According to a couple of reports doing the rounds, David Ospina looks set to replace Petr Cech in goal when Arsenal face Sp*rs at Wembley on Saturday afternoon.
Cech was replaced by the Colombian in the second half of the 5-1 win over Everton after picking up a knock to his calf in a collision with striker Oumar Niasse.
Should Ospina start on Saturday at Wembley it will be the fourth time he’s been between the posts for the Gunners in an away North London derby.
He’s previously played in a 2-1 Premier League defeat in February 2015, the 2-1 win in the EFL Cup in September 2015 and the 2-2 Premier League draw in March 2016.
Ospina has kept five clean sheets in his 10 cup appearances this season, but he has not made a Premier League start for the Gunners since the 2-2 draw with Manchester City in April 2017.
No doubt Arsene Wenger will give us an update when he faces the press later this week.
we could even stick Almunia at goal coz we have Micky, ozil and Auba to get excited about.
We dont talk about that name in these parts anymore.
Could actually be a blessing in disguise. Cech clearly a little bereft of confidence, made some pretty woeful errors of late. You can’t help feel that if we had someone, perhaps a certain Polish international, nipping at his heels, he would have been dropped sooner or not allowed his form to drop so catastrophically. But whatevs, that’s all spilt milk under the bridge.
I’ve been impressed with fabianskI too
Bring back Szcz!!!!! Lets start a movement!
2006. Near post. Twice. NO FORGIVENESS.
Great servant
Great Servant is young Manuel……….
…….. we’re talking about Fawlty towers right
I’m okay with this, having Cech would almost certainly mean no clean sheet 🙂
That’s wholly unfair. Clean sheets do not depend only the keeper’s performance, but on that of the defense as well. Since his career stats indicate he keeps a clean sheet every two matches on average, saying that playing him would almost certainly mean no clean sheet is like saying that you’d almost certainly get no tails from a coin toss!
A more accurate statement would be: having Cech would almost certainly mean no saving of the customary Sp*rs penalty. 🙂
I’ve just posted more or less the same thing.
As much as i would love to watch henry play again, his amazing goal record throughout his career has no foundation in an argument of how many goals he would score this year, same applies to cech and clean sheets
he has a phobia for clean sshit
Wait! Are you implying that someone on that team might dive? I heard Kane *defend* his dive against Liverpool by saying he felt contact and went down. He didn’t even claim the contact brought him down, or that he lost his balance, or anything else.
You mean his Chelsea stats?
I totally agree and yet I still can’t help feeling we’re missing the lunacy of Jens and Sceszny.
And of course we have a chance that our goalkeeper will save the inevitable penalty or two that their diving fuckers will no doubt be awarded!
Possibly not a bad thing. Curious to see how well Ospina would play with a good run in the team
Just don’t like his lack of height. If he were taller, I would feel better. Or if he at least had long arms.
I wish i was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller…. la la la
Thank you, Jeeeez-Us!
And if Ospina does well against them lot, he can be our number one keeper till the end of the season!
With Cech’ s form, that’s a real possibility. Also, his 200th clean sheet seems jinxed and we are also suffering for it!
So wish we had Szcz available, he’d have loved playing this match.
That or smoking.
Let it go. Shame a cigarette destroyed his Arsenal career without even a chance to make it right.
His inconsistent goalkeeping destroyed his Arsenal career more like.
would love to know what actually happened behind the scenes with szczesny. bizzare that we let him go so cheap given the lack of top quality keepers around europe these days. he seems to be tearing it up in italy.
And Szcz being Juventus’s player of the month for December shows he is playing well.
Maybe he has better defenders infront of him?
Perhaps, though if he didn’t do much he is unlikely to have got Player of the Month.
ofcourse I agree he defenitely done good things to get player of the Month, my point is the consistency in the back4 has helped him to achieve that. In my opinion our back4 consistently make mistakes and hence our GK always looks average.
More reason to have a young, mobile, aggressive goalie to make up for defensive lapses.
Exactly. And I don’t know about others but I’ve watched a lot of Juve’s matches. Not that it makes me an expert but Sczc has been starting most of the time against the bottom teams. He hardly has to do anything. So his stats about keeping clean sheets is misleading. It has more to do with his defenders “You Shall Not Pass” than him making over the top saves.
Then surely he wouldn’t have as much to do & therefore wouldn’t be player of the month??
He still did very well when he played for us.
I was/am hoping there is some sort of “provision2 to get Szczesny back? Miss him, but we have Macey coming up and he looks already a great GK, and he is massive too.
I am Wenger’s biggest fan, but letting Szczesny go was a big mistake. Now we are stuck with one has been and one never will be good enough keepers.
I am AWesome1’s biggest fan!
Surely when both Ospina and Szczesny were in the team at the same time Arsenal did better with Ospina rather than Szczesny. Added to that, Fabianski who so many berated kept Szczesny out of the national side as well. So something is definitely interesting about him. Either we hype him up too much and he is not that good or he is good but better when he is not playing for the Arsenal. Who knows but in any case he is not here so why do we keep on about him.
Can you play two keepers at the same time??
Seriously though, one of the biggest clubs in the world paid 15m for Chesney. Arsenal wanted much less for Ospina & had no takers. There’s a reason for that.
Cech is far more assured with high balls and crosses. But I think Ospina is much quicker to come out for 1 on 1s. Also, when the inevitable happens (Spurs getting a soft penalty for a dive or faint touch) Ospina has a far higher chance of saving than Cech right now!
Not really. Past penalties do not affect future penalties. That’s rule number 1 in probability. It’s overlooked that Cech saved quiet a lot of penalties back then. I think it is just a matter of time when he does it again because I generally think he has the same capablities in doing so as Ospina.
Well, it’s not purely a matter of probabilities, even with penalties. No keeper can save a good penalty, even if he guesses correctly. All Prem-level penalty takers are good enough to regularly take a penalty that cannot be saved. The rest is psychological.
Reflexes are inevitability slower at cechs age. It just may be a string of bad luck on his guesses, but even if he guesses right or sticks to the data, if his feet and body don’t drop fast enough, it’s all moot
Have you noticed that as Cech ages he looks more and more like that criminal from Fargo?
So when they inevitably win a penalty for diving, we’ll at least have a chance at saving it
Has Ospina saved any penalty in his arsenal career?
just looked at the stats. He saved 2 penalites in his career (one for columbia and one when he was in Ligue1).
so our current keepers have not saved penalty for Arsenal.
Yeah, based on his statement (if it is to be believed) that he’s never lost a shootout, if stopping penalties is our top priority we need Emi.
I think penalty “saves” might be misleading. I am pretty sure that Ospina has been in goal for Colombia when they went through on penalties in tournaments. So, maybe there were “misses” as well as saves. And it is impossible to know how much he influenced that.
Also saved one from robben in the champions League.. I thumbed you down just cause you said you looked up the statistics sounds like something Benitez or Rodgers might say
It’s about time we eased Cech into retirement. He seems to be more error prone and slow in reflexes nowadays. At most he can get a nod in the cups and CL/EL group stage fixtures. That said, and with no prejudice to Ospina, I don’t think he’s the long term solution to a stable and consistent no 1 for a title chasing side. On that front the club has surely a job to do in the summer. Which makes one wonder why the f the manager released such brilliant prospects between the poles as our former two Poles now doing… Read more »
I like the Wales part.
I think (hope) that in the summer the plan is to let Ospina leave and we get a new established no.1 . Cech will serve as backup and play the Mertesacker mentor role.
does ospina save more pens?
Since penalty against us is almost inevitable, could be a good thing.
Hopefully he does well against the scum, he’s deserved the chance after being really solid in the cups for us. I do think however that the club needs to look for a new goalie in the summer… Would love it if there was any truth in the Oblak rumors
Just a thought, but what if Cech is the doing his boy a solid by feigning injury and getting him some game time?
I did this once at school when I saw my mate was sad for not getting picked. I bet you a packet of crisps this happens ALL the time in professional sports as well. All the time.
There is a good chance that those diving little things might get a penalty. It’ll be refreshing to see someone who has at least saved a penalty in the last 4 years. Get well soon Cech & #COYG
I am looking forward to this game. I think we have a good chance of winning it. If we do, the top 4 door, which looked shut after the horror show at Swansea, would be wide open for us. COYG! Make it happen!
Tbh he should have been in contention for a game anyway as Cech’s form has not been good this season. He is supposed to be in competition with Ospina so the threat of losing his place should be on his mind when he is playing. I think Wenger can be very unfair with his selection by sticking to people who are out if form such as Cech and Xhaka and not picking Elneny and Ospina who do well when they come in the team
I personally would give Matt Macey the chance. Cech has been on poor form and Ospina, for me, is like waiting for an accident to happen. Always lays on the shots when he can catch them ect.
Matt macey looked really good in the Europa a few months ago
ospina is weak on crosses, frequently comes out to punch and gets caught in no mans land eg vs chelski in the coca-cola cup, a good shot stopper who has poor distribution , if we want any chance against the kane team we need cech back,
still to this day it doesnt make sense selling chessa to juve, mark my words he will be in the top 5 goalies in the world in the next couple of years.
and we will need to pay top dollar to find a replacement in the near term
He was a top top goalkeeper when he was at Arsenal but we (with we I don’t mean myself) didn’t value him. He didn’t do many mistakes like some like to say. Mostly they only remember his game against Southampton. That season we got so many goals from opponents first shot but those shots were unsavable. But at the end it was Szczesny’s fault. The same is today with Cech.
The first shot on goal was a goal for the best part of a season, take off the rose tinted glasses and take a look at some of the goals he let in. There were plenty of howlers. Southampton was just the final straw. He was never as good as he’s made out to be and he’s gone now, so time to move on and stop digging him up every time anybody mentions goalkeeper.
I think people keep digging him up every time someone tries to talk up Ospina to be fair. Whatever Chesney’s flaws his performances for us were better (that spell in 14-15 apart) than anything Ospina has shown for Arsenal. His performances in 13-14 were simply superb, at a level Ospina will simply never get to.
szcezeny has a scum of a dad
And if he does? So what?
Cech is the more solid option, but Ospina is an international first choice keeper with plenty of experience – not a bad back up in my opinion.
The hope is that if everyone in front of him – i.e. ALL of the 10 other players – do what they’re supposed to do, then I think we have more than enough in the squad for this change to not be an issue.
North London is red.
Genuinely, can you name another current Colombian keeper?? I just think It’s too easy to throw out the ‘international first choice’ argument. It’s like saying someone is a Jamaican athletics champion. Sounds Wow. But if it’s 5000m…not so wow….
I take your point about the international first choice. It doesnt always mean much. Closer to home Giroud is still first choice for France despite Laca, mbapppe and many others I suspect would be preferred at club level.
But 5000m athletics champion is pretty wow. Think trying to clock 100m in 15 seconds then do it 50 times non stop. The only ones I Suspect might think Jamaica are not wow at it is Ethopia as they dominate.
I welcome this news/opportunity for Ospina.
Bring back Wojciech Szczęsny !
Ship has saled/sailed.
Oblak is the target I believe now.
Based on conversations with the club, or your extensive research on social media. Is your source DialSquare inbetween his bed pan swaps?
How can someone say that Ospina in goal is not a bad thing? Have you ever watched him? Everytime he plays he makes a lots of mistakes. Made a big mistake against Everton when he tried to punch the ball when they had a corner kick. He made at least 3 same mistakes against Chelsea. He can’t catch a ball and his clearences are terrible. He may be a solid shot stopper but he is horrible at corners and crosses. He is also small which means he can’t save some shots which big keepers do it easily. Cech does all… Read more »
He lacks confidence commanding the box. He is less assured coming out and his punch outs can be too soft.
BUT he is a better reaction keeper than Cech.
Its 50-50. neither are complete at this stage.
Cech has a slight edge bc he tends to be less panicky.
But Ospina can also have inspired moments.
What I think is key is the defense(and midfield) have to really protect him against crosses. We need to be aware of the keepers faults to play to his strengths.
You think his reactions are better because he does flashy interventions. He can’t command in the box because he is small. Because of his height and bad positioing you also think his saves are good but in most cases Cech would only stand because he doesn’t has to dive.
For example last year games against Bayern. We would have never got 10 goals with Cech in goal even though Ospina didn’t do anything wrong. Cech is twice as keeper as Ospina is just because of his big presence.
Ospina needs to play regularly, he’s a very good reaction keeper and when he got a run in the team he outperformed Cech and Szczesney. The defense seem to understand him and play well with him, and I’m completely OK with him getting a chance.
Sorry but the defence are – clearly – terrified by Ospina!! Especially at set pieces. Kos in particular it is very clear has zero respect for his abilities.
Always loved Szczesney. Miserable when he was loaned out, and heartbroken when he was sold.
Ospina’s issue is commanding the box. He’s not as assured. In terms of shot blocking, he has better reaction than Cech. We still do not react quickly enough tracking back from midfield. Also Monreal was again caught too far up field (for the block Mustafi had to make on Walcott last game) The fullbacks have to pick their moments better. And this is just not a Granit problem alone in midfield just to clarify. The entire midfield needs to be switched on and pitch in. Its not a one man job. Our biggest problem is awareness as a team. Too… Read more »
Everyone talking about diving on here… Mark my words… Mhki, Ramsey, Auba, Wilshere will all take a tumble with very little contact. It’s unfortunate but it’s part of the game.
Ospina is a great #2 keeper. Probably a #1 on many teams. Our #1 is Cech and he is not 100% fit and perhaps struggling a bit with confidence. Perfect time for Ospina to show his worth. He’s hungry, he’s got a WC to look forward to and he’s been patient without throwing his toys out of the pram. Let’s get behind him. I have no worries with him stepping in for Cech. He’s an experienced keeper who has faced many pressure situations with us. Time for him to get a winning record over the Scum.
‘Ospina is a great #2 keeper. Probably a #1 on many teams.’
We were willing to let him go for a relatively small fee in the summer. He’s on relatively small wages. He wanted to go. He’s at a perfect age for a keeper.
If your statement is true, someone would have bought him. The fact they didn’t makes it clear most people in the know in football know the statement isn’t true.
He wasn’t looking for a move so his agent wasn’t in the marketplace. I’m sure if he wanted to move he would have had lots of clubs coming in for him.
*Impending clean sheet klaxon*