Arsenal manager Unai Emery has explained why he opted to start Petr Cech in goal against Manchester City, omitting Bernd Leno in the process.
The Gunners opened their Premier League campaign with a home clash against reigning champions City. However, it was not the introduction to English football that Emery was hoping for.
Arsenal were second best throughout and were put to the sword by an efficient City side. Raheem Sterling opened the scoring early on before Bernardo Silva added the visitors’ second after the interval.
Many were shocked to see Arsenal’s new signing left on the bench, with Cech continuing to retain his place between the sticks.
Following his first competitive game as Gunners boss, Emery explained the thinking behind his decision to stick with the experienced Cech, instead of handing Leno his first start.
As quoted by the Independent, Emery had this to say about his decision to start former Chelsea star Cech:
We want competence with the goalkeepers and all the players in the squad. The position is the same as the others and there is the same chances for all the goalkeepers.
Today, Cech played good. And he has this experience of defending our goal. Leno is starting with us. He is working very well, he played also well in pre-season. But he can wait to arrive his moment.
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