All Arsenal fans were up in arms when Wenger managed to go through the whole summer with buying one single outfield player, but the fact that the Frenchman secured the signature of Petr Cech very early in the transfer window could have been one of the most important buys of his career.
The Czech international may have only cost 10million GBP but Wenger is adamant that having a top class keeper is vital for any team that seriously wants to challenge for titles, and we now finally have one in our own dressing room. “He has brought his experience, his calmness and his leadership as well,” Wenger said on the official Arsenal website. “He has been good and highly focused.
“I don’t want to be detrimental to David Ospina because he was exceptional last year, but Petr Cech has done it all, so he is someone who gives you an aura, a charisma that is always important in the big games for the players.
“I met him before I signed him and we had a long discussion about the game and the job and his position, and I was deeply impressed by his knowledge, by his professionalism, by his detailed knowledge. So since I have not been surprised, because I got the whole package in one go.
“You always look around you in the dressing room before a big game and you think, ‘Are we strong enough?’ And these kind of faces help you to believe it. Also in the big games, the number of shots on target shrinks. But then the one save can be the difference in the end result.
“There is no history of teams winning things without having a great goalkeeper,” added Wenger. “I’m now 30 years in the job and as I said the other day you learn over the years that the goalkeeper is the most underrated position in football – and maybe the most vital one for winning things.
“For example when Spain won the 2010 World Cup, in every game [Iker] Casillas saved a one-on-one when it was 0-0 or 1-0, or saved a decisive ball. Even in the final against Arjen Robben – and instead of being 1-0 down you are 0-0. And that at the end of the day makes the difference.”
John Terry famously said that Cech would save Arsenal 12 points this season, and the big stopper has probably already surpassed that figure already. It doesn’t matter how many goals you score if your opponents score more, but with Cech in goal you just know that will very rarely happen.
If we do win the League this year, Cech will be one of the biggest reasons for our success….
Wenger is a slow leaner, I’m afraid. How long did it have to take for him to learn that you need a good goalie to win titles?
How long was Seaman out of side before Lehman came in ..Or is that before your time.
I will say though, I know Wenger likes to develop players and we even had periods where we relied heavily on his ability in developing young players, but the GK is not nor has it ever been a position for experimenting (giving time to iron kinks) in. He probably learned the hard way that experience or pure class is the only way to go with GKs, hears hoping. One or two GKs should have never made it anywhere near the Arsenal first team.
That said, Wenger is one of the greatest at developing and producing young talented players.
You mistake his patience with young players for slow learning, if he was a slow learner he wouldn’t have broken Fergie’s domination in England, he wouldn’t have turned Henry into a world class striker, he wouldn’t have made Ramsey into the midfielder he is today and Ozil would’ve been the struggling midfielder he was in his first season at the club.
Oh, and most importantly, if he was a slow learner he wouldn’t have managed to buy Ozil and Sanchez without being mugged for the price like United and City.
Must say I agree one hundred percent, very underrated position. Keepers like Cech don’t come around too often and when you have the best of the best do make up a huge difference. This season probably already would have resembled an older season if it wasn’t for the assurance of 33.
Im still a bit gobsmacked and soo thankful we have snapped up Petr Cech, very refreshing watching a winner prepare and then play for AFC. We see less and less of defenders panicking or blood rushing to heads instead we see some calmness and authority.
OT:someone lying to us about injuries,Hogson said Welback wont be back till March but Arsenal said by January he will be back!!
Ready to play for Arsenal, perhaps as a substitute, or for the reserves is different to international duty where you have to be ready to play the whole match and to have demonstrated that you are in form by playing at your club. A two month difference seems reasonable.
Best goalkeeper in the league at the moment. I can already count more than ten crucial saves in matches. Even if the opposition striker is one on one, I feel confident we won’t concede with Cech in goal, such is the confidence he exudes.
we still do concede due to miserable defending tho……… Cech can’t do it all alone……. We thus need extremely constant defensive cohesion at all times!
when cech made those stops for chelsea to win them the CL: so amazing. i was amazed he was dropped for courtois. so fortunate for us. always admired him. but wenger did get lucky that abramovich overruled mourinho. and wenger’s riding his luck so far in not buying a good cdm. wenger’s always 1 penny short. i just hope the combo of a good back 4 and GK can make up for the missing CDM: flam isn’t very talented, even tho he tries very hard.
we’d knw more in the next few weeks….
Strange then…. that we have conceded less than all other clubs in the prem…
Miserable defense my ass
Inm glad he understands that but Cech is the only great goalkeeper we have had since Jens Lehman
The Almunia years killed me lol
Cech is amazing. The best keeper in the PL. Yes even better than De Gea and Courtois in my opinion because he is more experienced
Cech is better than casillas…….
And nope to win trophies, beating the likes of citeh , chelski, manure and ruining Leicester’s chances are essential
I have looked up the stats for Ospina last season and Cech this season. For Premier League games.
Number of games played, Ospina 18, Cech 16.
Goals conceded, Ospina 11, Cech 13.
The following stats are per 90 minutes played in the premier league for Ospina last season and Cech this season.
Goals conceded, Ospina 0.61, Cech 0.81.
Clean Sheets, Ospina 0.44, Cech 0.44.
Saves per goal conceded, Ospina 3.18, Cech 3.90.
Last season Ospina was the stand out goalie in the premier league, for every two goals Ospina conceded the likes of Hart, Cortois and De Gea conceded three. As far as big games go, Ospina was outstanding in the world cup with awesome saves. I think Ospina’s contribution last season was undervalued by most fans, my concern is that he will now leave.