David Seaman: Fabianski is yet to show it but he is great

Written by Renzo on May 11, 2011 – 20:30

Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman believes the Gunners can look forward with a smile in respect to the goalkeeping department.

Speaking to Arsenal TV Online, the Englishman explained that Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski are both great goalkeepers as they show in training adding that they will soon start to show it in competitive games.

On Fabianski – who was Arsenal’s number one before suffering a season-ending injury – the 47-year old declared that is it frustrating that he is yet to show what he is capable of but he is still a great goalkeeper with a great future ahead of him.

Seaman concluded by saying that a good goalkeeper should be mentally strong especially when he makes mistakes and that he should not shy away from analysing what went wrong at the end of the game, something that himself and Bob Wilson used to do when they were in action.

On the two Poles, Seaman said:

[Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski] are great goalkeepers. I’ve seen them in training and I want them to show people what they can do because I’ve seen what they can do in training.

Obviously with Szczesny is very early [but] Fabianski hasn’t shown what he is capable of, that’s the frustrating part but they are two goalkeepers with great futures, we’ve yet to see the best of them.

[The attributes a goalkeeper needs?] Massive, massive mentality. The mental strength, you’ve just got to have that because you get a lot of stick, as a goalkeeper you’re the last line of defence. When a goal goes in everyone looks at you, you’ve got to be able to deal with that.

If you make a mistake, it could be a bad mistake, how are you going to recover? Are you going to react positively or are you just going to cave in?

That is what me and Bob [Wilson] used to do, sit down and say, “How many mistakes have we allowed this season?”. We would say like three, four or five and that would be it, otherwise you question yourself.

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Jekyll says:

May 11, 2011 at 20:50

Translation: We’ve wheeled out Seaman to say this because Wenger has no intention of buying a GK in the summer and we hope a former great saying this will lessen the pressure from fans.

Expect Kenny Sansom next saying Clichy is a great left back.

Then O’Leary singing the praises of our CBs. And so on.

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gooner87 says:

May 11, 2011 at 21:17

Tbh Fabianski has come on leap and bounds this season and i for one am happy with having him as no 2 and shez being number 1. Remember it could be worst we could have Gomes as our first choice ! What is it with this negativity all the time . Fergurson won nothing in his first 5 years at UTD but turned them into the biggest club in the world and spent tons of money. We’re the 3rd biggest club in the world and haven’t spent much at all in a time where there are billionaire’s throwing stupid money . We haven’t won a title but i think when we do we’ve got the est foundation to dominate for years to come.

You wait football will collapse and the only team that will probably be able to survive is Arsenal. It isn’t about buying i believe its the backroom that need freshening up i believe thats gone stale.

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- Paddy O'Neill says:
  
  May 12, 2011 at 14:06
  
  Couldn’t agree more – get rid of Pat Rice and some of the backroom (not Steve Bould) and bring in a couple of good no nonsense coaches.
  
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dan says:

May 11, 2011 at 22:34

Agreed, I really don’t understand what is being accomplished with these comments from DS other than just more spin and preparing fans for a deathly quiet summer!?

How many opportunities does a player/keeper need? Fabby just couldn’t stake a claim and can only be considered a back up at this point, no need to go over old ground. That’s not to say he hasn’t got qualities, has has, but the quality he is known for is flattening like a souffle when positioned next to a big tall striker and unable to find a way to get to the ball before the opposition do. Look at Joe Hart, he will get to the ball somehow and punch it away, Fabby will trip over his own feet, run into an opposition player, miss the ball or not connect with it properly, and the result = goal to the opposition. Not good enough.

If this lad has it to be a starting keeper for Arsenal he needs to demand to go out on loan to a prem side, win the starting job and perform remarkably all season long and earn his way back and win the starting job with us, there is no other way. Well, there is another way, it’s called awarding mediocre performances, and we wonder why we can no longer win anything.

And for me, shezzer is not a confirmed starting player either. He has a bit more qualities than Fabby, but a starting keeper for Arsenal is not just world class potential, but known world class and by that I mean equivalent to the best in the world at the moment – Casillas, Buffon, VDS, Cech – THIS IS OUR COMPETITION. Shezzer/Fabby are not in this class and David you should know that.

Massive mentality, well, thank you for that, but massive mentality doesn’t include boasting and self aggrandizing, it what you do on the effing pitch!! Keep your sides in games they should lose, saving pens, saving shots that other keepers simly can’t, frightening the life out of the opposition instead of the other way around, letting everyone know you are there and it’s under control lads.

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- Paddy O'Neill says:
  
  May 12, 2011 at 14:10
  
  Neither Shezza or Fab are good enough to be No 1. AW, go out and get Shay Given with Shezza and Fab no 2 and no 3. If they don’t like it tough – go somewhere else.
  
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  - Dave says:
    
    May 13, 2011 at 5:01
    
    I agree about Scz and Fab. It’s best that a quality experienced keeper is brought in the summer so they can learn from him, as they are not going to learn it from Wenger and Almunia.
    
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Paul says:

May 11, 2011 at 21:32

I think Big Dave is right, I have no problems with our goalkeepers (except Almunia). I don’t have a whole lot of problems with our CBs (except Squillachi), they’re great in open play.. we just seem to have problems at set-pieces, and that’s not specifically a defense problem, more a team organisation problem.. I’m used to seeing pictures in the papers of an opposition player powering in a header as Diaby, Song, Denilson, stand next to the same player they should’ve been marking, watching him as he scores!!!

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Bendtner's First Touch says:

May 11, 2011 at 22:27

If mental strength is what makes a goalkeeper great then let’s stick with Szczesny; he seems to have *it*.

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Dam says:

May 11, 2011 at 23:35

Szczesny is fantastic goalie,he is hopefuly our nr1 for next season with Fabianski and Mannone as backup…Good lack to him,come on Arsenal!!!

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Davi says:

May 11, 2011 at 23:54

We don’t need a new keeper. I thought that was clear. Defenders and forwards perhaps, but our keepers are fine. I think mannone is very talented as well, he did well at hull apparently, when he wasn’t out injured.

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Tim says:

May 13, 2011 at 16:38

Scz showed on some matches that he’s still needs some work. But let’s say we didn’t bring in a keeper in the summer, what happens if Scz gets a serious injury that kept him out for a considerably amount of time? No way Almunia is reliable and we’ve known that for years except Wenger. Still not convinced with Fabianski just because he played a few decent games before his injury and Mannone the same. The two are reserve keepers at best.

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DouglasFC says:

May 12, 2011 at 1:25

Can someone explain why arsenal always fail to recover the rebounds.

I mean I am so angry with the way they clear the ball directly to the opposition. There is a clear problem with the positioning of players and their understanding of each others play: especially between last line and midfield and midfield and attack line.

If arsenal clears it from their line its directly to the opposition within our half basically setting up another attack for the opposition. If arsenal is attacking in the opposition half and the opposition defence repels arsenals attack the first time almost always rather than recovering it arsenal allows the opposition to boot it back into arsenals half.

This has been the story all year long. The rebound strategy is the weakest in arsenals game.

Examples:
Attack:Sagna crosses after a lengthy buildup the cross goes to a opposite defender who heads it out, received by the opposition and pumped out. Why is an arsenal player not there to collect the rebound if an arsenal player doesnt meet the cross??

Defence:After seeing a bird or plane in the air, arsenals defenders in panic just head the ball directly to the opposite to score. Fabregas in Spurs game and Johan in Stoke game.

where does the responsibility lie, wenger has the stats, wenger or the players, needs to start admitting the weakness and address it. if nothing works to convince the responsible people I suggest fans hold out placards at the emirates, for instance one great example is:

IS IT A BIRD OR PLANE ?

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Bob the Gunner says:

May 12, 2011 at 1:44

I’m just worried that most of our players are only good in training.

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Nick says:

May 12, 2011 at 2:04

This is an old article from the start of the year isn’t it? Before fabianski was injured?

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jay r says:

May 12, 2011 at 12:05

Arsenal fans are dreamers PLEASE GET A GRIP nowonder wenger takes advantage of you, SCENZZSKY or whatever his name is cost us the CARLING CUP agains STOKE he should have saved a shot,he z gud but inexperienced at the moment,every great team has a great goal keeper and arsenal need 1 2 win title

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Mark says:

May 13, 2011 at 20:15

Actually I think any defender in that position should just stick his laces through it and out for a throw … Both at fault but Kos more so

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Hunter says:

May 12, 2011 at 19:20

This is just like the rest who have had tons of opportunities and failed over and over again. Have we not learned that we need to move on from these players? This is another player we will hold onto for far too long until he costs us again and again. ALL OF THESE FAILING PLAYERS NEED TO GO THIS OFF SEASON.

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David Seaman: Fabianski is yet to show it but he is great

Written by Renzo on May 11, 2011 – 20:30

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