Arsene Wenger Reveals Defensive Struggles Are ‘Hurting’ Petr Cech

Arsene Wenger has revealed Arsenal’s defensive struggles are hurting the pride of his No.1 goalkeeper Petr Cech.

The vastly experienced 34-year-old won the Golden Gloves award last season in his first campaign as an Arsenal player with 16 clean sheets following his move from Chelsea.

Shut-outs have been in shorter supply this season, however, with Arsenal having conceded in each of their last eight games and Cech will have to be at the very top of his game to prevent that run being extended against Manchester City on Sunday.

‘Yes, of course [that hurts his pride] and I think that at the moment that’s where we can improve and that’s what we want to focus on,” said Wenger of Arsenal’s recent defensive woes.

‘We have to keep more clean sheets than we do at the moment.

‘But Petr has done extremely well. In a team like ours you have one or two saves to make in every game, and that means he has needed talent, of course, but as well focus and concentration to do that, to stay in the game when it looks like you will not be involved a lot.

He has, in every single game, made one or two decisive saves.’