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Petr Cech Really Was All Arsenal Needed This Summer
By Josh Sippie
It may not be the popular thing to say, but this far into the season, we may be seeing that Arsene Wenger did alright this summer. Right as the window opened, Arsenal were the proud recipients of the living legend, Petr Cech. The 33-year old Czech keeper was pegged by former Chelsea team mate John Terry to “save Arsenal 12-15 points”. He may already be on track to save more than that.
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Petr Cech has been unreal. He saved Arsenal a point against Liverpool and kept United blanked. Now, statistics reveal that he has the highest save percentage in the English Premier League. All that really does is add a provable statistical number to something we already knew – Arsenal finally have a title-winning keeper.
Petr Cech brings an unfamiliar feeling to Arsenal. In the past, even when David Ospina was at his peak, even when Wojciech Szczesny was winning his golden gloves, there was always this feeling. It was like a sick, creeping feeling that something could go horribly wrong at the position where it really should never go horribly wrong.
But with Petr Cech back there, the confidence is palpable. The demonstrative keeper is a machine at the back. He commandeers the back line, makes unreal saves and gives Arsenal safety.
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At the start of the year, against West Ham, Petr Cech was a bit off his game. Call it nerves, call it whatever you want. But he recovered and proved to be one of the best £10 million investments in Arsenal’s history.
Which brings us back to the initial assessment. Did Arsene Wenger do alright this summer after all?
Many, including myself, were clamoring for other signings. A striker or a defensive midfielder, either and/or both would have been phenomenal. No doubt that had Karim Benzema and Grzegroz Krychowiak signed, Arsenal would be in the midst of another Invincible season. But as recent results have shown, Arsenal are in fine shape. And honestly, they have been all along. It just took some time.
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A little depth would have been nice. It would have let us all breath easy. But the addition of Petr Cech gives us a foundation to be 100% confident in. The attack is clicking and the defense is more athletic than anything we have seen in the past decade.
It may be frustrating that Arsenal was not able to get a bit more. But the fact that we mended the keeper position is cause for celebration. This is an Arsenal team that had all the tools to compete. We saw that last year. Petr Cech simply cements that knowledge.
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