Liverpool have been urged to take advantage of David Raya’s positional weakness in Saturday’s crunch match at Anfield. Former Reds goalkeeper David James is backing his old side to win if they can keep Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard quiet.
Arsenal head to Merseyside having not won a Premier League match at the home of their opponents since 2012. Both sides know victory will ensure they are top of the table at Christmas.
David Raya has nailed down the No 1 spot at Arsenal, certainly in the eyes of Mikel Arteta, starting 12 of the Gunners’ last 13 league matches. But the Spaniard has come under strong criticism since he replaced Aaron Ramsdale.
James has joined the naysayers by pointing out what he thinks is a major flaw in Raya’s game. He believes the likes of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold can catch the 28-year-old out of position to win their side Saturday’s clash.
James told instantcasino.com: “Arsenal have got a goalkeeper in David Raya who, from what I’ve seen, isn’t fully confident. If he’s not confident, then the Arsenal defence won’t be confident.
“His positioning is definitely questionable from my perspective, and if I’m Liverpool I’d be shooting from silly positions. With Raya’s positioning, there’s the opportunity to score from places that you normally would not, and with the ability of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, they can definitely nick a 1-0 win.
”Unfortunately for Aaron Ramsdale, he’s had three or four games in the past couple of months. This is the tough thing about being the number two goalkeeper – you’re looking at your manager thinking, ‘I know you don’t fancy me’, and you have to take on a different role in the squad.”
Arsenal have lost just two Premier League games this season and could be top at Christmas for a second successive year. James believes Jurgen Klopp must get his tactics right in midfield in order to suppress the threat of Odegaard.
