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Arsenal manager Unai Emery has this afternoon confirmed that Petr Cech is set to retain his place between the posts for the Gunners versus Chelsea this weekend.
Arsenal vs Chelsea
The capital giants are set to renew their rivalry at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, with the two sides heading into the clash on the back of contrasting Premier League opening day fortunes last weekend.
Chelsea’s first competitive fixture under Maurizio Sarri saw the Blues run out dominant 3-0 victors over Huddersfield, whereas the first competitive outing of the Unai Emery era at Arsenal resulted in a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
The Cech vs Leno debate
As such, the pressure will be on the latter to either secure a result, or at least guide Arsenal to a solid performance at Chelsea, to ensure the Spaniard’s tenure in North London doesn’t get off to the worst possible start.
In the aftermath of his side’s loss to Manchester City last Sunday, and indeed ahead of this weekend’s trip to Stamford Bridge, one of the key talking points with regards to Unai Emery surrounds the team selection of the former PSG boss.
Emery surprised the masses ahead of Arsenal’s matchup with City, when he opted to leave summer signings Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira on the bench, in favour of Matteo Guendouzi and Petr Cech.
While the decision of Guendouzi over Torreira may have been at least in some way enforced due to a lack of sharpness on the part of the latter following the World Cup, Emery’s choice of no.1 saw more than a few eyebrows raised.
MAINZ, GERMANY – SEPTEMBER 09: Bernd Leno goalkeeper of Leverkusen reacts during the Bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Opel Arena on September 9, 2017 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Cech to face his former club
Cech’s subsequent performance versus the champions did little to put the debate over whether Emery had made the right decision to bed, either. The veteran pulled off a number of superb saves from the likes of Sergio Aguero And Aymeric Laporte, but also had both his reflexes and ability with the ball at his feet called into question for separate incidents.
But, speaking to reporters a short time ago in anticipation of his side’s trip to Stamford Bridge this weekend, Gunners’ boss Emery confirmed that Cech is set to keep his place in goal this weekend, with Bernd Leno set for the bench once again:
Petr Cech looks to be a No.1, certainly in the short-term. Emery is happy with his goalkeeper, confirming he will start at Stamford Bridge, meaning Leno will have to bide his time. #AFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) August 16, 2018
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