By Chris Wright
Having been temporarily dropped from first-team duties and stung with a £20,000 fine for smoking in the showers after Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Southampton on New Year’s Day, it’s fair to say that Wojciech Szczesny is having a fairly rough old time of it at the moment.
Szczesny has come under criticism of late after slipping back into a few of his old bad habits: principally a tendency to keep goal like a sugar-crazed 10-year-old let loose on the Panda Pops.
However, the Arsenal ‘keeper has found himself a staunch ally in the wholly likely guise of his father, Maciej, himself a former Poland international stopper.
Whereas he’s willing to admit his son has dropped a few minor clangers of late, Maciej has instead blamed Arsenal’s defensive woes on the “disastrous” back four stationed just in front of his son – singling out Per Mertesacker for the lion’s share of the criticism as is, you may have noticed, very much the done thing.
Szczesny Senior, 49, told Polish newspaper Przegladu Sportowego:
“Wojciech made a mistake for the first (Southampton) goal, coming too far from the goal, but please look at the Arsenal defence – how these guys are playing is a disaster, but for some reason, nobody pays any attention to it.
“Laurent Koscielny should immediately have run to protect Wojciech, and Per Mertesacker should have stood in the goal.
“Unfortunately they did not do that and gave him zero support, and in that situation Mertesacker showed the agility of a rhinoceros.”
He continued:
“Wojciech is often paying for (the mistakes being made). He needs someone who will critically analyse every game with him, but also remain positive.
“Someone should support him, but the coaching staff at Arsenal are not doing that – meanwhile, the entire defence this season is an embarrassment.”
We suspect you wouldn’t have to look very far to find an Arsenal fan who agrees with that particular sentiment.
Hey, here’s a thought: Maybe they’re all a bit pap?
(Via Independent)