Edwin van der Sar had not long since left Manchester United when we spoke about blame and the art of goalkeeping, and his words sprang back to mind as Mikel Arteta triggered a new swirl of debate.
Van der Sar used the example of a goalkeeper defending a free-kick to illustrate his point. It went something like this.
Nobody is blaming the keeper if someone bends it over the wall and into the other side of the net. It’s a good free-kick, not a mistake, and credit goes to the taker, so concentrate on your side of the goal if you’re keen to avoid blame.