Let’s not forget Bernd Leno!

With all the talk of how Pablo Mari, Gabriel Magalhaes and others have helped transform Arsenal’s defensive form, there has been one player who has not received the amount of ink or air time he deserves. That player is Bernd Leno.

Without a lot of fanfare or hullabaloo, the German keeper just continues to show up and do his job, match after match. In 20 games this seasons, Leno has given up just 21 goals, and has made 49 saves. Many of those saves were instrumental in securing points for the Gunners, and he is currently on four game string of clean sheets as well.

With the Gunners having issues consistently scoring goals on the offensive end, more pressure has been thrown on Leno and the defenders in front of him. All-in-all, they have stepped up to the plate and delivered good performances. However, I want to give most of the credit to Leno and his ability to communicate with teammates, while also reacting to his opponent’s scoring threats at his end of the pitch.

And, let’s not forget the drama last summer surrounding the debate featuring Bernd Leno v Emi Martinez. Mikel Arteta had a difficult decision to make, and in my opinion, Martinez was the logical choice at the time. However, since then, Leno has proven to me that he is more than capable of being Arsenal’s #1. I stand corrected.

As the January transfer window reaches the halfway point, the club appears to be on a serious hunt for a suitable back-up to Leno. Unfortunately, Runar Runarsson hasn’t shown that he is ready for the big leagues just yet, so again, more games and more pressure falls on Leno’s shoulders to make saves and, even more importantly, to stay fit.

So, as we watch Arsenal on Monday night, keep an extra eye on Bernd Leno. I think he deserves the extra attention!

Cheers.

Gunner1953