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Arsenal Comment: Towering Young Keeper Has Big Future
Clean sheet in Carling Cup confirms potential of Polish goalkeeper
24-Sep-2009 3:45:35 PM
Just as significant as their overall performance and 2-0 Carling Cup victory against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday evening was Arsenal’s clean sheet.
Not because it proved that Philippe Senderos was back and keen to prove himself again. Not because Mikael Silvestre marshalled a young team with astute guidance and kept everyone concentrating. No – because it confirmed that 19-year-old Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has the potential to become one of the finest in Arsenal’s history. If only, for an Englishman, he was English…
Arsenal’s family-packed audience at the Emirates certainly appreciated his display – and like many others were amazed that he has risen without much hype to such high standards. But his story is as much about great mental strength, mind management and the courage to overcome major setbacks as it is about talent and recognition.
Last season, amazingly, Szczesny suffered the terrible misfortune of breaking both of his arms in a training ground accident with weights in the gym.
Arsene Wenger explained: “Well, he broke both his arms last year. He was a great, great prospect and he broke both arms in the gym.
“He fell down and the bar fell on him and he broke his two arms."
If this was a tragedy for the young player, he made light of it. And on Tuesday, showing huge command of his penalty area and a maturity way beyond his years, he was never rattled.
Wenger added: “I liked his performance. He has a presence, he has a charisma, he has a calmness - and you see straight away there is quality there.”
Szczesny is the son of former Poland international goalkeeper Maciej Szczesny, and he was signed by Wenger from Legia Warsaw as a scholar in the summer of 2006.
Remarkably, he had experience of senior football already, having turned out in the Legia first team in Poland’s Ekstraklasa when he was only 15. Now he is a member of Poland’s under-21 squad and well on the way to emulating his father.
“It was a great opportunity on Tuesday for a lot of us younger players, and we all passed our tests and we did well in the end,” he said.
“The sending-off (of Jerome Thomas) was the turning point because after that we had the space to play our football. I enjoyed it. I did not feel at all nervous and it was important to me to keep a clean sheet.”
He said he believed the new crop of Arsenal youngsters has the ability to “go all the way” in the Carling Cup, “if we keep playing like that.” More importantly, he knows that if he keeps playing like that he will soon be catching the attention and demanding a place in the first team squad.
Tim Collings, Goal.com UK
Not because it proved that Philippe Senderos was back and keen to prove himself again. Not because Mikael Silvestre marshalled a young team with astute guidance and kept everyone concentrating. No – because it confirmed that 19-year-old Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has the potential to become one of the finest in Arsenal’s history. If only, for an Englishman, he was English…
Arsenal’s family-packed audience at the Emirates certainly appreciated his display – and like many others were amazed that he has risen without much hype to such high standards. But his story is as much about great mental strength, mind management and the courage to overcome major setbacks as it is about talent and recognition.
Last season, amazingly, Szczesny suffered the terrible misfortune of breaking both of his arms in a training ground accident with weights in the gym.
Arsene Wenger explained: “Well, he broke both his arms last year. He was a great, great prospect and he broke both arms in the gym.
“He fell down and the bar fell on him and he broke his two arms."
If this was a tragedy for the young player, he made light of it. And on Tuesday, showing huge command of his penalty area and a maturity way beyond his years, he was never rattled.
Wenger added: “I liked his performance. He has a presence, he has a charisma, he has a calmness - and you see straight away there is quality there.”
Szczesny is the son of former Poland international goalkeeper Maciej Szczesny, and he was signed by Wenger from Legia Warsaw as a scholar in the summer of 2006.
Remarkably, he had experience of senior football already, having turned out in the Legia first team in Poland’s Ekstraklasa when he was only 15. Now he is a member of Poland’s under-21 squad and well on the way to emulating his father.
“It was a great opportunity on Tuesday for a lot of us younger players, and we all passed our tests and we did well in the end,” he said.
“The sending-off (of Jerome Thomas) was the turning point because after that we had the space to play our football. I enjoyed it. I did not feel at all nervous and it was important to me to keep a clean sheet.”
He said he believed the new crop of Arsenal youngsters has the ability to “go all the way” in the Carling Cup, “if we keep playing like that.” More importantly, he knows that if he keeps playing like that he will soon be catching the attention and demanding a place in the first team squad.
Tim Collings, Goal.com UK
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