Arsenal Vs CSKA Moscow: Petr Cech is a no-brainer

Arsene Wenger is reportedly considering swapping his goalkeeper rotation this Thursday, starting Petr Cech between the Arsenal sticks, and not David Ospina. For me, it is an absolute no-brainer.

Throughout the season, Arsene Wenger has continually rotated between his two goalkeepers depending on the competition that the upcoming fixture is a part of. If it is a Premier League match, then Petr Cech starts; if it is a domestic or European cup competition, then David Ospina starts. For many Arsenal fans like myself, it is infuriating.

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But Wenger is steadfast to it, so much so that when it came to the Carabao Cup final, the ideal chance to secure the first trophy of the season, he continued with Ospina between the sticks, leaving the more reliable and assured Cech in the bench.

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At that point in the season, however, there were still league fixtures that carried great importance — Arsenal would play Manchester City again just four days later, a game that they needed to win to keep themselves in the top-four race. Fast-forward a little over a month, however, and that is no longer the case. The top four is now out of reach. The threat of slipping further down the table is not an especially scary one. And so, all of the Gunners’ eggs are now in the Europa League basket.

Potentially, that means the goalkeeping eggs too. Per a report in The Daily Telegraph, Wenger is considering starting Cech, and not Ospina, in Thursday night’s first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against CSKA Moscow. Cech didn’t play on Sunday, struggling with an injury that prevented him from even making the bench. It’s fair to wonder if Wenger is now using that as an opportunity to justly and considerately make the switch.

For me, it is a no-brainer. The remaining seven league fixtures should now be seen like early-season EFL Cup or early-round FA Cup matches. While it is still nice to win them, there is a greater purpose in bleeding prospective youngster, enacting a rotation policy to keep veteran reserves match-fit, and resting the star players for more important fixtures, like this one on Thursday night.

Some would perhaps argue that there is little difference between Ospina and Cech, and that rotating between the two does not really provide any greater defensive security or protection. However, while I concede that in sheer ability the two are now of a very similar standard — Ospina might even be the better shot-stopper –, there is a key mental element that Cech provides that Ospina cannot replicate.

Thanks to his entrenched experience, his excellent positional play, his sound and anticipatory reading of the game, and the calmness and confidence that he exudes, those who defend in front of him are comfortable, knowing that Cech has a firm command over his penalty area. The same cannot be said for Ospina. As Gary Neville rightly stated, he makes me ‘nervous’. And he undoubtedly makes those around him nervous. For a defender, there is no worse a feeling.

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It remains to be seen whether these suggestions have any truth to them. I have had a hunch all a long that Cech may start, if he was fit enough, but that is nothing more than a gut feeling. Nevertheless, it is a decision that I would like to see Wenger make. It may be harsh on Ospina, but, for me, Petr Cech is an absolute no-brainer.