Arsenal: Petr Cech still starting goalkeeper and that’s just fine

Bernd Leno, Arsenal’s new goalkeeper, has yet to make his Premier League debut. Petr Cech is still the starting goalkeeper and that is just fine, for now.

Arsenal bought Bernd Leno for around £20 million in the recently concluded transfer window — the precise fee depends on the activation of a number of clauses and varies depending on which source you use.

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Leno was originally thought to be the new number one for the club after Petr Cech’s disastrous season in 2017-2018. Because David Ospina was simply not good enough to challenge Cech for the goalkeeper position, Cech was played week in and week out bar in the cup games and a handful of Premier League games when he was injured.

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The idea in mind when Leno was acquired was that he would replace Cech as Arsenal’s starting keeper. Cech would then have to work hard to challenge Leno and potentially take his spot back in the future. In other words, Leno and Cech would fight for the starting spot. However, Cech has started in goal against Manchester City and Chelsea, with Leno yet to make his PL debut, leaving fans a bit confused.

To add to the confusion, Unai Emery is insistent on playing out from the back, which is when the keeper plays short passes to his defenders instead of merely booting balls upfield. Leno is the clear-cut keeper for the job, comfortable with the ball at his feet. Cech is old-fashioned and appears uncomfortable, to say the least, with playing out from the back. In the game versus Manchester City, he nearly passed it into his own net!

Even after the Man. City game, Cech continued as the starting keeper against Chelsea, although in this game, he appeared to have improved, with one of Arsenal’s plays involving the entire defense as well as a number of attackers in the largest build-up from the back, resulting in the second goal.

While Cech may not have the same level of ball-playing abilities as Leno, he is the starting keeper and is improving with every game. In both games so far, Cech has made a number of outstanding saves. Although Arsenal lost both games, Cech kept the scoreline respectable, keeping his team in the game for far longer than they perhaps deserved, especially against City.

Wasn’t the point of bringing in Leno to ensure that the two compete for the starting spot and that the better player gets the nod? If Cech is performing well and making good saves, while Leno watches on the bench, so be it. If Cech’s form dips and he sits on the bench, so be it.

But as long as there is a competition and the best man wins, it doesn’t really matter who starts. For now, that’s Cech. His form will dictate if that remains the case throughout the season. In the meantime, Leno will have to wait patiently on the bench for his chance, and that’s just fine.