On Wednesday night, Arsenal will play French team RC Lens with the goal of winning Group B qualification for the Champions League. The Gunners enter the European match fresh off a thrilling 1-0 victory against Brentford on the road the previous weekend.

Following Saturday’s full-time whistle, Aaron Ramsdale’s name was echoing loudly throughout Brentford Community Stadium, especially in support and encouragement of last season’s first pick, who, as Football.London noted, put up an unfortunate 4/10 performance.

Luckily for the goalie, as Arsenal surged to the top of the Premier League, a few times his teammates came to his rescue.

The stats for Aaron Ramsdale this year

Although Ramsdale is renowned for having a “big personality,” as Roy Keane famously remarked, his confidence has suffered greatly since David Raya entered the team to replace him.

The England international tried to take advantage of the fact that Arsenal was playing Raya’s parent team this past weekend, but his lack of confidence was on display in the first half of Arsenal’s match against Brentford, when the number one made a disastrous error that allowed Yoane Wissa to score inside the six-yard box.

Bryan Mbeumo was set up by the Brentford striker, but Declan Rice blocked his shot, which could have resulted in a goal with the XG of the subsequent opportunities totaling 0.51.

Ramsdale misthrew the ball into the end zone just before halftime, and it ended up at the foot of a Brentford striker. Although the onslaught was ineffective, the goalie’s confidence was further damaged.

With just six correct long balls completed out of 21 tries, the 26-year-old’s pass accuracy was only 50%, which is appalling for a custodian in an Arsenal team that possesses such excellent control and technical skill.

Regrettably, during his five Premier League games this season, this has been a recurring issue. Ramsdale’s greatest vulnerability is evident when the ball is at his feet, as evidenced by his 2023–24 Premier League statistics on FBref. With only 2.6 long balls completed and 26.6 passes attempted per ninety, the Arsenal keeper is among the poorest goalkeepers in Europe, ranking 34% and 7%, respectively.

Raya is the leading shot-blocker for Arteta.

When it comes to Raya, his greatest asset is his possession game, which is where Ramsdale lacks strength.

His 42.9% completion rate while playing long balls is quite outstanding. This gives Raya not just a great deal more control but also suggests that he can initiate assaults by being more aggressive and taking more chances with the ball.

Additionally, the number 22 commands attention in the box and instills confidence in the backline, especially from set pieces.

He ranks in the top 2% of goalkeepers in the division for the FBref cross-dealing measure, indicating that he is among the best in the Premier League. With 5.5 throws attempted per game, he is also keen to distribute the ball fast to initiate a transition once the ball has been seized. This will be especially crucial on Wednesday because in three of their last four Ligue 1 games, Lens has scored from a cross.

In addition, Raya has kept four clean sheets in eight Premier League outings since taking over for Ramsdale in goal, one less than Andre Onana, Sam Johnstone, and Nick Pope, while playing five less games.

Because of how dominant the Gunners are, the Spaniard has the lowest save average in the league (only 1.5), but he is also a confident stopper, as evidenced by the four stops he made in Arsenal’s most recent home game, a 3-1 victory over Burnley.

Raya outperforms Ramsdale even simply statistically, and Mikel Arteta and the goalkeeping staff will still lean towards the 28-year-old on Wednesday.

Leandro Trossard is a “tremendous” player who is a “really good fit” for the Arsenal, according to manager Mikel Arteta.

The Arsenal manager was addressing the media prior to Wednesday night’s Champions League home matchup between the Gunners and Lens.

Since joining Arsenal in January for an alleged £27 million from Brighton, Trossard has proven to be a reliable addition.

With the Gunners, the 28-year-old has made 37 appearances, 19 of which have been starts. Across all competitions, he has tallied 12 assists and seven goals.

Trossard has made 15 appearances this season and has a strong stat line of six goals and two assists.

“Very effective”

When asked if Trossard was one of his best value acquisitions, Arteta responded in the negative during his pre-game press conference.

As reported on football.london, he started, “I’m not the club’s economist or financial advisor.”

However, he is an amazing player with the skill and intellect to play the way we desire. He is a wonderful fit for our group.

Regarding Trossard’s adaptability, Arteta remarked, “It was one of the primary reasons we signed him.” First of all, he has prior league experience and has completed previous league tasks.

We had a lot of problems on the front lines in January, and he was able to handle those needs quite effectively. He’s demonstrated that he can do it.

It was during Arsenal’s victory over Brentford in West London last week that Trossard played his first complete ninety minutes of the season.

While other players have caused a stir, Trossard has handled things calmly, remained composed, and is consistently available when needed.

Everyone who is associated with Arsenal adores him for his qualities and demeanour, making him an excellent acquisition.

After Gabriel Martinelli appeared a touch off against the Bees, Trossard will bet his last dollar that he starts on the left side of the Gunners front line.

Douglas Luiz of Aston Villa is Arsenal’s top midfield target for January. They may even have to sell a great player to make the transfer possible.

Brentford 1–0 Arsenal
A thrilling 1-0 triumph against Brentford on Saturday was manager Mikel Arteta’s 116th game in command of the team across all competitions. Thanks to a late header from summer addition Kai Havertz, the Spaniard, who became the first manager to reach that milestone in Premier League history, was able to accomplish it in just 200 games.

Arsenal now tops the standings thanks to the three points, and Arteta expressed his happiness with the team and Havertz.

In response to Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Brentford away, Arteta remarked, “I’m so happy with the team, with the way they performed, we got the clean sheet and I’m so happy with how everybody played” (via Sky).

“This is a really difficult place to come, but we should have scored sooner. Brentford deserves praise for the work they perform with all teams. We shown a great deal of tenacity and faith. I’m happy for Kai. All you have to do is observe everyone’s response to see their love for him and the value he adds to the group. That’s what he must accomplish.

Because of the manner they were defending, we thought he might turn the tide of the match. His timing and execution were flawless. That’s what major players do, they win games for us.”

Arsenal appear to be in excellent form on the pitch and are strong favourites to win their first league championship in almost 20 years.

Edu Gaspar, the sporting director, and Arteta still wish to bolster some sections of the team in front of the approaching January transfer window.

Arsenal may sell Partey and has identified Luiz as their primary target.
To strengthen their midfield options, Arsenal is interested to recruit Luiz from Aston Villa, according to reputable media sources like Fabrizio Romano.

The Brazilian has been a standout player for Villa throughout their incredibly encouraging start to the season, as manager Unai Emery tries to challenge for a Champions League qualifying spot. Luiz, a former Man City player, is considered a “leading” target by Arsenal. He has started all 13 of their league games thus far, netting five goals and setting up two more.

ESPN reports that Arsenal may have to sell Thomas Partey in order to pay for Luiz’s acquisition. The £200,000-per-week star (spotrac), who made 33 league appearances last season as a key player, has been a constant under Arteta in recent seasons.

The Ghanaian has, however, experienced injury issues this season. Partey may be a suitable option to gather money for a Luiz move because he was also connected to an Arsenal exit in January.

According to recent speculations, Partey’s tenure at Arsenal may be coming to an end, but fans will remember his time there with nostalgia.

Strengths of Thomas Partey (via WhoScored)

Going Away

Airborne fights

extended views

dribbling

Taking On

Focus

Partey has been described as “sensational” by La Liga expert Gerry Armstrong, while the legendary Ray Parlour previously labelled Partey a “very efficient” and “important” player at Arsenal.

According to reports, Mikel Arteta is eager to add a new left-back to his roster, and Arsenal is apparently mulling a deal for Miguel Gutierrez of Girona.

Oleksandr Zinchenko has been a mainstay of the Gunners’ early success this season, appearing in all but one of their Premier League games.

Summertime acquisition But at the beginning of the season, Jurrien Timber suffered a major injury that limited Arsenal’s choices at left back.

The fact that Kieran Tierney, who may depart Arsenal permanently next summer, and fellow left-back Nuno Tavares are on loan has made the position more challenging.

Takehiro Tomiyasu is better suited as a right-back, but he has filled in excellently at times.

Thus, even if a new winger and midfielder are Arsenal’s top priority, it would make sense for them to sign a new left-back in January.

They are interested in a number of players in Europe, including Gutierrez, as TEAMtalk has previously reported.

Currently regarded as one of La Liga’s most in-form players, Gutierrez appears to be a target for Arsenal to pursue in the winter.

Arsenal considers a deal for the talented La Liga player
Football says.Arsenal scouts are interested in London-based Gutierrez after he made an impression this season for high-flying Girona.

In one of the biggest upsets of the season thus far, the Spanish team is presently tied for first place in the La Liga standings with Real Madrid after 14 games played.

When a European club starts the season with a surprising amount of success, their players usually attract a lot of attention in January.

While Yangel Herrera, a Manchester City loanee, and Artem Dovbyk, an international for Ukraine, have garnered attention for Girona due to their respective performances, Gutierrez is one player who is getting less attention.

In 2022, the 22-year-old left Real Madrid to join Girona. Currently one of the top names on the roster, he has made 50 appearances for Girona with two goals and five assists.

Gutierrez is a flexible player who can play as a left midfielder or left back, thus the Gunners may be able to fulfil their goal of adding a new winger by bringing him in.

The 22-year-old Spain under-21 international might end up being a great long-term asset for the Gunners since he is only likely to get better with experience.

But, Guitierrez’s contract still has a sell-on clause for Real Madrid, thus Girona will probably ask for a high price for their defender.

In light of this, Arsenal will need to follow through on a deal this winter or risk losing it.

Before Arsenal’s Champions League match against RC Lens on Wednesday, manager Mikel Arteta took his players through a training simulation in which he turned back the years.

The Gunners will be eager to defeat the Ligue 1 team at Emirates Stadium tomorrow after losing to them in France earlier this month. With two games remaining in the group stages, the Gunners need one more point to secure their spot as the leaders of Group B.

Arteta played a game of rondo with the Arsenal players before the match, embarrassing captain Martin Odegaard with a brilliant piece of skill.

To the astonishment of onlookers, the Spaniard skillfully outwitted his captain, and he celebrated with style.

Though it seems doubtful that Arteta would don the boots anytime soon, the 41-year-old may still play well in the centre of the field for Arsenal.

As Odegaard discovered, he remains as skilled a midfield player as he was when he was a player.

After leading Arsenal to a 1-0 victory against Brentford over the weekend, the former midfield player became the manager of Arsenal with the most victories in his first 200 games in command. His transition to management has gone well.

Now that Arteta has won the FA Cup and the Community Shield with the Gunners since taking over as manager in December 2019, he will look to add more trophies to his resume.

After falling short of Manchester City to win the Premier League last season, Arsenal is back on pace this year.

They will be confident in their chances of winning both the Premier League and the Champions League, where they are presently leading the tables.

The North Londoners have made great progress defensively this season, but they have struggled offensively and will need to step up their game to increase their chances of winning the championship.