Arsene Wenger makes his fair share of bad decisions, but credit where credit’s due, he made a brilliant call for Arsenal’s game against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners’ teamsheet boasted the name of David Ospina in goal, not Petr Cech, which was an incredibly bold move given the latter’s prowess.
Admittedly, Cech did score an own goal in the weekend’s win over Southampton, but it wasn’t one that could really be avoided.
It came as rather a shock to see Ospina between the sticks at the Parc des Princes, but no-one will have been more surprised by his performance than PSG’s attack.
Granted, the hosts got off to a flyer with a goal just 45 seconds into the game, but after that, the Colombian did brilliantly to keep out the likes of Edinson Cavani.
It now seems likely that the stopper will retain his place, at Cech’s expense, for the next Champions League game against Basel, which takes place at the Emirates on September 28.
Wenger told the Mirror:
“Tonight [Ospina] showed his detractors, those who doubted him, that he is a very good goalkeeper.
“Last year he made a mistake in the Champions League and everyone jumped all over him. He showed what he’s about tonight.”
Asked whether Ospina was their Champions League goalkeeper going forward, the Arsenal boss added:
“We have a rule that the keepers know. It’s important to have clear rules like that. They know what the rules are for the season. If they change, I’ll tell them.”
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