Premier League legend David James claims that Arsenal made a mistake in promoting one participant beneath Mikel Arteta.
With 572 appearances, James has performed the fifth most quantity of video games in Premier League historical past, turning out for the likes of performed for Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester Metropolis and Portsmouth throughout an 18-year top-flight profession.
For James, there is a distinct lack of characters inside the Premier League these days, with the previous goalkeeper highlighting how this has probably harm Arsenal of their bid for glory beneath Arteta.
Premier League missing ‘characters’
When discussing the shortage of characters, James means that Arsenal’s determination to promote Emi Martinez to Aston Villa in 2020 has proved a pricey error for the Gunners, with the Argentine’s character important for any profitable facet.
“It’s attention-grabbing, while you have a look at Premier League goalkeepers, I might say over quite a lot of years now – 5, 10 years or no matter – there’s not many characters,” James stated on the Seaman Says podcast through Betway. “Whereas should you go previous to that, there have been characters round within the recreation for no matter cause.
“I believe it was conditioned out of goalkeepers. Form of like: ‘I’ve simply made a mistake, however you do not know since you’re not allowed to see it.’
“[Emi Martinez] has character. Every little thing about him is character. He’s a giant, large recreation participant, nevertheless it’s virtually like he needs to be within the largest recreation. We have a look at Raya’s scenario at Arsenal, the Ramsdale scenario at Arsenal, and the truth that Martinez was allowed to go due to Bernd Leno. Leno’s an honest goalkeeper, however would not essentially have character. Martinez would have been the right goalkeeper, I believe, for Arsenal proper now.”
The obvious instance of Martinez’s character that James is speaking about is his gamesmanship ways used in the course of the 2022 World Cup last towards France. James highlights one thing more moderen, although, discussing the 32-year-old’s physicality and confidence as a goalkeeper.
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“I believe he’s a monster, within the sense that if the ball is within the air he’ll come for it,” James added. “There was the free kick from Bruno Fernandes [against Manchester United last weekend], though he didn’t have to put it aside, he was there. There’s not many ‘keepers that I see within the Premier League now who’re able to attending to the highest nook, weirdly. Simply take into consideration the final time you noticed a prime nook save.
“I’ve had this dialogue with goalie coaches. The pitches are arduous, and I believe as a result of the pitch is so arduous, you aren’t getting the acquisition that you’d have achieved on a softer pitch to have the ability to actually explode. You’re extra prone to slip, so you find yourself diving barely otherwise.
“It was once fairly widespread, a goalie would spring alongside, bang, bang, prime nook. Now the shot that simply goes previous the highest nook, you are considering the keeper’s not ever getting there. Martinez will get there as a result of he can do it.”