Wenger in Cech dilemma

LONDON. – After watching Arsenal lose the first leg of their Champions League soccer tie against Barcelona last year, Arsene Wenger had this to say: “Similar to Monaco last season, (we were) naive, and that is frustrating. When we looked like we could win the game, we just gave it away.”

Naivety and inexperience are recurring themes in Wenger’s Champions League press conferences.

Arsenal have not made it past the last 16 stage since 2010 and the Frenchman invariably moans about his team’s lack of maturity. Ties against AC Milan, Monaco, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have all played host to Arsenal’s annual unravelling.

Considering, then, this dearth of moral fortitude, you would imagine the first name on the team sheet for tonight’s game in Munich would be Petr Cech — the only man at the club to have won the competition, the only man at the club with more English Premier League titles than the manager, and the only man at the club to have won more than one European trophy.

But Cech won’t be the first name on the team sheet. He won’t be the second, either. In fact, he probably won’t even be the 11th. Wenger has started his second choice goalkeeper David Ospina in every Champions League game this season and is set to continue that trend tonight.

That motive — to convince the Colombian he has a future at the club — is understandable. Ospina is a talented keeper. He is not, though, as talented as Cech. Nor is he as experienced. By definition, second choice keepers are second best. He should not be starting a must-win Champions League match, especially one against a side as good as Bayern.

Ospina might well play brilliantly against Bayern but Cech is a leader on and off the pitch — he can calm nerves, claim crosses and keep clean sheets better than anyone else in the squad.

Ultimately, Arsenal’s slim chances of Champions League success decrease if they don’t play their best, most experienced players.

This is a fact recognised by fans, and it is a fact recognised by Arsenal’s players — players that are currently stalling over contract extensions because they are unsure of Arsenal’s ambition.

If Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil do not believe Wenger is doing everything in his power to win trophies, will they really sign new deals? Arsenal fans already know the answer.

With the Londoners struggling in the title race, Wenger is now putting his whole season in the hands of their No. 2 keeper as Arsenal head to Germany for the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Wenger did reserve himself the possibility to change this policy if the circumstances demanded but he is pleased with how Ospina has performed in Europe and is understood to have decided that the 28-year-old should start in Munich this week.

Colombia international Ospina played all six group matches and did well, but there was still a belief within the dressing room Wenger would revert to Cech for the knockout stages — particularly after drawing European giants Bayern.

Cech (34) was the hero of Arsenal’s 2-0 home win over the Germans in the group stage last season.

But Wenger promised Ospina he would play him in the Champions League this season to persuade him to stay at the club as understudy.

It would still be a gamble given Cech’s vast experience, big-match temperament and solid performance on Saturday against Hull City but his form generally has been less commanding this season.

Wenger also has a selection quandary in midfield tonight now that Granit Xhaka will return to the squad after missing the last four domestic games following his red card against Burnley.

Arsenal have largely struggled in those games but the central performances of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been one brighter aspect. One solution would be to play Xhaka alongside both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Francis Coquelin in the centre, although that would mean sacrificing an attacking player.

Mesut Ozil’s dip in form has been of concern recently to Wenger, although he is more likely to be deployed in a wider position than dropped completely.

Wenger has stressed to his team the importance of defensive discipline and ensuring that, unlike recent defeats at this stage of the Champions League, the match is not effectively lost before the second leg.

Bayern only qualified as group runners up and so Arsenal have the advantage of playing the second leg at The Emirates. – The Mirror.