Wojciech Szczesny was one of the many Arsenal players that did not exactly cover themselves in glory at the Emirates stadium on Saturday. It looked like he was at least partly responsible for the lack of understanding that led to hos collision with Kieran Gibbs and the left back’s own goal that that changed the course of the game.
But I am not going to be too harsh on the Poland international, because that was his first real mistake in the Premier League this season and he has not been at fault for the rest of the Gunners’ defensive problems this season. It has not helped him having 19-year old Calum Chambers and now the Spanish left back Nacho Monreal in front of him either.
And with our new second choice keeper David Ospina still recovering from the injury he brought from the World Cup finals, it is great news that the rib injury that saw Szczesny replaced after the collision on Saturday was only minor and will not stop him facing Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Our young keeper has been speaking about that game, as reported by Arsenal.com and he is confident that the Gunners can forget about the way we threw away a three goal lead and automatic qualification against Anderlecht. That leaves Arsenal really needing a point off the Germans to avoid a last day decider, but Szczesny is not worried and feels confident that we can do it.
He said, “We all know that our last match in the Champions League at home to Anderlecht was disappointing. But we must put that behind us and we’re all ready to bounce back against Dortmund and hopefully get a place in the last 16.
“Dortmund are a very good counter-attacking team. They press your midfielders very well and are quick to attack as soon as they get possession. They’ve got some great finishers as well, so going forward they are very strong.
“Last season we lost at home and won away, so we hope this season we can turn it around and get a result against them at home. We have confidence for Wednesday’s match knowing that we have recently beaten them. If we put in a good performance at home we know we can win.
“We know that we only need one point from our last two matches to qualify for the last 16, but we know that we have not made it yet. We’re playing at home in front of our fans and we’re confident that we can put in a good performance and qualify.”
You have to admire his confidence and belief in his team mates, but I wonder if it is not a bit misplaced at the minute, especially when you see how vulnerable we are to a counter attack, so is Szczesny right to be upbeat about Dortmund?