Arsenal Boss Arteta Could Use In-Game Keeper Rotation
Muhammad Irfan
Published September 18, 2023 | 01:50 AM
Liverpool, Sept 17 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 18th Sep, 2023 ) : Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he could substitute his goalkeeper in the middle of a match in the future if the situation demands a tactical change.
Arteta gave David Raya his debut in Sunday’s 1-0 win against Everton after dropping England keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
The Spaniard, signed on loan from Brentford recently, was rarely tested by woeful Everton before Leandro Trossard’s second-half strike sealed Arsenal’s first win at Goodison Park in six years.
Defending his decision to start with Raya, Arteta said: “The same rationale about why Fabio (Vieira) played here or Eddie (Nketiah) or Gabriel Jesus.
“I haven’t had a single question on why Gabriel Jesus didn’t start. He has won more trophies than anybody else, including me, in that dressing room.” Arteta, whose side have made an unbeaten start to the Premier League season, claimed he would even be prepared to utilize two goalkeepers in one match if he felt it would help secure a victory.
“I cannot have two players in each position and not play them. David has tremendous qualities, like Aaron has and we have to use them,” he said.
“I am a really young manager and I have only been in the job for three and a half years and I have few regrets in what we have done.
“One of them is that on two occasions I felt after 60 minutes and 85 minutes in two games in this period, to change the keeper at that moment and I didn’t do it.
“I didn’t have the courage to do it. But I am able to take a winger, or a striker and put a central defender back and go to a back five to hold that result.
“We drew those games and I was so unhappy. Someone is going to do it. Why not? Tell me why not.
“You have all the qualities in another goalkeeper and you want to do something to change the momentum, do it.”
