Rio Ferdinand has criticised Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s decision to play David Ospina against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The Gunners face their rivals in Munich on Wednesday night in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash, with Wenger confirming in his press conference this week that Ospina would come in for Petr Cech.
While Cech has been in between the posts in the Premier League this season, Ospina featured in all six group stage games in Europe and has kept his place in the side for the next round.
However, Ferdinand doesn’t agree with it and believes that Cech should be starting as he is the sharper of the two shot-stoppers having played so frequently in recent weeks.
Further, he argued that ultimately with a goalkeeping change, the defensive line will now have to adjust to a new individual behind them, and that in turn runs the risk of uncertainty in the game.
While it’s nothing new from Wenger as he has done this consistently now over the last two seasons, it remains to be seen whether or not it proves costly.
The argument against it is that it breaks up the consistency and familiarity between the backline and goalkeeper, on the other side Ospina is a top-class goalkeeper and evidently has the trust of his manager to do the job in Europe.
"Do you want to win the #UCL or not?!" @rioferdy5 criticises Wenger's decision to opt for Ospina over Cech. #FCBvAFC https://t.co/4PZXQ0sCbD
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) February 15, 2017