Wojciech Szczesny has always been a contentious figure at The Emirates. The fans seem to like him because he’s a bit of a character, but his on pitch displays often leave a little bit more to be desired. Sure, he’s good for morale, but is he able to help his team onto bigger and better things?
It’s hard to say. I don’t doubt that he’s a good shot-stopper. In fact, he’s probably one of the best in the Premier League. It strikes me that he’s more agile than his stand-in David Ospina, moves across the penalty area quicker and has better reflexes. The real trouble lies with his decision making faculties.
He’s been in English football for quite some time now, but he still can’t seem to learn from his mistakes. Since he was barely out of his teens, he’s been capable of damaging errors, whether it’s mis-timing a challenge, giving the ball away in a dangerous area or spilling shots he should be collecting with ease.
He’s never been as bad as Arsenal keepers of the past (the Manuel Almunias and Lukasz Fabianskis of this world), but he’s liable to give away a few goals over the course of a season.
Indeed, the Polish shot-stopper was responsible for two goal-keeping errors against Southampton on New Years Day and The Gunners ended up losing 2-0. He hasn’t played in the Premier League since.
Since then, David Ospina has been given a chance to shine. He’s now kept clean sheets against Hull City, Stoke City, Manchester City and Aston Villa (not that Paul Lambert’s side were at the races last weekend). He’s slowly but surely establishing himself as The Gunners’ number one. What a year its been for him.
This begs the question: what does the future hold for Wojciech Szczesny? Is he capable of battling for his place in the first team?
At the moment David Ospina is practically undroppable. He’s not making mistakes, he’s not conceding goals, his kicking is good and there’s a confident air about his game.
In other words, Szczesny is going to have to be patient (which isn’t something he’s good at). He’ll still have FA Cup action to tide him over. One thing’s for sure: he’ll keep Ospina on his toes.
What’s your take? Who’s Arsenal’s long-term number one goalkeeper?
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