Dixon names one Arsenal star ‘not as good’ as member of legendary ‘famous five’
Arsenal legend Lee Dixon insists that David Raya is “not as good” as legendary goalkeeper David Seaman after their 1-0 win over Tottenham.
The Gunners have made a solid start to the new Premier League campaign, winning three and drawing one of their opening four matches.
Their 1-0 victory over north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday saw them climb up to second in the Premier League table, two points behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side.
Arsenal‘s success under Mikel Arteta over the last year or two has been built on the solid foundations of a good defence with the Gunners having the best backline in the Premier League last term.
No other team conceded fewer goals than Arteta’s men in the 2023/24 campaign and they have started in similar form with Arsenal and Liverpool having the best defences with each team letting in just one goal.
And Dixon has been very impressed by the backline that Arteta has built at Arsenal but insists goalkeeper Raya could still be the weak link as he isn’t as good as Dixon’s former Gunners team-mate Seaman.
“There’s no doubt that the Arsenal back four are a very committed bunch,” Dixon told Gambling Zone.
“Left back has been a little bit of a problem. Timber came in, got injured and missed the entire season, but it looks like he’s making up for lost time.
“His absence was a big blow last season.
“Both full backs had a great game against Spurs and dealt with arguably Tottenham’s two most dangerous players in Son and Johnson quite well.
“The two centre backs, Gabriel and William Saliba, that’s the best partnership in the league.
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“Saliba is the player that normally gets more attention, but I think Gabriel is just as good.
“His positioning is exceptional and his appetite to defend is fantastic. He’s dependable and he scores goals.
“David Raya has been solid since he joined. He’s not as good as Dave Seaman, obviously and Ben White’s not a patch on me (joking).
“It’s a joy to watch this back four. They really enjoy the process of defending, the best teams do, and some other teams overlook that sometimes.”
Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer reckons the Arsenal defence could give them a potential advantage over Man City in the Premier League title race.
Shearer said: “I think once Arsenal go 1-0 up against you, they’re tough to get back.
“They’ve got the best back four in the Premier League, without a shadow of a doubt. They don’t give hardly anything away.
“Spurs just kept trying to put hopeful balls into the box and Arsenal dealt with it easily. They deserved the three points Arsenal, without playing particularly well, which has to be a good sign.”