Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has defended the decision to pick Colombian ‘keeper David Ospina for the Gunners 3-2 home defeat by Olympiakos in the Champions League last night.
The former-Nice stopper was selected ahead of first choice Petr Cech, but scored an own goal to gift the Greek side a 2-1 lead, from which Arsenal never really recovered.
Wenger defended his decision to pick Ospina by telling the press after the game: “I make the decisions and the selections for the team and am responsible for it,”
“And I know many things that maybe you do not know and that you ignore.
“You cannot select a team by making a poll before the game and get everybody’s opinion. Ospina played 19 games last year, has kept 14 clean sheets and last week at Tottenham he had a fantastic game. No ‘keeper is mistake free. It could have happened to Cech as well, that’s part of it.”
“I don’t give you why, I do not have to sit here and give you any explanation about every decision I make. You are capable to judge what I do and I leave you to that.”
The defeat against the Greek champions leaves the Gunners bottom of Group E, with no points from their first two games. Wenger’s side now face back-to-back games with German champions and group favourites Bayern Munich.
The Gunners now face a battle to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, something Arsene Wenger has never failed to achieve in his time in north London.
Was Arsene Wenger right to select David Ospina on Tuesday night?
