Ramsdale shares the two words Mikel Arteta said to him after his mistake vs Man United

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Speaking on Michael Calvin’s Football People Podcast, Aaron Ramsdale has been discussing what it’s like to play under Mikel Arteta and the Spaniard’s man-management style.

Ramsdale says that Arteta is one of the best man-managers around, stating that he uses a bespoke approach with every single player in his squad.

The goalkeeper says that while Arteta can be more old-school when it comes to demanding more from himself, he’s also supportive at times.

Interestingly, Ramsdale revealed that Arteta actually said ‘well done’ to him after he made a mistake against Manchester United a few weeks ago when he came for a corner that led to a goal, encouraging the goalkeeper to keep taking risks and being proactive between the sticks.

Arteta praised Ramsdale after mistake

Ramsdale shared what he was told after making an error against United.

“Yeah definitely. I would say our manager is younger and he’s seen the transition of how the game was going inside the dressing room. He knows that he can be a bit old-school with me and get onto me, but with others he’s more softly spoken and gives confidence and a kick up the backside in a different way,” Ramsdale said.

“I’m the last line of the defence and the first line of attack. It’s being pro-active in defence and he wants cut-backs to be cut-out and crosses to be come for. The prime example is the United game where I came for a cross and I dropped it and they scored. The first thing he said in the changing room was ‘well done’ because he wants me to be proactive and help the team where I can.”

The bigger picture

This is what makes Arteta such a good manager. He always sees the bigger picture.

Yes, Ramsdale made a mistake on the day, but if Arteta chastised him for his error, he may not have come for corners again, and that’s more dangerous than spilling the ball once.

Of course, it’s easier for Arteta to praise Ramsdale after winning the game late on, but the fact of the matter is that Ramsdale needs to keep coming for crosses and corners if he’s going to be a goalkeeper in an Arteta team that plays this hyper-aggressive style.