Source: TheGuardian
Bernd Leno makes amends as the Arsenal repair job picks up pace
Keeper’s fine display against West Ham crowned a madcap week but the story of Mikel Arteta’s reign is quiet consistencyIt was another great Arsenal No 1, David Seaman, who always claimed that the real gauge of a keeper’s worth is not in the mistake itself, but the reaction. Dropped crosses and fumbled hots are an occupational hazard. Nobody is immune. But if you want to judge a goalkeeper, Seaman argued, watch their next game.How’s their confidence? How’s their mettle? Do they shrink? Do they hide? Here, nine days after the fatal error that helped eliminate Arsenal from Europe, was Bernd Leno’s answer. Left out of the squad for Arsenal’s FA Cup game last Monday, Leno will have had plenty of time to contemplate his hashed 119th-minute clearance against Olympiakos: to watch some of the scathing media reaction, to dwell on his misjudgment. Then he stepped out against West Ham on Saturday afternoon and produced a performance of nerve, resilience and outstanding reflexes that was probably the difference between three points and none. Related: Moyes rues VAR after Lacazette and Arsenal punish wasteful West Ham Continue reading......read full article
