Arsene Wenger has a tradition of playing his reserve keeper in the FA Cup and even stuck with Lukasz Fabianski in the Final last year after he heroically saved Arsenal in the semifinal penalty shootout.
Now Szczesny may get his chance to play in a Cup Final if he does a good job in tomorrow’s semifinal against Reading. Wenger believes that his break from the team after being dropped in favour of David Ospina has helped the Pole to focus on playing better.
“He has trained well. Very focused,” Le Boss said on the official Arsenal website. “As I told you many times it is our job to fight for our places. No matter how difficult it is, it is part of your job.
“I replaced Wojciech because he had a bad game [at Southampton]. I still think he is a great goalkeeper and I want him as well to have the opportunity to show that.
“I watched PSG against Barcelona [on Wednesday night] and they played their No 2 goalkeeper in the Champions League game. Why? Because you need to give them competition as well.
“Take any goalkeeper at any club, you don’t have many who play absolutely all the games in Europe. They need their moments of breather where they can recharge and focus again.”
Last year’s Cup Final was Fabianski’s last game for the club, and I wonder if Szczesny will do the same. Will he stay focused on regaining the Number One spot from Ospina or will he will he move on in search of first team football…