Arsenal Boss Unai Emery Praises Petr Cech, Hints Bernd Leno Will Need Patience

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Arsenal manager Unai Emery has heaped praise on starting goalkeeper Petr Cech and hinted Bernd Leno will have to wait for his chance to shine in the Gunners’ goal.

The German’s only appearance so far has come in the UEFA Europa League, and Emery said he’s surprised there’s so much talk of him replacing Cech in the Premier League, per Goal’s Jamie Smith:

“We are happy with the goalkeepers. Petr has big experience, big quality, He started the season very well.

“Today he showed us he is playing very well. He showed us that he’s very good and continuing to work hard with this spirit every day. 

“Leno is calm and knows now that he’s working well, but also we have three goalkeepers and Petr Cech is delivering good performances. We are going to give them chances to play in other competitions, but we want the same performances like Petr’s. It’s good for the team, for the goalkeepers, to reward good performances.

“I’m a little surprised because there have been a lot of questions over Cech. In pre-season and also in the first matches with us, he’s played with good performances. Bernd Leno will also improve with us and learn about this competition here. For him, he’s also doing very well and benefiting from working every day with a goalkeeper like Petr Cech.

“He’s learning from him, giving him experience and he’s watching him in games. Leno is a younger goalkeeper and he is coming here with a big future, but now, it’s a very competitive position. Petr Cech is very important for us.”

Cech has overcome some early season struggles with the ball at his feet and has been in goal for Arsenal’s run of four straight wins in the league. Against Everton, he made a handful of big saves to preserve his first clean sheet of the campaign in a 2-0 win.

Per Sky Sport Statto, the 36-year-old has been kept busy so far this year:

Sportswriter James Benge struggled to think of a better outing for the former Czech Republic international in an Arsenal shirt:

Cech was one of Arsenal’s most criticised players last season, and it was no surprise to see the club prioritise the signing of a younger stopper in the summer. They settled on Leno, a 26-year-old Bundesliga standout and Germany international who had been Bayer Leverkusen’s star man in goal since he was a teenager.

But while several other goalkeepers who made the switch to England in the summer went straight into goal―Alisson Becker and Kepa Arrizabalaga come to mind―the Gunners took the patient approach with Leno. Former Chelsea star Cech retained his position to start the year and conceded eight goals in his first four starts.

He has improved his shot-stopping as the season has progressed, but his issues with distribution have remained.

The veteran was still criticised despite his great showing against Everton:

Leno’s debut against Vorskla was a mixed bag. The Ukrainian side didn’t muster many chances but converted two of their looks, giving the stopper few chances to show his skills. There was nothing he could do about either goal.

It wasn’t enough to warrant demoting Cech, who was the star man in the team’s next match just three days later. The Gunners have moved up to sixth place in the Premier League standings and are unlikely to make major changes to the starting XI while the win streak continues.

Leno will undoubtedly get more chances to impress and could pass Cech in the Premier League pecking order later this season, but for now, patience is needed.

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