David Raya says Arsenal have to use the pain of recent defeats as “fuel” against Sporting CP, with the goalkeeper insisting the Champions League quarter-final is an opportunity rather than a burden.
David Raya says Arsenal must use the pain of their recent defeats as motivation when they face Sporting CP, insisting the Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a source of pressure.
Arsenal head into the first leg on the back of consecutive losses, but Raya made clear the mood inside the squad remains positive. “We are disappointed with the two losses,” he said, before adding that the group is “full of faith” in itself and “ready to go again.”
Asked whether those results had increased the pressure on Arsenal before such a major European tie, Raya rejected the idea. “I don’t think the word is pressure,” he said. “I think it’s an opportunity to show what to do and what we are capable of. So, we just have to grab the opportunity.” It was a revealing line from the goalkeeper, who framed the Sporting game less as a test of nerves and more as a chance for Arsenal to respond.
Raya was equally clear when discussing the emotional impact of the FA Cup defeat to Southampton. “There’s a disappointing moment obviously losing against Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup,” he said. “But that is gone. We just have to use that feel, that pain that we had after the game just to pick it up for the rest of the season, and it starts tomorrow.”
That theme ran through much of his media conference. Rather than dwell on what Arsenal have lost in recent weeks, Raya repeatedly turned the focus back to the squad, the togetherness inside it and the chance still in front of them. “We are in a really, really good position,” he said, referring both to the Premier League and Europe. “The most important thing is just enjoy being together and enjoying being out there playing football.”
Raya also stressed the role Mikel Arteta and his staff have played in helping the players recover from two damaging defeats. “They play a massive, massive role on us,” he said. “They know what we need and what we want when obviously there’s a defeat... they have lift us up as much as possible.”
Raya dismissed the idea that Arsenal were approaching the game like “a wounded beast”, saying instead that the squad feel “a lot of energy” and are “eager to play tomorrow”. He also described the tie as “a massive one”, adding: “This team is ready for everything.”
For Raya, then, the challenge in Lisbon is not about fear or damage control. It is about response. Arsenal have felt the pain of two recent defeats. His message was that they now have to turn that pain into something useful.