Aaron Ramsdale vs Bernd Leno: Should Aaron Ramsdale be the No 1 for Arsenal?
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Arsenal registered two back to back victories in the English Premier League after the international break. After the first set of three games, the Gunners found themselves in the 20th position on the points table. With the inclusion of Aaron Ramsdale, Arsenal’s fortunes have turned around. With that, we have an interesting piece here. Aaron Ramsdale vs Bernd Leno: Who should be the shot-stopper at Emirates?
Under Mikel Arteta, the London-based outfit struggled to get going in the league. They fell prey to Brentford, Chelsea and Manchester City. Few called for the heads of Mikel Arteta but the board thought to wait for it. The team picked themselves against Norwich City after the international break and won it in the fourth game week. In the fifth GW, they maintained consistency and won the tight affair.
Both wins have come for Arsenal when Aaron Ramsdale was in the goal. So is he the lucky charm? Let’s dive deep now!
Aaron Ramsdale vs Bernd Leno: The story of this season so far
Arsenal signed Bernd Leno as the backup for Leno in the summer transfer window for a sizable amount but the German shot-stopper was given a nod ahead of him as German was consistent last term. However, the German was not settled yet for the 2021/22 season and the first strike came from Brentford. The Bees started with a great 2-0 win. The second game was against Chelsea. That day, Bern Leno stood tall. There were 22 shots fired by the Blues but Leno kept the defeat margin to two.
The third game and the final one before the international break was against Manchester City. At Emirates, the whole team was battered and Leno was at the receiving end. Of the total 25 shots, five went in and the other five were parried away/collected. City triumphed 5-0.
The manager decided to mix up a few things for the game against Norwich and gave the first start to his new signing, Ramsdale. Ramsdale was vocal in the box and was a fresh breath of air for his team. Though Arsenal were not at their finest, Ramsdale had a bit of work to do. He helped his side to close out the win. In the next game against Burnley, Ramsdale showed why the club paid the sizable sum to seize the transfer.
Aaron Ramsdale vs Bernd Leno: A statistical comparison
| Aaron Ramsdale | Bernd Leno | |||
| 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | |
| Number of Games Played in PL | 37 | 38 | 30 | 35 |
| Number of Games played across all competition | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Goals conceded | 62 | 63 | 39 | 37 |
| Goals saved/Clean sheets | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
| % Saves | 67.8 | 70.7 | 14.3 | 50 |
| Penalty saves | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pass Completion percentages | 57.7 | 49.1 | 74.9 | 79.8 |
| Discipline (Yellow/Red Cards) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| G/A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Aaron Ramsdale vs Bernd Leno: Who is better?
Both shot-stoppers have their strengths and weaknesses. Bernd Leno is great with his reflexes and stops whereas Aaron Ramsdale is good with one-on-one positioning and commanding presence in his box. Also, he calls out the player inside the box.
On the other hand, Bernd Leno never leaves an opportunity to put in a tackle if necessary. He is brave and even blocks the shots with his face. Aaron Ramsdale is great with his passing skills. He never bogs down even under the pressure and picks out the perfect passes. This was evident in his terms with AFC Bournemouth and Sheffield United.
Talking about weaknesses, Aaron Ramsdale is bad with catching the crosses whereas Bernd Leno always finds it difficult to stop the long-range passes. He is also guilty of making mistakes that have led to goals. Leno tries to catch the ball where he can deal with punches and parries it away.
From the stats, Leno is a better shot-stopper. However, it is Aaron Ramsdale who has better adjusted himself for Arsenal’s playing style. Going forward, it remains interesting to see how Arteta manages the situation.
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Varun Aithal
(480 Articles Published)