In a serious blow to Arsenal’s already slim title chances, Petr Cech has been ruled out for four weeks with a calf injury. The 33-year-old shot-stopper suffered the injury late on in the game against Swansea, with Wenger confirming after the game that he would miss the vital North London derby. Cech is set to miss a crucial month in Arsenal’s season, that will severely cripple the Gunner’s hopes.
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Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Wenger revealed the extent of Cech’s injury saying “Cech is out, Koscielny is not back. Cech will be three or four weeks with a calf injury. He had a groin alert, he could not kick the ball properly because of his groin.”
The Arsenal keeper had actually gone into the game against Swansea with a minor groin complaint, although the calf injury seems unrelated. Cech picked up the injury after he had come up for a corner in the final moments of Arsenal’s dispiriting 2-1 loss to Swansea, and apparently damaged his calf muscles as he sprinted back.
Wenger confirmed that Cech had declared himself fit despite the groin complaint, trusting his experience, but is sure to rue the 33-year-old’s absence, saying “Cech had a little groin problem but declared himself 100% fit. You trust the player. He is 33 years of age.”
Ospina a fine replacement
In Cech’s absence, David Ospina will take his place between the goalposts, but the Colombian has not shone in the rare appearances he has made this season. Ospina had made the keeper’s spot his own last season after a series of good, if not great, performances, but lost his shirt to Cech this year which was compounded by a howler in the Champions League, where he turned in a cross into his own net.
Wenger, however, trusts the Colombian completely, saying “I have complete confidence in Ospina, I don’t worry about that. Yes of course [Cech is a loss]. But then you look at the win rate of [David] Ospina and it's very good. Honestly, I'm not worried at all.”
In addition to Cech, Arsenal’s prime centre-back, Laurent Koscielny, will also miss the North London derby against rivals Tottenham, although his injury looks short term, with Wenger saying “Koscielny has a small injury and will be out for tomorrow.”
