Rio Ferdinand hit out at one Arsenal player after one incident in the first-half against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, suggesting that he was baffled by his positioning.
Arsenal will have mixed feelings after the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final. The Gunners took the lead inside the first 12 minutes through Bukayo Saka.
And the late equaliser from Leandro Trossard has set the stage perfectly for the second-leg in the Allianz Arena.
But there were some uncharacteristic mistakes from Arsenal, particularly during the first-half. Bayern – who are in turmoil domestically right now – scored twice before the break, capitalising on what is usually a rock solid Arsenal defence.
Rio Ferdinand baffled by what Arsenal star did against Bayern Munich
And perhaps the turnaround began the moment David Raya found himself well out of goal, forcing Gabriel Magalhaes to give the ball away.
That eventually led to Serge Gnabry equalising against his old club.
Arsenal have looked unbelievably strong at the back in recent months. Yoane Wissa was the last player to score past the Gunners before Tuesday.
And speaking on TNT Sports (broadcast on 9/4; 20:54), Rio Ferdinand seemed to suggest that the goalkeeper was predominantly at fault for Bayern’s first.
“Raya, I’d be questioning why are you out there in no mans land. Bad pass from Gabriel. But then it’s about Bayern here. The passing, the weight of the passing, the runs, the timing, couldn’t have been any better,” he said.
“Here you see Raya, why are you there? The defender’s got it under supreme control. Then there’s a misplaced pass. Then they capitalise on that.”
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A lot has, rightly, been said about Arsenal’s defence in recent months. They went into Tuesday having conceded just three goals in their last 10 games in all competitions. Meanwhile, Liverpool were the last side to put two past them – in their first game of 2024.
However, it has largely been the form of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba which has been most impressive in that run.
There have been a number of games where Raya has not been tested.
Raya has still been superb on a number of occasions. But his most impressive attributes have been his distribution. And thus, it is probably not entirely controversial to suggest that his clean sheet record flatters him slightly.
He is certainly looking an inspired signing in a deal which is set to cost Arsenal £30 million. However, Tuesday’s incident was perhaps a reminder of why many were initially confused as to why the Gunners felt the need to bring in another goalkeeper.
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