Yesterday Arsene Wenger confirmed that David Ospina will start in goal for Arsenal's trip to Bayern Munich in tonight's UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg.
That of course means the club's established Premier League No 1 Petr Cech will be rested again, even for such a key match in the season.
Speaking on Tuesday, before Arsenal manager Wenger confirmed that he would be sticking to his competition rotation policy, ex-Chelsea and Ireland defender Paddy Mulligan felt picking Ospina over Cech in Munich would be indicative of the ambition - or lack of it - at Arsenal in Europe.
"If [Wenger] is serious about going to Bayern Munich and trying to get a win or at the very worst get a score draw, then he has to play his top players or who he considers to be his top players," Paddy told Newstalk.com, emphasising that Cech is the club's leading goalkeeper and thus should start.
"Starting off in goal, he's got to play Cech and he's got to play his best back four. If he does that, then they've got a chance.
"If Bayern get a grip of the game, trust me, the Arsenal midfield will be just bypassed. They won't get a look at the ball. If they don't get a look at the ball, it means the back four will be under severe pressure. That means your goalkeeper is going to be under severe pressure and if they are put under severe pressure, there's one man that you want in goal and that's Petr Cech."
Of course, with hindsight we now know that Cech will be rested and Ospina will be in goal which in one way answers how serious Arsenal appear to be in their quest to do well in Europe this season, starting with the challenge of trying to stop Bayern Munich home and away.
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