Is Wenger Taking A Risk With Szczesny?
With Almunia still out of favour and Lukasz Fabianski injured for the rest of the season, the goalkeeping duty for Arsenal has fallen on the young shoulders of Wojciech Szczesny. The 20 year old has been sensational when out on loan in the lower leagues and has been entrusted with defending the goal for Arsenal this season.
I think that although Wenger wanted to give the young Pole a taste of first team action this season, he did not anticipate him becoming the first choice goalkeeper. Due to injuries, loans and loss of form amongst the others he is now considered the first choice and Almunia will have to work hard to displace him.
Szczesny certainly looks comfortable between the sticks but I’m not sure he has really been tested yet. We won’t know what he has made of until Arsenal face Barcelona in the Champions League. But is Wenger right to rest the hopes of the season on such a young player?
Most other managers choose older more experienced goalkeepers because it is so important for the confidence of the rest of the team. Clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea place their faith in experienced goalkeepers that are mentally strong under pressure. And this has proven to work as they’ve won their teams points and trophies by keeping clean sheets.
And however much you admire Wenger for bringing in young players the fact is that Arsenal haven’t won anything for years. Some would say this shows his management style is wrong.
So the question is, is Szczesny too young to bear the responsibility, especially since Arsenal seem to have a real chance at winning some trophies? Or must we accept that every young goalkeeper has to start at some point and that the only way he can get experience is by playing lots of games. The next couple of weeks will tell whether Wenger is right to place his trust in Szczesny.
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Though in most instances, this article would hit the nail on the head, I really believe that Szczesny is a bit of a phenom right now. He seems VERY confident in goal and has really gelled with the team. More and more these days, the maturity and confidence of younger players is being called upon and with so many players to learn from, I’m not surprised to see Szczesny’s success.
Before we start pre-judging the situation, let’s take a second to remember how dire the situation was for Arsenal between the sticks the first couple months of the season. There was no confidence. I don’t even worry about the position anymore, perhaps it’s because we’re thinner than Tila Tequila’s lingerie at Center back. I am confident of Szczesny’s ability in goal right now.
I do think we are at least covered in goal for now. Almunia is back and though I don’t see him as a top class starter, he’s a very good backup. Unless we incur more injuries, I think Wenger is top-on here. Very similarly to Jack Wilshire. Szczesny is set for the opportunity to show he is destined for a great carear.
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How old was Iker Casilas when he stated keeping for Real Madrid, for me Szczesny is far better than Almunia, look at the saves he made against Everton with his chest and hands spread wide. Let us believe in him because he is going to come good and be our full no 1 from next season.
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You have not made any points sir. I am sorry if that offends you, but its the truth. List the trophies we have won with Almunia in goal. Your article is one long paradox.
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I don’t understand what you mean by saying he hasn’t really been tested. Our defence has done a great job but everytime Szcesny has been called upon he has done well and pulled some fantastic saves.
We dont need to play top sides for a goalkeeper to be tested, as is evident from the games we’ve lost this season. Even at manure, he was beaten by a fluke goal and that was supposed to be his first EPL start.
As for Barcelona, that is a different case. One of the best goalkeepers in the world (Casillas) was beaten five times and from what i gather, he plays for one the the most successful teams in history. So many other top keepers have been made nuisance by a Barcelona side.
What i believe is Barca will have it all to against us. Its a different side to last season’s and the key factors are confidence, less injuries (hopefully). I hope Alves and maxwell move upfield like they do against other teams and i hope its Pique and Abidal or Puyol that remain in defence. We have weaknesses, they do too!
odds are largely in Barca’s favour but just like against AC in 2008, we’ll shock the world!!
I LOVE MY ARSENAL. VICTORIA CONCORDIA CRESCIT!!!!
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he doesn’t have a choice now…
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No it is not a risk, it’s just about talent and confidence and chesney has got both. Look at jack wilshere at 19 he is bossing the midfield like a 25 year old
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I thank szczesny is better than almunian and he has made some good save but he is young and also has quality so in case of injures to him which i don’t pray for we have to call back mannone he is better than almunian because he has quality to be a good no 1 keeper he has prove it to us at arsenal or on loan, i will like mannone and szczesny to be our future keepers because they are tall and have quality which fabanski only has quality but not tall
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Makenzi is right! No one is questioning Wilshere! And rightly so! Szczesny is the best keeper at the club look at all the stats! People on this blog have been screaming for him to start and he has earned his place. I think that the editor on this had nothing to write about! Look at David De Gea of Atletico Madrid! Last season he was their 4th choice and they had just spent 8 million euros on a keeper! Then the third choice went out on loan and the first two got injuried and at the age of 19 he was brilliant and now he is the most sought after young keeper in the world! Give Szczensy his chance he believes he is good enough and has no demons with mistakes like Almunia and Fabianski does! Sell Almunia in the summer and give Szczensy the number 1 shirt! He just signed a 5 year contract worth 30,000 a week. A pay rise from 2,000 so he clearly is quality!!
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Also remember IF any problem we can recall Vito Mannone from Hull, so no problems as i see AND he does seem special. Van da Saar started in top flight at 20!!
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Szczesny made a premier league debut at Old Trafford, was an Arsenal no.3 goalkeeper at that time and he had to face a very tough task against in form Man Utd but he was very solid, confident, made some good saves and dealing well with the threats. He deserves as a no. 1 now.
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szczesny is a great keeper and should definitely be our number 1. all of the goals hes conceded havnt been his fault.
man utd – very lucky goal
leeds penalty – keeper is always up against it
leeds screamer – simply unsavable
ipswich and everton – both very good finishes into the bottom corner
the only one he maybe couldve done better with was the huddersfield goal and even then the defenders shouldve done better
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Haha.. let everyone talk about arsenal not winning any tropies for years for another 23 days. But after that let’s laugh at their faces as they won’t have nothing to say. come on arsenal…arsenal
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Wenger was taking a risk giving Flappy so many opportunities. For me, Szczczczczczczczesny has shown more in a month than his compatriot has shown throughout his Arsenal career.
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To be honest, i don’t doubt szczesny goal-keeping abilities but yes, it’s a risk by wenger. Szczesny, fortunately, has the support of the fans and that’s good for him….Like the article says, he hasn’t really been tested yet. I think he’s a good keeper but he hasn’t had the performances to back my claim. If he survives barca, then it will be confirmed. He’s better than almunia though. That’s for sure. So in the present circumstances, i think it’s good he’s number one.
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Swagger how can you say that chesney hasn’t been tested yet?? Did you watch the game against united when he made his premier league debut?? If another keeper was between the sticks that day we would’ve lost by atleast 3 goals… He saved the rooney chip and that 1 on 1 with anderson… Casillas was 19 when he won his first champions league medal with madrid, and he is definitely one of the best if not the best keepers in the world, why are people complaining about chesney when de gea is being rated as one of the best keepers in the world at the age of 19.. Everybody has been complaining about the prof not buying a quality keeper and now that we have 1 you are doubting him…
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Love the comments full of praise an optimism, come on The Arsenal.
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szczesny is a top quality keeper, a few years down the line i could imagine real madrid, man shitty etc. trying to capture his signature. Barca will be a test for the lad but i’ll think he’ll do as good as any other top class keeper would although almunia made the saves of his life against them in the champs league!!
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I love how vocal he is and he is not short of confidence, i’m just pleased we have a keeper that isn’t prone to an outragous blunder, his kicking is a bit suspect though but that will get better with games, i hope we stick with him as i’ve no doubt he will be a great goalie.
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only one critisiscm , should of come out to priskin against ipswich . other than that couldnt falt him . recent defensive displays also down to him , defence looks calmer more relaxed better organised with schzezny in goal . no coincidence the clean sheets have started coming more often sinse hes become are number 1 ! having said all that dont forget almunias best ever performance in an arsenal shirt ? yep 1st leg against barcelona last year ! remember that game ?
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There’s absolutely no sense in this article. Before Szczesny got his chance everyone was ranting about how he was the next big thing and how Wenger was making a big mistake by not playing him. Now suddenly he’s not good enough? Even though he’s played superbly every time he’s been out? Why don’t we supporters just keep quiet and do our job, i.e., support?
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Since we all already know that Almunia is shit, and fabianski is injured for the rest of the season, we dont really have other choices right (unless we recall mannone or promote james shea)
Szczensy has been performing rather admirably these past few weeks, and made some really good save. He is very confident every time he plays (equal in confidence to bendtner)
I believe he will continue to do well in goal. The real test would be barcelona and i believe he will be severely tested in that game
If Szczensy really does perform for us and win us some silverware, then I believe we would have just gotten our very own Joe hart or iker Casillas
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you only have to read the gooners comments to see szchezza is top class. hopefully he stays our number 1.. the kid broke both his arms in the gym less than 3 years ago. he will only strive 2get better. only let in one goal in prem in 2011… AND THAT WAS SAHAHAHAHA’S
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there is no words called risk in this point…wenger he knows what he is doing….no excusse at the end…wenger…if he can make profit 50m…he can spend 20m… atleast…
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how things change in a matter of weeks not long ago,you all wanted the hapless schwarzer,at arsenal,and fabinaski sold,some wanted Szcesny as our number one, now fabinaski ,been brilliant,unfortunatly he got injured,but now you saying Szcesny too young, you never happy,the one thing fabinaski and Szcesny, have proven is that it was right for wenger not to buy schwarzer,and to give our keepers time,
reading his articles has proven one thing to me,it won’t matter if arsenal go another 5 years or more with out a trophy or if they win every thing in thier way every season,you will find something to moan about and put a downer on things,instead of enjoying the football you seeing.
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Iker casillas was 19 when he played and won the champions league final. All that thing of the expirience is a bunch of crap, only because with a good amount of talent you can compensate much of that.
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@mnq
I’m not of the opinion that szczesny is too young to be our number one. I don’t care what age a player is as long as he’s good enough…Look at wilshere for example. Szczesny hasn’t made any blunders at all but he hasn’t done anything spectacular yet. We could also question his positioning for the man utd goal (i’d take that as lack of experience). Wenger said it himself at the beginning of the season (when we didn’t know who our number one would be) that making szczesny number one would be a risk. I believe szczesny will be a world-class keeper At the moment, we don’t even have a choice so…..I’d rather have him than almunia…It’s a risk that may pay off.
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Goalkeepers…..Seems to me Wenger has little or no choice unless Almunia stands up.
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@lee: The Huddersfield goal was let in by Almunia..not Sczezny..cheers…
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for me Szcesny is the beez-neez. he’s tall (uncoachable quality), he’s commanding in goal & has done an admirable job (much like Wilshire in MF) of directing his traffic on the back line……& he hasn’t been all that well protected due to some shoddy CB work of late.
he’s shown the propencity to make great saves look rather ho-hum at times & he almost always looks to be in great position to make the save.
to me…the 2 biggest qualities that not only put him above all current keepers at Arsenal, but also anyone we could possible sign (for our money) are:
1) his size & his athletic ability, along with his confidence & his willingness to dominate his area make him very formidable in the air on crosses & set plays. something we have been SORELY lacking at the GK position. i don’t worry nearly as much when an aerial ball comes into the box as i do/did with Flappy or Almunia.
2) he doesn’t just have size…he uses it. take notice particularly on his few 1v1 saves whereby he’s come out from his roost, made his big frame even larger, & came away with saves on the edge of his big mits, the tips of his large chest, & the shoelaces on his long legs as he’s spread open to make saves.
too many times have i had to endure Almunia come out to make a 1v1 save all-too-narrow with his arms bent & his torso angled to one side or the other. & Fabianski doesn’t seem too interested in doing anything different than this.
Szcesny makes himself bigger & is a very difficult obstacle to overcome. i feel that Van Der Sar is an adequate comparison for him. let’s just hope he remains this consistent & we’ll have our future keeper.
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do we have a choice?
almunia is just returning from injury, and is…Almunia!
Wish fabianski hadn’t gotten injured as i think he was really beginning to shine. unfortunately now we’ll have to play a young inexperienced keeper, although very talented. will be interesting to see how it plays out.
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people who say he’s done a good job directing the back 4…how can you possibly know that?
he’s 20 years old, and playing him as the first keeper for the rest of the season isn’t an ideal situation. hopefully he can cope.
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when it comes to keepers, i think age is a big reflection of experience and capability.
there are of course the rare exceptions such as the young german international (and hopefully shezny). but in general, the best keepers are late 20s plus.
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well said bazisgay…arsenal supporters are little bitches
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szcesny is looking promising but aint proved anything yet time will tell. GOOD LUCK TO HIM.
wengs got no choice anyway
Mark says:
well said bazisgay…arsenal supporters are little bitches
AND WHO THE FK DO YOU SUPPORT?
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He’s the best we have at the moment, and he seems to have a lot of talent.
Given the alternatives, sure Wenger’s taking a risk. But Almunia (or Shea???) would be a bigger risk.
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I used to worry every game about our keepers but I don’t any more. I think wenger took the risk over the summer when he didn’t buy a world class keeper and instead opted to carry on with his policy of growing players in house, a policy I wholeheartedly endorse. Sczczesny is quickly becoming our most reliable keeper and I for one don’t want to see him replaced by anyone that we currently have at the club. I say leave him in there and let him prove himself. Time will tell if he’s not quite good enough, but right now I think I speak for everyone when I say that at least it’s not almunia between the sticks.
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I believe it WAS a risk. When Wenger put him in front of the post against Man U for the first time, It was a BIG risk. Yet , he exceeded all expectations. Therefore, the question of Szczesny (Is the spelling right?) being comfortable in front of Barcelona is irrelevant as he was quite comfortable in front of Man U which was his first team game!
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How old is Joe Hart????
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The other choice is almunia. And he has allowed 8 goals in 3 matches against them. Now which one do you think is riskier?
Almunia guarantees 3 goals for the shitcatalans, i think that giving a chance to schezny of getting a clean sheet is not riskier than giving away 3 goals with almunia between the sticks.
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the guys a class act. hes made one mistake since hes been in, n hes helped win us points by making crucial safe at keys points in games. if hes good enough it doesnt matter how old he is, stick wiv him now n we’ve got the keeper situation sorted for years to come. dont see the point in looking for problems where there arnt any fella.
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NO
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