Arsenal: Bernd Leno had a taste, now he wants the whole thing

Bernd Leno spoke about patience before he touched the pitch, but now that he touched it, he wants to be everything for Arsenal. Good. Now let’s let him have it.

Arsenal bought a new keeper, and spent a good deal on him, only to send him straight to the bench without so much as a chance to prove that he was of more value than Petr Cech, who made so many mistakes last year that by the end of the year, no one trusted him.

And thus far into the season, there isn’t much to indicate that Cech is any different. With the ball at his feet, which is a clear requirement under Unai Emery, Cech has nearly passed the ball into his own net and given away bizarre corners while also regularly passing the ball to the opposing team in instances that should have been goals for those opposing teams.

It’s been rough. But Emery is sticking with him and, in the meantime, Bernd Leno has been patient, saying that he isn’t crazy about demanding anything. But that was before he got a taste of the action. Now that he’s had a bite, he wants the whole thing (but don’t worry, he’s still not crazy).

Leno said, following the Vorskla victory, that he wanted regular time with the Gunners, insinuating the same kind of thing that Szczesny used to say – he wants to be the No. 1, the main man.

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Leno looked as though he would be keeping a clean sheet, but two bizarre, rocketed goals got by in the last 15 minutes and left Leno undoubtedly frustrated, at which point he said these things about wanting to play more.

Frankly, I can’t blame him. Leno showed a ball control with his feet that we haven’t seen out of a keeper. Ever. His very first pass was a cool, chipped ball into the midfield. As I mentioned in an earlier article about Leno, his passing was an actual weapon. The gulf between weapon and liability is the same gulf between Leno and Cech, at least with the ball at their feet.

And it’s not like Cech has been saving us points, or making up for his inability to play the ball with his feet. I don’t want to sound like I’m just piling on Cech, though. There is certainly still a need for him at the club, but Leno has the upper hand in all the key categories and unless he shows otherwise, he can do all the things Cech does well.

I don’t know when this will change, or if it will. But it kind of needs to. From Leno’s point of view, he is seeing a keeper ten years his senior make mistakes that he himself would never make, yet he is being relegated to side duties.

Hopefully that only makes him hungrier.