He was fearless as a goalkeeper, and as a pundit Peter Schmeichel often goes where others fear to tread, with Mikel Arteta the latest to feel his wrath.
The towering Dane clearly isn’t interested in sitting on the fence when offering an opinion, and that’s precisely what a good pundit should do.
Having been there and done it in his own playing career, Schmeichel is more than qualified to critique those who are currently playing the game or managing in it.
Arteta has done remarkably well since taking over at Arsenal, but there’s one recent decision that he’s made which hasn’t gone down well at all with the former Man United custodian.
“I absolutely do not get it. I cannot understand how a manager can come to the conclusion that it’s a great thing to have competition for the No 1 shirt,” he said on Radio Five Live (h/t Daily Mail).
“A goalkeeper’s position is very reactive. You cannot create anything on your own, you have to wait for things to happen.
“You’re now asking your goalkeeper to prove you’re better than the other one. That means you now have to go and do stuff, and you don’t want that. It’s the one position on the pitch where you just want steady.
“When you have a competition situation he also plays that game for himself and for that position, and I don’t get it. What you do is you put a lot of insecurity into the two of them.”
As a former goalkeeper himself, Schmeichel can perfectly understand how the move for David Raya might affect Aaron Ramsdale.
Whilst it is ostensibly true that having strength in depth in all positions is an absolute need in the modern game, there’s a cogent argument, and one which the Dane has made, that having one No.1 is sufficient.
Though we’re going back some while now, when the England national team rotated the keeper’s jersey between Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence, it rarely worked.
A similar scenario can certainly be predicted at the Gunners, and Arteta could well live to regret his decision.
Football has changed since you left the game. These days they have the media, pundits, fans, club owners all managing the clubs. So it is no longer the manager who decides who should be one or two.
The saying has been the Arsenal lacks depth so the manager is trying to build a team that has depth. But each time he buys a player, the co-managers will decide which position he should play in or be sent on loan because he can’t speak certain language and all sorts of reasons.
Right now, pundits are discussing Raya and Ramsdale placement on the field. So please leave Arteta alone, the man has a job to do
Talking of which. His son’s career didn’t really go anywhere did it?
I believe his Son won the Premier League which Arsenal haven’t done for quite a while.
I do appreciate what what Arteta has done so far but signing in so many players will bring instability in a players.I am not happy with that..I won’t be surprised if signs the whole Man City players
“Having been there and done it in his own playing career, Schmeichel is more than qualified to critique those who are currently playing the game or managing in it.”
He was a great ‘keeper, but has no managerial credentials. The news of interest in Raya seemed odd, but Arteta knows his players and the loan may prove to be a masterstroke. If it is it still won’t shut Schmeichel up.
Sorry sir arteta is right in raya. Of recent ramsdale was becoming sloppy especially against man u in the preseason, immediately the rumor of raya came up ramsdale best came alive, a goal keeper can get you point and David raya is one of them.