep the scoreline at 2-0, in many ways justifying Mikel Arteta’s decision to stick with his number one. That doesn’t mean he won’t have thought long and hard about the decision, though.

Arsenal vs Newcastle: Mat Ryan doing his best to dislodge Bernd Leno as number one goalkeeper

What is known of Ryan is very little from the Arsenal fans’ perspective. Other than his impressive seasons with Brighton before form saw him drop out of the team, he was considered a very capable Premier League goalkeeper with excellent reflexes.

Getting another rare opportunity on Sunday against Newcastle, he gave a solid account of himself in his third appearance for the club. With little to do in terms of shot saving – the one he did make was a sharp tip over the bar – the rest needed to be clean. It was. His positioning and reading of the game was excellent, performing the sweeper role well, and the only moment to critique was reading the flight of the ball wrong once in the first half.

Ryan’s handling was excellent from wide deliveries and corners, showing confidence to pluck crosses out of the air and keep hold of possession. Building out from the back he kept the pace up, distributing with either foot or hand usually within one motion of assuming the ball.

Composed, confident and assured, it was a very solid afternoon of work, one that followed two other good displays in which a penalty and deflection amounted to his only conceded goals.

As far as offering competition to Leno, he can do no more. What will earn him the number one spot at Arsenal is of Leno’s doing. The 29-year-old looks set as Arteta’s first choice, but one more clanger from Leno will surely trigger the alteration.

For now, there is competition. Something Leno hasn’t had all season. For Thursday there doesn’t appear to be any immediate change in sight, and rightly so, but to have someone knocking on the door and ready to pounce is healthy for both keepers in question. Leno needs it, Ryan wants it.

Giving your backup goalkeeper a chance in dead-rubber Premier League matches makes sense at this stage of the season, but two in three outings? It indicates that Arteta may fancy keeping hold of Ryan for another season at least and is wanting a good look, which means his hope of usurping his teammate is not a lost cause.