4. David Ospina still makes me nervous
Arsene Wenger seems insistent on rotating his two goalkeepers. He repeatedly protests that he was two ‘world class’ shot-stoppers. I’m not sure he even has one. Nevertheless, there is a clear disparity between the two that he has, and the one who plays in the Europa League, now the most important competition of the season, is the worse of the two.
David Ospina is an excellent athlete. He saves shots with terrific agility and sharp reactions. But there are issues in his communication, the command of his area, especially from crosses and set plays, and in his decision making.
Against Milan, he could have easily conceded a penalty as he rashly flung himself at the feet of the far-too-honest Hakan Calhanoglu, he flapped at several crosses, including one corner in which Leonardo Bonucci beat him to the ball and should have scored, and chose the risky passes when a more conservative clearance would have been better served. Ospina is fine, in theory, but in practice, he still makes me very nervous indeed.