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Aaron Ramsdale has revealed he is pleased with Arsenal‘s extra sense of urgency, with the win over Fulham the perfect highlight of that shift in mentality.
THE LOWDOWN: ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has praised the extra aggression that has seen the Gunners stay top of the league after four games into the new season.
You would have to go back to 18 years ago to find the last time Arsenal won the Premier League and it is up to 14 years ago that the Gunners have properly challenged. In that prolonged drought, many often blamed Arsenal for a lack of winning mentality and ‘bottling’ when it mattered the most.
Mikel Arteta has since been trying to right that wrong since he took over as the club’s manager in 2019 and it appears his work might be coming to maturity this time around.
Arsenal have made quite the early impression and find themselves leading the way after the first month of action
After the most recent win against Fulham, Ramsdale has now said that a certain aggression is growing among the players and Arsenal are finally ‘standing up’ for themselves.
THE LATEST: DELIGHTED WITH POSITIVE SHIFT IN MENTALITY
Ramsdale played a key role in ensuring Arsenal took all three points against Fulham, making crucial saves to deny Aleksandar Mitrovic and Nathaniel Chalobah late on.
The Gunners showed proper team spirit to fight back and record a win and the goalkeeper was left pleased with those match-winning qualities.
“I think we found a lot of times last season that we stood up for ourselves,” he said. “I remember going to Burnley and winning 1-0 and standing up to an onslaught, but you add Saliba into the back four who is a big boy; Ben playing right-back and Tomiyasu then coming on, you’ve got a back four where each of them is 6’3″.
“It’s not that we were lacking in that area, it’s just about the love of defending. It’s not necessarily thinking: ‘I’m just not going to get bullied, it’s: ‘I’m not going to concede a goal’. I think I made a save and then the ball stayed out of the back of the net because Ben White threw his body in front of it, so that’s testament to the defenders.”
Ramsdale also praised the efforts of the home fans, who have contributed to the team’s strong start with their roaring support.
“The fans have been unbelievable,” he added. “Saliba scored an own goal, and they started singing in his name. Gabi made a mistake and the fans were unbelievable. I’ve had a laugh and joke with the two centre-halves – one own goal and a mistake, and then a goal each for a pair of them – I’ve said no more of this!
“This the loudest I’ve heard [Emirates Stadium]. Obviously, it helps that we’re winning on the pitch, but it’s in the times of struggle within the game that they’re coming to our aid and helping us, and it really does lift us.
THE VERDICT: NOTICEABLE CHANGE
Ramsdale is not the first Arsenal player to talk about a change in mentality this season and that obviously means something is growing within the club’s dressing room.
Arsenal look like the team to beat at the moment but the question is: just how long can the Gunners keep this up? We’ll have to wait and see.
