Arsene Wenger refuses to criticise Szczesny for red card

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The Arsenal boss has publicly backed his goalkeeper after a red-card against Galatasaray last night.

Arsenal dominated Galatasaray last night, with a hat-trick from Danny Welbeck and a goal from Alexis Sanchez doing the trick at The Emirates in a 4-1 win.

It was in general a good day for the newbies at Arsenal last night. Sanchez and Welbeck scoring, Calum Chambers solid at right-back and David Ospina, the summer signing from Nice, impressing between the sticks for Arsenal.

Of course he did not start the game. Wojciech Szczesny did but the Polish international received his marching orders after an hour. He came out for a one-on-one situation but was beaten to the ball by the attacking Galatasaray player and the referee was left in no qualms with his decision, a second red-card of Szczesny’s Arsenal career.

It is the third such time he has received a red-card like this in his career. It cost him his place in the Poland team at Euro 2012 after he did the same thing against Greece.

Szczesny is a very talented goalkeeper, but he has at times found himself criticised for his concentration levels and decision making.

But last night Wenger refused to lay the blame on the Polish stopper. He told Arsenal.com that the team should not have given the ball away in the first place:

“We lost the ball, an unnecessary mistake in our own half, and after that it was a through ball. I saw him coming out and I thought he may have read the situation well. He tried to come out and was fraction late so he conceded the penalty. It can happen. I think the fact is that we’re more guilty of losing the ball in our own half – it can be dangerous and we didn’t defend too well on that front.”

The problem now for Szczesny is that in the past, the players waiting in the wings to take his place have not been good enough or indeed fit enough. Lukasz Fabianski spent too long on the treatment table while Vito Mannone and Emiliano Viviano never truly put up much of a fight.

Ospina is different. A class act in Ligue 1 and with the Colombian national team he will be puching hard to retain that number one jersey when he gets the chance.