The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger decided to drop the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and the defender Thomas Vermaelen for the match against Bayern Munich in the Champions league.
As a result of being dropped from this crucial match, questions have been raised about the future of these two players at the club. Vermaelen continues to be linked with Barcelona, while it is reported that Wenger is not entirely happy with the performances of the Polish international Szczesny this season. He is thought to be looking at several goalkeepers like Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes.
Wenger stated that he was dropping Szczesny from the Bayern Munich match because the player was affected by the number of matches he has played this season. However, he has refused to comment on whether both Szczesny and Vermaelen will be recalled for the crucial weekend match against Swansea. Wenger is thought to be extremely happy with the performances of Lucas Fabianski, who made several saves against Bayern Munich. The French defender Laurent Koscielny not only had an excellent partnership with the German international Mertesacker, but he also scored a goal as well. As a result, both the replacements could be retained for the match this week as well.
Wenger has said that Vermaelen and Szczesny should not take their first team places for granted. “They [Vermaelen and Szczesny] are two outstanding players who are part of our squad. They have played so many games until now. Their position is very important in the squad. But every position is up for grabs. You have to face it like that, the last game decides the next one. All the players are in the same position. Nobody is guaranteed places in the team. Everybody faces the same competition and the players who [have] come in have been on the bench for a long, long time,” said Wenger.
