I’m not convinced. Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny was dropped for two games, to rest the player, according to Wenger, and suddenly he has become expendable and the Gunners will look to replace all 3 of their aspiring goalkeepers with Swansea’s Michel Vorm? I doubt it.
The Polish shot-stopper definitely looks like he could have used some rest before now, and Wenger admits that it may have been wise to give him a break in some of the cup games, but retrospectively, it’s always easy to spot your mistakes.
The young goalkeeper is a promising young talent, and the ‘young’ aspect must be stressed. How many 22-year-old ‘keepers are there competing at the top flight of English football? Not many. David de Gea experiences a similar problem at United. These players have the potential to be world class, but at their age, they cannot be expected to have the maturity of players 4 or 5 years their senior. Unfortunately, the risk of playing in goal is that if you make a mistake, it’s usually a costly one. They just need a bit of time to grow and mature as players, and we will see them perform excellently at this level for many years to come.
Moreover, despite Vorm’s recent good form, and the fact that he probably would fit in well at Arsenal, Wenger has 2 capable alternatives to his young goalkeeper. Fabianski (previously nicknamed Flap-ianski) impressed during the second leg against Bayern, and at 27/28, he’s entering his prime. Vito Mannone is another young talent who filled Szczesny’s shoes admirably earlier this season when he was out injured, but it’s clear he needs far more training before he can perform regularly. Regardless, I don’t see Wenger dishing out for a new ‘keeper when he has 3 decent options already, and for once, I am completely in favour of the Frenchman keeping his chequebook in his pocket.
Sean Wilson
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