Arsene Wenger is set to drop No.1 goalkeeper Petr Cech for Saturday’s clash with Hull City at the Emirates, according to the Daily Star.
The tabloid claims that the Arsenal boss is under pressure to “make a statement” following last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and will respond by axing his No.1.
Cech was at fault for Chelsea’s third goal, gifting the ball straight to former Gunner Cesc Fabregas, who lofted the ball straight back into the back of the net to make it 3-0. The club are also reportedly concerned by his form in general, and in particular his kicking.
Olivier Giroud subsequently went on to grab a consolation goal but it was a desperately disappointing result for Arsenal and all but ended their title hopes as they fell 12 points behind Antonio Conte’s men.
The report claims that David Ospina will replace Cech for the game against an in-form Hull City side who beat Liverpool 2-0 last weekend and also beat Manchester United in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg under new boss Marco Silva.
Ospina has been the club’s cup goalkeeper this season and featuring on Saturday may prove good preparation ahead of next week’s trip to Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich in the last 16 of the Champions League.
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The Colombian has impressed when he has been called upon this season and would surely relish the chance of more first-team action.
Cech, meanwhile, has come under scrutiny this season after appearing to fall slightly short of his consistently high standards and was clearly at fault for Fabregas’s goal on Saturday.
However, he was not the only Arsenal player to fail to shine against Chelsea and dropping him because of one mistake seems harsh particularly when the team as a whole failed to perform at Stamford Bridge.
While Cech may be reaching the end of his career he still remains one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and dropping him would be a huge call, particularly at this stage of the season.
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