If anyone has the right to say what they think about Arsenal and the goalkeeper situation, it is surely the former England international David Seaman, who played nearly 500 games for the Gunners and won three league titles, four FA cups, a League cup and the UEFA cup winners cup.
So after Arsene Wenger continued to select the Poland international Wojciech Szcvzesny in goal for the FA cup games, Seaman has been talking to Sky Sports about him and our new keeper, the Colombian international David Ospina. Many Arsenal fans are wondering whether the boss will stick with Szczesny for the Wembley final against Aston Villa and whether the Pole might even get some game time in the last few Premier League games.
Our former star certainly seems to think that it would be good for Szczesny to play more if he is to start in the final, but he also remembers that Wenger played Richard Wright in every round of the cup but brought Seaman back for the 2002 final. And according to the overwhelming stats as well as Seaman’s own opinions, Ospina is clearly the number one at the club right now.
He said, ““The only time I’ve been in that situation was when Richard Wright played every round of the FA Cup in 2002 and then Arsene Wenger picked me for the final.
“It does put pressure on you. Szczesny can play reserve-team football but it’s just not the same with the crowd atmosphere and the rest. At least he’s played a lot of football so he should be able to handle that. He’s played in big games before.
““I’ve been impressed by Ospina. He’s in his first season and it’s not easy coming to England but he’s done well when the pressure has been on. He’s shown why Arsenal bought him and seems to have great confidence.
“He’s not the biggest of keepers but he’s got that knack of making the goals look small. I like the way he comes for crosses and either punches or catches the ball. Not all keepers do that but he seems to enjoy it. It’s so important that the defence has confidence in you. Whether it’s coming for crosses or sweeping up, the bottom line is that it helps if the defenders know exactly what you’re going to do.
“It leaves him (Shezzer) as Arsenal’s No 2 goalkeeper. Whether he’s happy with that situation, I don’t know. Only he could tell you. But from Arsenal’s point of view, they’ve got two good goalkeepers now and that’s important.
“What will be frustrating for Szczesny will be that he’s now out of the team. But Ospina is the slightly more experienced keeper having been to a World Cup with Colombia. From Arsenal’s point of view, it’s a good problem for the club to have.”
This is the problem for Wenger I think. He is probably happy to have a keeper with the talent of Szczesny as second choice but also knows that the 25-year old will not be happy with that role for long, especially if he is dropped for this final after missing out on it last season with Fabianski as the cup keeper.
The question is, should we risk the trophy to keep Szczesny from wanting to leave in the summer?