Page 2 - Goalkeeper Review - How badly do we need Cesar or Mignolet?

Record: 3 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses

Avg. goals conceded: 1.11

Vito had ten games in which to prove his worth as Szczesny worked his way back from injury incurred over the summer with the Polish national team, and he just didn’t do it. He managed a 6.53 rating at whoscored.com. His only clean sheet came against QPR, although he did do tolerably well against Man City and Man Utd. Conceding 1.5 goals per game, however, just isn’t good enough. Some of those goals were clearly not his fault, as many came through defensive errors when our team, as a whole, struggled to establish itself early in the season.

Too often, though, he was caught out of position or made mincemeat of what could have been a crucial save. Exhibit A would be his muff of a save against Norwich. The initial shot, while spicy, was one he should have smothered if not deflected out of bounds. Instead, he deflected back across an open goal for Holt to finish. Whereas Fabianski at least showed some degree of consistency, I couldn’t look at Mannone after seven or eight games and feel settled or secure. It’s not that Mannone ever did anything horrifically bad, but he too often seemed caught off-guard and too rarely was in the right place at the right time.

He’d be better off moving to a smaller club where the pressure is not quite as high. He’s only 25, young enough as a keeper to offer another club a decent choice. If he stays at Arsenal, he’ll have to settle for occasional appearances when Szczesny needs a rest or is injured. If he’s ever going to develop into a stronger keeper, it won’t be on Arsenal’s bench. Maybe a loan would give him a chance at first-team action. Then again, with a contract set to expire in June 2014, harder questions will need answers sooner rather than later.