David Raya Exclusive: Arsenal goalkeeper says Arsenal must play without fear to end Premier League title chase | Soccer News

David Raya has called on Arsenal to play without fear as they look to win a first Premier League title in 22 years and a first piece of silverware since 2020.

The Gunners are fighting on all four fronts, with the chance to complete an unprecedented quadruplet still a possibility for Mikel Arteta’s side.

After reaching the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since winning the competition in 2020, focus returns to the Premier League where Arsenal have the opportunity to extend their lead over title rivals Manchester City to seven points when they travel to Molineux to take on Wolves on Wednesday, live SkySports.

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And Raya believes he and his teammates should enjoy the ride with many twists and turns still to come.

“Confidence and enjoyment is the most important thing in this sport,” Raya told Sky Sports.

“Being confident is the most important thing to be a footballer. You have to be confident, and you have to enjoy it, because if you don’t, you’re not going to be yourself. You’re not going to be able to help the team.

“If you play without fear, you can’t play football. You’re not going to enjoy the moment, you’re not going to enjoy being on the grass.

“So, confidence is going to be key for us. Everyone needs to be confident in knowing what they’re doing, and the most important thing is to enjoy the process.

“Everything is open,” he added when asked about the run-up to the season.

“We can’t think too much about it. We just have to focus on ourselves and train day by day, training session by training session and game by game, which is the most important thing.

“If you think too far ahead, you’re not going to see it. So, just go in the present.”

‘Squad cohesion could be key’

Raya has now been with Arsenal since the summer of 2023 and was part of the core of the team that finished second in the Premier League the previous two seasons.

The 30-year-old, who had spells with Blackburn and Brentford before moving to north London, praised the cohesion in the Arsenal squad and believes the culture created in the dressing room by Arteta and his staff could play a key role in them getting over the line at the end of the season.

“The whole team is tied together,” he said. “We are literally like friends and teammates at the same time.

“It makes it so easy for everyone and for everything in life, not only on football, also outside. You can go with whoever you want to do some other things outside of football. I think that’s a very important thing that we have in our dressing room.

“I’ve been lucky to have really, really good dressing rooms and the dressing room I had at Blackburn was amazing, and at Brentford as well, but I think this one is different, especially with so many nationalities and the way we interact with each other. It’s not like groups or anything like that.

“Obviously I speak more to the Spanish speakers, but you get on with everyone and it’s something special to have that. I think it’s credit to the boss and credit to the staff to create this culture at the club where we all get along, not just the players, the staff too.

Asked if that group cohesion could be crucial to finishing the season on a high, Raya added: “That’s a key thing. To have those goals together and how good it can be if we make this a historic season. It will be amazing.

“That’s why we play football and why we play for Arsenal. That’s why everyone comes here to win trophies, to make something special and to make the fans and the club happy. That’s something that’s really important to us.”

Raya praises Arsenal’s depth

Arsenal’s last outing saw them record a solid 4-0 win over League One Wigan in the FA Cup at the Emirates.

Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus all found the net, while Eberechi Eze, who has been criticized for his form so far this season and was withdrawn at half-time in Arsenal’s Premier League draw against Brentford, provided the assist for Arsenal’s first two goals against Wigan.

Raya, who was not in the Gunners squad for the FA Cup clash, hopes his side can replicate that free-flowing attacking form against Wolves.

“For the players who haven’t played that much and players coming off injury, like for Bukayo (Saka), with those minutes (against Wigan) and the way we played, it showed that we are here to win, no matter who you are.

“It just gives us that extra motivation, extra confidence for everyone and especially for players who haven’t played that much.

“To get those minutes, to be ready for when they’re called upon, as the boss said, it’s a credit to everyone that players who didn’t play and perform at that level yesterday are incredible.

“Hopefully we can repeat what we did (against Wigan) at Wolves,” added the Spain international. “We know it will be a difficult task.

“They made it very difficult for us at the Emirates, so we have to learn from that game. But I think we are a different team now than we were then. So, hopefully we can do the right things and get the three points, but we know how difficult it is going to be.”

Watch Wolves vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports from 7.30pm on Wednesday; kicks off at 8:00 p.m.