Alan Shearer has slammed Petr Cech in the Sun as a “ticking timebomb” at Arsenal who is making fans “uncomfortable” with his inability to play out from the back.
The veteran goalkeeper was preferred to start over new keeper Bernd Leno, a £19million addition from Bayer Leverkusen. in the Gunners’ first two matches of the season, which they lost to Chelsea and Manchester City.
Match of the Day pundit and Premier League legend Shearer believes new manager Unai Emery is taking a big risk with a system that does not suit the players at his disposal.
“Defensively against Chelsea they were awful,” Shearer told the Sun. “It’s fine to say you want to play a system. But if the players don’t work in that system then it’s no good.
“For example, it’s very difficult to play a high line when you have got Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos in central defence, who aren’t blessed with pace.
“Emery also has a problem with playing the ball out from the back because Petr Cech is clearly uncomfortable with it.
“You heard the crowd yesterday and against Manchester City last weekend. They are nervous because it looks like a ticking timebomb when Cech has the ball at his feet.”
OPINION
Aged 36, Cech remains the first choice at Arsenal, despite the summer signing of Leno. Boss Emery has taken a good look at the two keepers and decided the veteran Czech is the better at this current time. The veteran is one of the greatest shot-stoppers of his generation, and certainly in the very top bracket in the Premier League era, but even his greatest admirers would admit his best days are behind him. Watching him almost conceded an own goal in the opening clash against Man City led to palpitations among Arsenal fans in the stands, and the all-round nervousness among the back line appears to be contagious. Should Emery change his system, or change his players? Clearly, asking Cech to do something he is unable to is going to create problems, and probably mean goals conceded that otherwise wouldn’t have been. Once Leno gets up to speed, it would be best to start the process of easing a bona fide great out of the side.