Talking Raya vs Ramsdale on Generation xG

I got to make my second appearance on the Premier League TV Show Generation xG

I was happy to be asked back on to the Premier League TV show ‘Generation xG’ to talk about Arsenal, and specifically Aaron Ramsdale compared to David Raya.

Here is the segment from the NBC Sports YouTube but if it doesn’t work in your area whoever carries the Premier League might have it somewhere where you can check it out.

I tried to hit the main points that jump out as to why Mikel Arteta is leaning towards Raya at the moment.

Here is the shot map from Ramsdale last season, he didn’t make any major howlers but he also ended up being close to an average goalkeeper.

Raya by comparison was a much better-rated keeper, saving nearly 10 goals more than expected. He did face more shots and had more opportunities but this is something that has held across both player’s careers.

The types of shots that they save I think tell an important story as well.

Ramsdale is an excellent keeper on the harder end of the range. When he has a 0-40% save rate he is much better than expected, while Raya is just about average there. When they become more routine, Raya moves ahead.

Into distribution the story follows a similar path, Ramsdale is not bad but Raya offers things that he didn’t.

Based on expected completion, on the harder and more valuable passes, Raya is a keeper who completes more passes than expected, while Ramsdale is below or at par. As they get easier Ramsdale jumps ahead but does have Raya still completing at an average rate.

Last is the all-important comparison table breaking down some of the key metrics for both players.

It was fun to get to talk about the keepers, hopefully they get good feedback enough to have me on a third time.