Arsenal: 4 reasons Aaron Ramsdale should keep his place

Five new players featured in Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup against Norwich and if fans were hoping for a vastly different looking Arsenal from the 5-0 drubbing at Manchester City they at least got what they were after visually.

On the pitch there was an improvement, too. Not a great deal, we hasten to add, since a lack of conversion and failure to carve open the gluttony of clear cut chances remained prevalent. But it was different.

Certainly with the personnel.

Of all the alterations to the starting lineup none stood out more than Aaron Ramsdale despite him being the least involved of all the new arrivals to feature on the day.

4 reasons Aaron Ramsdale should keep him place in goal for Arsenal when Mikel Arteta’s side play Burnley in the Premier League

Bernd Leno hadn’t done much wrong up until this point. His performance against Brentford was poor, no doubt, and he did misjudge the flight of the ball for City’s opener, but equally he was fouled for the Bees’ second goal and Calum Chambers ineptitude meant Ilkay Gundogan was winning that header regardless.

Being dropped for matchweek four, the German could have felt somewhat hard done by.

Spending £24m on a backup goalkeeper to sit and watch the 29-year-old all season long would have been a mistake; a poor distribution of resources when other areas of the squad needing tending to.

But there has been a change of plan. Initially set for a gradual integration, Arteta has made the transition now. It’s Ramsdale’s shirt to lose. And in doing so, the outlay is more justified even if two games don’t erase the significance of the fee or confirm that Ramsdale is a goalkeeper who can turn the needle for Arsenal.

Prior to his signing he wasn’t considered an upgrade on Leno and matches against West Brom and Norwich aren’t enough to confirm otherwise. But now looking set in stone to be the number one, we can move forward.

After the decision has been made, it’s one Arsenal shouldn’t look back on. Here is why Ramsdale should keep his spot, with no mention of his actual ability as stating so is speculative. We don’t know truly how good he is yet.

1. His Communication With the Arsenal Defence

Leaving the Etihad Stadium arguably as the best player in red and white, Leno made a string of strong stops to prevent the Citizens making sausages out of Arsenal: they were already mincemeat.

Dotted around those saves, however, was a clearly fractured defence.

Leno doesn’t assume responsibility for the actions of Cedric, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers or Sead Kolasinac, but he does have some role to play in how they were organised. Perhaps it’s being too harsh on a woeful set of performances from Arsenal’s second string defence and a disservice on City’s belligerent forward play, but there was clear division throughout.

Nobody knew where to go, the distances they had to goal or where bodies were. It was a mess. Leno has to have a say in that inside the penalty box. He has the best view of the pitch.

Ramsdale, meanwhile, doesn’t stay silent: he’s barking, reshuffling, informing and instructing for the whole 90 minutes. Seeing him line his wall up against Norwich and proceed to physically praise his defenders for their role in stopping the free-kick, such interactions go a long way to unifying a group and instilling confidence and security.

Arteta singled out his energy and chemistry. That deep northern voice transmitted a calming feeling among his teammates. While that’s nothing to do with ability, it can have just as much of an impact in building harmony and trust. It’s a clean sheet to build on now.

Leno tends to go quiet. Ramsdale doesn’t know the word.

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2. The Arsenal Fans Have Rallied Behind Him

If someone asks what’s been the best part about the season so far, no answer other than ‘the fans’ will suffice. The rest are wrong. Plunged deep into the mire with an atrocious opening and riddled with anxiety galore, the support home and away has been terrific.

Away at the Hawthorns and at the Emirates last time out, the response of the crowd was superb and few players have been given as strong of a reception as Ramsdale. He and the Arsenal faithful got on like a house on fire. He’s almost assumed cult status in…two games?

Aided by the seamless transition from Aaron Ramsey to Aaron Ramsdale, he’s even got ready made chants. Does or has Leno ever even had one?

This buoyant atmosphere isn’t solely attributed to Ramsdale but the rapport he’s accrued with the supporters, aided by his charismatic personality on and off the pitch, is the spirit that needs maintaining throughout the campaign.

That connection between supporters and players has to be strong and the fans sticking behind this failing team is a credit to their magnificent support. Ramsdale has provided an inviting bridge to maintain that bond and a spirited Arsenal crowd is one that has a knock on effect on the team’s performance.

It’s quite unique how quickly he’s become loved. The way he speaks and conducts himself certainly played its part, while there will also be an air of solidarity after the disgraceful internet trolls who abused him before he joined. It’s remarkable how few people grasp the understanding of the word support.

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3. Ramsdale Adds Freshness to the Arsenal Team

Always put your bread in the bread bin. Leave it out and it will go stale.

This Arsenal team had been left with the bag open and out of airtight space for weeks. Watching the team that faced Man City felt like being transported back to 2017. Not only was that defence hopeless unequipped to win that game, it didn’t invigorate emotionally. It’s not a side fans could rally behind.

It was stale.

Arteta’s decision to field five new signings in that Norwich team wasn’t just a decision based on ability. That game was billed as the ‘first of the season‘ with the international break just passed and the transfer window finally closed. It was a chance to start afresh and get supporters back on board.

Putting out a side like that in front of the home fans in the north London sunshine presented an opportunity to refocus and redetermine what path Arsenal will take this season. Having the second most expensive English player in the club’s history in net signalled that as much as anywhere else on the pitch.

The whole team needing re-energising, such was the intention with the youthful overhaul, and a sprightly new face in net to help the players and fans mentally shift from the failings of past seasons can have that effect. In the small sample size so far, it already has.

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4. Going Back to Leno Disrupts Continuity

Among the many cases argued for Ramsdale keeping his place, it would be downright odd for Arteta to go back to Leno now. That long international break concluded and Ramsdale got the call in a vital Premier League outing, one he kept a clean sheet in, so why risk that being disrupted by taking him out of the side?

It just wouldn’t make sense.

You reward those who’re earning their stripes and there is nothing Ramsdale did against Norwich that warrants him not keeping his spot.

There even was some proactive thinking behind his selection as handing him his league debut away at Burnley mightn’t have been the wisest of calls to make. Crosses will be flung in from every angle and while Ramsdale knows the lower leagues well (where such a brand of football is more commonplace) he doesn’t need that approach in front a defence he’d have been less familiar with.

Him being a goalkeeper who isn’t cemented to his line *cough* also helps his case.

But on the a whole it’s about gaining momentum and establishing a foundation to build upon. A clean sheet and a win in the bag, chopping and changing from that formula seems illogical at this stage. Especially when Arsenal are trying to establish a run of results.

Thomas Partey will come into the side as will Emile Smith Rowe. That’s enough. Let this back five start forming a relationship that is intended to last for years. The goalkeeping decision has been made. Stick with it.