Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has stated that fielding David Ospina against Paris Saint-Germain was a risk for Arsenal and questioned the logic behind Arsene Wenger’s decision.
The Gunners boss shocked the travelling faithful in last night’s Champions League clash by dropping first-choice stopper Petr Cech and opting to give the Colombia international a rare run-out in the starting XI.
Ospina conceded within the first minute but was not at fault for Edinson Cavani’s opener and went on to make a number of notable saves as the English side escaped from the Parc des Princes with a point.
Nicholas has stated that although Ospina played well, fielding him instead of normal custodian Cech represented a risk by Wenger and the visiting side.
“The change has been made but to be fair to Ospina he was good all night,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s just strange. I don’t see why you take the risk. It’s the hardest game they face in their first game of the competition. Go and lay down a marker.
“PSG are no way as fluid as they have been over the last few years but Arsenal made them look better than they were.
“Arsenal could have ended up winning it but I’m delighted with a draw because Arsenal did not play well at all. They’ve got away with it tonight but they must liven up and play their best players.”
Ospina was given the nod to play Arsenal’s opening group stage games in the Champions League last season and made high-profile errors that led to defeats against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos.
Using two goalkeepers in different competitions is a ploy that has worked well for Barcelona but is unusually for English teams to adopt.
