Petr Cech vs. Wojciech Szczesny: Breaking Down the Arsenal 'Keeper Battle
The battle between Wojciech Szczesny and Petr Cech seems certain to be one of the major subplots of Arsenal’s 2015/16 season.
With reports from Turkish outlet HaberTurk (h/t the Independent) that David Ospina is on the verge of a move to Fenerbahce, it seems Szczesny will left to provide cover and competition for new arrival Cech. Although Szczesny currently wears the No. 1 shirt, he must be conscious that he is likely to start the season back on the bench. Regaining his place with Arsenal looks to be an upward struggle.
On his public Facebook page, Szczesny has offered the new boy a warm welcome, saying: “Petr Cech, welcome to Arsenal FC! Delighted to have a chance to learn from one of the best GK's in the world!”
However, legendary Poland goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski feels the younger 'keeper will be less than happy about the experienced Czech's arrival. He told Polish newspaper Przeglad (h/t the Mirror).
"In January I spoke to [Poland manager] Adam Nawalka and he said that Arsene Wenger had told him that if Szczesny worked hard in training he would play again soon.
It turned out that he didn't tell the truth. I'm sure that when Szczesny said that he was going to stay at Arsenal, he didn't know that Cech was going to come because Wenger didn't tell him about his plans. Szczesny should leave, because it will be waste of time for him, if he stays.
Wojciech must be devastated. This [Petr Cech transfer] is a big problem also for the Polish national team.
"
If Szczesny wants to reclaim his spot for club and country, he has quite the fight on his hands. In this piece, we break down the battle between the two 'keepers by looking at four key areas.
Experience
This is one area where Cech undoubtedly has the edge. It’s not just his age—the new signing is 33 compared to Szczesny’s 25—the simple fact is he’s won almost all there is to win in the club game.
Cech has claimed four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League. Winning on that scale is a habit that Szczesny is yet to acquire.
There are individual accolades too: Cech has been named as the best goalkeeper in the French and English leagues on more than one occasion, holds three Premier League Golden Glove awards and has twice made the PFA Team of the Year.
Aerial Dominance
Both men are identical in height—their 6'5" frames a distinct shared advantage over the shorter Ospina. However, on the evidence of last season, it is actually Szczesny who is more comfortable coming off his line to deal with crosses.
He was successful with a remarkable 95 per cent of his claims, as opposed to Cech’s ratio of 71 per cent. He’s also less prone to punching, doing so just 12 per cent of the time, whereas Cech punched on 29 per cent of occasions last season.
It seems that Szczesny is more comfortable dealing with the Premier League’s aerial bombardment. Perhaps this could be attributed to caution from Cech after his serious head injury.
Shot-Stopping
A goalkeeper’s most basic task is to stop the ball entering the back of the net, and it is here where Cech seems to come to the fore.
A problem Arsenal had during Szczesny’s spell as No. 1 was that every time the opponent managed to get a shot away, it seemed to find the net. The Gunners could be dominating the game and then suddenly find themselves behind. That’s reflected in the stats: Szczesny made just 1.4 saves per goal last season.
Cech, on the other hand, made a massive seven saves per goal. To put that in perspective, the man who replaced him as Chelsea’s first-choice stopper, Thibaut Courtois, made just 2.1 saves per goal.
That sparkling form enabled Cech to keep five clean sheets in his seven Premier League matches, finishing with an average-goals-conceded-per-game ratio of just 0.29.
Personality
This may be the biggest flaw in Szczesny’s game. The decision to drop him last season was probably informed as much by his poor behaviour in the dressing room as his performances on the pitch. It may simply be a case of having too much too young: Szczesny became Arsenal’s No. 1 very early in his career, and he may have grown complacent.
By contrast, Cech appears to be a very calm, measured and respectful man. It was clear he was perceived as one of the leaders in the Chelsea dressing room, wearing the captain’s armband on occasion and being vocal in his encouragement on the field. He’s sure to set a tremendous example for the club’s younger players—such as Szczesny.
Cech’s natural authority makes him a huge addition to Arsenal. Like Per Mertesacker, he will be valued as much for his personality as his performances.
Conclusion
At the present time, there’s no doubt Cech has the upper hand. Having arrived for a major fee with a huge reputation, he’s certain to start 2015/16 in goal.
However, Arsene Wenger is clearly unwilling to jettison Szczesny just yet. He’s an academy product, and the club has already invested a decade in his development. It is far too soon to contemplate giving up on him entirely.
The great news for Arsenal is that Szczesny could learn an enormous amount from Cech. The Pole has lacked a suitable senior role model for much of his Arsenal career, and Cech’s tremendous career record ought to inspire the younger man to follow suit.
Cech will win the short-term battle, but if he and Szczesny can become allies, then Arsenal will surely be the real victors.
All stats based on Squawka data for Premier League 2014/15
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2015-16 season. Follow him on Twitter here.
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