Arsenal: Bernd Leno not as ideal as Shkodran Mustafi believes

Shkodran Mustafi has stated that Bernd Leno has everything a modern goalkeeper needs. But the new Arsenal goalkeeper is not quite as ideal as his German compatriot believes. There are some issues to iron out.

As the season rumbles on and Unai Emery’s plans further reveal themselves, there is one position in particular in the Arsenal squad that is ostensibly set to be a competition throughout the entirety of the campaign. Yes, I am talking about the battle between the sticks.

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When Bernd Leno was acquired in the summer for £20 million, it was assumed that he would then become the Gunners’ starter. Petr Cech was coming off the poorest season of his time in north London and was now 36 years of age. David Ospina, similarly, had proven himself short of the necessary standard, and it seemed as though change was sure to come.

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But Emery has rebelled against the apparent plans of Arsenal’s Head of Recruitment, Sven Mislintat, continuing with Cech as his starting goalkeeper, rather than inserting Leno. It is a strange decision. But at the root of it, there must be something that Emery does not see in Leno that others do.

For example, Shkodran Mustafi, who has grown up with Leno in the German footballing set-up, extolled his compatriot’s qualities, stating that he has everything one would want in a modern keeper:

"“I know Bernd very well because we played together since the Under-15s German team, so I have known him for a long time. He is a brilliant goalkeeper. He has everything a modern keeper needs: good feet, good hands and he has personality.”"

Obviously, Emery does not agree. If he did, Cech would not have started against Manchester City and Chelsea. So, what does Emery doubt about Leno that Mustafi and Mislintat do not?

Well, in Mustafi’s assessment of Leno’s natural qualities, there was a clear omission: reliability. In principle, nothing that Mustafi said was false. You could take qualms with his suggestion that Leno is a ‘brilliant goalkeeper’, but Leno does have everything that a modern keeper requires, as Mustafi says. The problem is that it does not always translate into performances on the pitch. Leno is unreliable.

Throughout his time with Bayer Leverkusen, Leno always struggled with individual, momentary errors. A poor catch, a simple save that should have been completed, the wrong decision to come out for a set piece or cross, a poor pass or touch. It is not that he lacks the ability to do these actions, it’s that he does not actually produce when is necessary. He is undependable, and that is the worst possible trait for a goalkeeper, the very last line of defence, to have.

This, I believe, is why Emery is not quite so trusting of Leno as Mustafi and Mislintat may be. Leno can still work his way into the line-up, but he is not the ideal goalkeeper that some my argue him to be.