CECH MUST NOT BE CAUGHT SHORT

I DON’T agree with those who argue that Petr Cech cannot play out from the back. Where the Arsenal goalkeeper ran into trouble against Manchester City was that he kept looking for the short pass when it would have been better to go long. Pep Guardiola, like Unai Emery, wants his goalkeepers to play it short but that does not stop Ederson from hitting diagonal balls to City’s wide men. Arsenal’s front four did not give Cech enough options to do that, standing like statues when he had the ball. But with competition from Bernd Leno for the No 1 jersey, it felt like Cech was determined to prove to Emery that he could play this way. He hit just seven of his 42 passes into the City half and touched the ball 56 times, more than in any home game last season. Tonight, he faces a Chelsea side who will look to press the ball high. It is even more vital that Cech uses his experience to know when to go long and not get caught short.