Cesc Fabregas places faith in Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has today publically backed goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and insisted that he has faith in his fellow Spaniard.
Almunia has come in for criticism for a series of sub-par displays at the English Premier League outfit. Indeed, it had appeared as though his days as Arsene Wenger’s number one were over as Wenger attempted to bring in Mark Schwarzer from Fulham. Wenger had also raised concerns about the 33-year-old’s confidence, giving credence to the rumours that Almunia’s time at the Emirates Stadium was drawing to a close.
However, with Fabregas out injured at the start of the season, Almunia was named captain for the opening league match against Liverpool, while he was not at fault for the goal he conceded in the 4-1 win over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.
With that in mind, Fabregas told reporters today that he believes Almunia should be given the chance to continue in the team ahead of Lukasz Fabianski, Victor Mannone and Wojciech Szczesny.
'Well-loved player'
He said that: "Manuel commanded the defence very well at Blackburn — but it is not just about one game or two or three. He is (a) well-loved player among everybody here and performs well for this club. We all wish him a super season and have a lot of trust."
Despite Wenger moving to try and bring in Schwarzer over the summer, Almunia continually insisted he was happy to stay at Arsenal and wishes to stay until his contract expires in two years’ time.
The goalkeeper joined Arsenal from Celta Vigo in July 2004 and has gone on to make more than 160 appearances for the club. He will have to stay on form if Arsenal are to make a serious push for the title this year. The North London side are currently second in the table, two points behind Chelsea, after winning three games and drawing one.
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