Arsenal Ready To Drop Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny For Bizarre Smoking Incident
Arsenal are preparing to punish Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny for smoking in the dressing room following the 2-0 defeat to Southampton on New Year’s Day at Saint Mary’s Stadium. Strangely, Szczesny’s performance throughout the match had been called into question after two goalkeeping errors that resulted to Arsenal slip further away from the top four.
Coincidentally, Szczesny was then criticized for suckling a water bottle after gifting Southampton’s Dusan Tadic the second goal of the match. According to the Telegraph, Wojciech Szczesny will be fined for his unprofessional behavior. Former Arsenal midfielder John Jensen claims that Arsenal are preparing to drop Szczesny for the rest of the season. However, Arsenal are rejecting such claims.
David Ospina replaced Szczesny in goal against Hull City in the Third Round FA Cup fixture, but it is not uncommon for first team players to be rested during cup competitions, especially after a busy winter schedule. Despite that, Szczesny’s place in the starting 11 is in doubt after Ospina’s noteworthy performance in the FA Cup and the Pole’s performances on and off the field.
Arsenal fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration on the Szczesny smoking incident.
I wonder was it a Benszczen and Hedges or Lucky Sztrike? – http://t.co/5hPdhT19ko
— arseblog (@arseblog) January 5, 2015
I wonder was it a Benszczen and Hedges or Lucky Sztrike? – http://t.co/5hPdhT19ko
— arseblog (@arseblog) January 5, 2015
Szcz?sny smoking in the showers after the Southampton game? Don't believe it but Ospina is slowly taking his place.
— Jhänzëb Shähëën (@jhanzeb_shaheen) January 5, 2015
Szczesny caught smoking in the shower. Does he think he's in jr. high school?
— Mike Yeow (@empty_y) January 5, 2015
Last summer, Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere was pictured smoking at a party with English teammates Joe Hart and James Milner after England’s disappointing performance at the 2014 World Cup. Wilshere was subsequently punished, and told to report to pre-season training earlier than expected.
At the time, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger released a strong statement on the issue.
“When I was a footballer, on coaches after a game you didn’t see each other because there was so much smoke but times have changed, they are role models now. And English society is very sensitive to smoking, much more than France, than southern countries, so it’s a bit more shocking here than somewhere else.”
Arsenal will be hoping to put this incident behind them and roll on as Stoke visit Emirates next.
Should Arsenal drop Wojciech Szczesny indefinitely for his poor performance and off-the-field behavior?
[Image via The Independent & Twitter]
