Friday 13 April 2012

The curious case of Manuel Almunia

THE CURIOUS CASE OF MANUEL ALMUNIA


The 2007/2008 season was starting, with the legend that was Jens Lehmann was starting as undisputed number 1 for the Gunners yet again. A fantastic shot-stopper, commanding presence and strong personality, there would be no chance of another goalkeeper to take his place. After 2 games, "Mad Jens" had made errors that had ended in goals conceded and Manuel Almunia came into the team. Arsenal fans were aware that their previous experience of Almunia had resulted in him conceding late twice to lose the Gunners the chance of winning a coveted Champions League title for the first time. Almunia came in strong, becoming a fan favourite especially after a fantastic spot-kick save against Sp***' Robbie Keane. With Almunia on form, the team looked like they could challenge for the title, until that horrendous leg break suffered by Eduardo, which triggered off a series of events that no one could have predicted.

The 2008/2009 season brought more luck for Manuel, starring in goal in a season that gave us a penalty shootout win against Roma in the Champions League. His performance against Manchester United in the semi-finals was world class as well, getting rave reviews and even a consideration to play for the England national team! However, injury struck for him later on in the season, Lukas Fabianski filling in for the Spaniard, conceding an infamous (for me being at the ground) goal against Drogba in the semi-finals of the FA Cup against Chelsea.

The next couple of years saw inconsistent performances from Manuel, despite another one night wonder against Barcelona, resulting in Fabianski taking over, while Almunia "had an injury" according to Wenger. There was a sense of Deja vĂ¹ in the Arsenal camp, Fabianski getting the "world class" tag and producing clean sheets for fun. Again, injury struck, with Wojciech Szczesny getting his chance at Old Trafford in the 2010/2011 season.

While all of this was happening, Almunia was no where to be seen.
NO PICTURES
NO INTERVIEWS
NO INJURY NEWS
Wenger has frozen out Almunia and despite the odd appearance last year after Szczesny's brief injury at Barcelona, he has been unseen by Arsenal fans, despite the occasional bench appearance during Fabianski's recovery.

When his name was read on the big screen, fans murmured, distant memories of the difficult times that Almunia has given them coming back. But we forget, this man was a hero, a legend, an undisputed number 1. I now jokingly boo his name and use him in multiple jokes in regards to football. He should be sold in the summer, as his contract comes to an end, Szczesny is in the mood for celebration.


ARSENAL FC - BY FAR THE GREATEST TEAM, THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN

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