3 positives & negatives from Arsenal’s win at Brentford

Positive #2: Declan Rice spares Ramsdale blushes

Declan Rice made a goal-line clearance in the first half when it looked certain that Brentford would go ahead following Aaron Ramsdale’s mistake. The England international returned to the starting XI for the first time since the win over Manchester United in September and has his England teammate to thank for what would have been a disastrous outing.

Ramsdale was caught dallying on the ball in the box after a short goal kick from Gabriel Magalhaes, Bryan Mbeumo caught him and the ball was laid back but as the shot came in Rice was there on the line to clear and keep the score at 0-0. As soon as Ramsdale received the pass, Rice made a run into the box to give him options for a pass, but he dallied and was caught. When that happened, Rice’s first instinct was to rush back to goal which enabled him to clear the ball that was going into an empty net.

That’s a £100m clearance which demonstrates why he is among the best in his position.

Negative #2: Ramsdale is done

Ramsdale lost his place in the Arsenal team in September after the United win. Many agreed it was a harsh decision by Mikel Arteta because Ramsdale did nothing wrong to that point. But it seems the decision to drop him for David Raya now has more direct ramifications for the England international due to his performance against Brentford.

Ramsdale has lost his confidence. To put it in a more fanlike slang, ‘his confidence is in the gutter’. In the first half, he was caught with the ball that needed Rice’s goal-line clearance and Wissa’s poor contact to prevent a goal early in the game. He also missed a routine through ball to put more pressure on his team.

That being said, I think Brentford knew Ramsdale would be eager to prove himself with the ball and decided to close him down every time the ball went to him and he played into their hands. The performance wasn’t good enough and I think he has lost his confidence completely. I would be surprised if he gets picked again in subsequent matches.

Continued on the next slide…