Wenger has a little keeper problem for the FA Cup final by KM
Hello folks. There’s a huge debate round which of Arsenal’s goalkeepers should come in for the FA cup final. Every way you look at it this is the most important game of our season, so we might want to look at which keeper will bring in to give better confidence to our back line.
Let’s start with David Ospina, who took the gloves after Szczesny made a real mess of the Southampton game, effectively giving them the points. So the Colombian has had a very decent record. In all the games he’s played for the club we’ve had only 3 defeats in 23 appearances. Not too bad on the face of it, but there are more factors to consider.
The introduction of Coquelin to the side really improved our defensive record. Much more than the introduction of Ospina did, if you ask me. Both came in at similar times but you can argue who’s contribution is more vital to the squad. The first problem with Ospina is he is too short for a keeper. Another problem is the mistakes that have crept into his game.
When you are a goalkeeper every mistake you make can cost your team a goal, since you are usually the last man standing in front of the net. And he made 2 mistakes against Swansea and WBA recently that really throw in the questions again. If you remove them, I think most of us would start Ospina instead of Szczesny all day long.
Arsenal have really been patient with Szczesny’s errors and his dads comments, but Wenger finally benched him and gave him the FA cup place. The Arsenal fans, who are very loyal and humble to mistakes (Wenger for the last 10 years for example..) really have seen enough gaffes out of the Pole, but Ospinas recent displays really highlight the need of a solid GK, one we’ve missed for years.
Szczesny is a real mess when it comes to high balls and set pieces, which is disturbing for a tall goalkeeper at a top club. He may occasionally put in a good save but he’s also a disaster waiting to happen (the away game at Southampton is the most recent example).
I cannot compare our goalkeepers to what the other top 4 clubs have. Man United and Chelsea even have two goalkeepers of immense quality. Their reserve keepers would have been first choice at Arsenal for the past 10 years. Look at the saves Valdes made against Hull in a game that meant nothing. Incredible for someone who hasn’t played a competitive game for such a long time.
Anyway, I believe Wenger might go with Szczesny. He easily could be leaving the club in the summer, and Wenger might give him a last game to say goodbye. I just hope that the decision he makes is based on what will be best for the squad, not on sentimentality, ‘who plays in the cups’ or because he thinks we are too good that it won’t matter which one plays. Aston Villa don’t have anything to lose. For us it’s a little bit different.
So which keeper will you choose?
Konstantin