Raya Says Champions League Final Pain Must Be “in Our Veins”

• Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya says the pain of last season’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties will stay with the squad, per The Guardian.
• Raya’s diving save from Oskar Kubiak’s header helped Arsenal hold off Slavia Prague in Prague on Wednesday.
• Arsenal are third in the league standings with 10 points from four matches and host Borussia Dortmund this month, then Real Madrid on 9 December.

Arsenal Are Using the Pain of Budapest, Says Raya

David Raya does not expect Arsenal to forget how last season ended. The Spain goalkeeper spoke after Arsenal held on in Prague on Wednesday, and he said the memory of losing the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties is something the squad carries.

“I think it is never going to be out of the system,” he said. “It is something that is going to live with us and hopefully we can win the Champions League to get that out of us. But it has to be in our veins. It has to be on us to make it better this year.”

Raya has admitted he is haunted by that experience.

Raya’s Save Keeps Slavia at Bay

Arsenal went into the break two goals up in Prague, and Slavia came out to fight back. Raya came to Arsenal’s rescue with a diving stop to keep out Kubiak’s header. A late strike from Slavia gave the home side hope and cost Raya a clean sheet, and Arsenal had to weather a late storm before the win was safe.

Raya has missed out on the Yashin award for best goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or, which went to his Spain teammate Unai Simón, and he credited his self-belief as the key to making extraordinary saves on a regular basis.

“Belief is really important but hard work [is, too],” he said. “I work very hard during the week to try and help the team as much as possible on these types of nights. It is just the belief that I have in myself, and the belief the staff, the goalie coach, has in me and the team. That gives you that extra edge and motivation to keep doing it every single week, and the consistency I have been playing with throughout the years is a key factor for us.”

It is not the first time the goalkeeper has made the difference. Arteta praised Raya’s heroics earlier this year when Arsenal edged Chelsea to stay top.

Raya and Arteta Agree the Second Half Fell Short

Raya was happy with the three points and unhappy with what followed the break. He said after the game:

“First half we played really, really well. We created a lot of chances and could have scored more but the second half was completely different.”

“They stepped up a gear and made it difficult for us and we have to learn from it. Delighted with the win but a lot of things to improve going forward.”

He explained where the game turned:

“Maybe they started pressing a bit higher with more intensity. We had too many giveaways especially in the final third. There was too much running from box to box and we have to manage those reactions and go for the third and fourth goal.”

On the clean sheet that slipped away, Raya said: “At the end of the day it is three points. I’m doing my best and trying to keep clean sheets. We know clean sheets help you win games. Hopefully we get more clean sheets next time.”

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, echoed his goalkeeper.

“Always we need to value winning away in the Champions League. It is extremely difficult,” he said. “Two very different halves. We should have had three or four goals in the first half but we didn’t do it.”

“Right at the start of the second half we were on the back foot, very sloppy and gave balls away. Then we had to suffer. A lot to learn. We should have scored more in the first half and if we didn’t do that we had to go and do that in the second half.”

“We made six changes but we know the quality of the players we have. Whether we were lacking something I don’t know but I would have done the same thing [again]. “I value what the team has done now, it is 11 away games we played.”

What Last Season Left Behind

Arsenal’s route to that night in Budapest was a record one. They became the first team to win all eight league stage matches, and they reached the final in Budapest. Paris Saint-Germain then won back-to-back titles.

This season’s league phase has brought four matches, 10 points and third place so far. Real Madrid arrive at the Emirates on 9 December in a match that bears on a top two finish, which would put the second leg of Arsenal’s first knockout tie, and of any tie after it, at home.

Borussia Dortmund visit first, at home this month, and Real Madrid follow on 9 December. Raya has said the Champions League is the only way to get the pain of Budapest out of the squad.