David Ospina: The man behind the changing tide at Arsenal?

By grvadmin

Brazil 2014 was a big changing point for this 26 year-old gentleman, given that how well Columbia did. Normally, when you perform at the highest platform, you make a good case for a club or/and agent to bunk up your worth. This said, David made a great case for himself at a point where he decided that he was to move on from his former club, Nice to pastures new. Not for the lack of trying, I’d bet a pound to a penny that Nice did everything in their power to keep the energetic Keeper from leaving. After seeing Fabianski leave the Emirates for plucky underdogs Swansea, there was room on the bench/understudy to Szczesny and what better than James Rodriguez’s brother-in-law (just throwing that in, I’m sure his CV is glossier than that).

I don’t think I’m the only one which has seen the void in net since the departure of Seaman. Jens did alright, but I only got the impression that he was filling the gap for a younger and more headstrong keeper. Almunia felt similar, although he has a common trend in coming as back-up and replacing a mistake ridden mess in the first team. Mannone was lost in the great search for a main keeper which saw him Szczesny and Fabianski all jumping for that number one slot like prized salmon. That said, Mannone moved on to the Nightswatch (Sunderland) and so did Fabianski to Wales (Poor bastards) last summer and Arsene signed Ospina.

Southampton are pivotal to Ospina’s career at Arsenal. Not only did he make his debut in the 2-1 loss in the Capital One Cup but later the game in which they lost 2-0 where Szczesny conceded and appeared to give not much cop except only about his thirst when he chugged from his bottle soon just after Southampton scored. This was the infamous “Showersmokergate” where the Polish international was apparently caught with a lung full of the naughty stuff which, apparently, isn’t that uncommon at the Emirates.

After being dropped like an aftershave bottle on the foot of Canizares, Arsenal have gone on an emphatic turn in which has led to Ospina having one of the greatest Win Ratio’s in the League. Sure if you look at it you see names like del Horno and Stepanov which I’m sure are now excellent pundit’s/twitter bait for “Forgotten Players of Yesterday”, but Ospina recent ratio of 91.7% pretty much encapsulates how well they’re doing with him. 11 victories out of the last 12 has pushed pundits and supporters alike to say “they could, you know, not do that stupid fourth place race with Spurs and make Chelsea’s life difficult”. Given Man City’s fall of grace and fan’s raising questions on why can’t a hipster’s choice make it in the Premier League? (Just wait for Klopp), Arsenal look ever more likely to shout “heeeey batter batter swing” every time Chelsea play to keep them looking over their shoulders.

I look at Ospina and instantly feel he’s more of a keeper than Szczesny. All that bravado and cocksure attitude from the Polish international only made me think he wasn’t all that confident in his own abilities and given an Arsenal defence can breakdown at any time like a late 90’s Fiat Punto, then it’s possibly not the best fit. Ospina doesn’t have that problem with his power-steering nor his ability.  He’s an excellent shot stopper given the size of him and can organise and scream at his defence with the best of them. Given that he stands at just 1.80 meters tall (5ft 10 to you and me) he shadows in the comparative light of De Gea (6ft 2) and Courtois (6ft 7), but still, he’s keeping up with the Paul Joneses.

Ospina can’t take all the limelight for all the good that’s become of recent months (we’ll just forget about Monaco), as they’ve come across Coquelin and Bellerin which have added to well needed Polyfilla to that leaky-if-not combustible tap of a defence. Coquelin is what Arsenal have been searching for, what every fan who watches and says “why’d we never replace Vieira?” and lastly, what every bloke buys a man to cover the position for on Football Manager. A rough, tough tackling midfielder general who gets the ball from deep that isn’t covered in a cast like Wilshere nor kicks the living shit out of players like Flamini. Bellerin has been equally impressive with eye-catching performance like the recent pearler he scored against Liverpool.

Good year for Arsenal if they maintain it and given the players who’ve come out to play and play extremely well together, they could do the unmentionable if Chelsea slip up in one or two matches, but now I’ve mentioned or at least alluded to, so you know Arsenal fan’s, sorry about that forth spot.