Advertisement

Frustrated Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno: I'm good enough to start in the Premier League

Just for starters: Bernd Leno makes his debut for Arsenal on Thursday: REUTERS
Just for starters: Bernd Leno makes his debut for Arsenal on Thursday: REUTERS

Bernd Leno has admitted he is frustrated by a lack of game-time but insisted he is “keeping calm” after head coach Unai Emery claimed the Arsenal No1 goalkeeping spot is up for grabs.

The 26-year-old made his debut in Thursday's Europa League Group E win over Vorskla Poltava after a £19.2million move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Leno was beaten twice as the Gunners allowed a 4-0 advantage, courtesy of a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in addition to goals from Danny Welbeck and substitute Mesut Ozil, to slip somewhat, with the Ukrainian side hitting back late on through Volodymyr Chesnakov and Vyacheslav Sharpar.

Leno is yet to make a Premier League appearance, despite Petr Cech enduring a mixed start to the season, but the Germany international is willing to bide his time as he adjusts to life in England.

“I came to the club to play every game,” he told Standard Sport. “But I think to move to a bigger club, another country, it needs maybe a little bit of time. It is a bit frustrating but I keep calm and work very hard to improve. The coach always makes the starting XI because of the performance. I think it could change, not every week, but he will change a lot. He didn’t say the League is Petr’s competition and the Europa League is mine. I will work every day hard to play more games.

“I came for the Premier League. I think it is the best. The Bundesliga is good but the Premier League is better, so I will look forward to playing any time in the Premier League.

“I think the two goals at the end, we were not concentrated enough, but at the end of the day we played a good game.”

Cech has attracted criticism for his struggles in satisfying Emery’s demand to play out from the back, something Leno coped with well against Vorskla — although not facing the same pressing style many of Arsenal’s English opponents have adopted — and the German believes this new approach is perfectly suited to his game.

“It is getting better and better [at the club],” he said. “The game that the coach wants is my style. I think I did a good job with the ball, with the passing. Of course, the two goals were disappointing, but they scored great goals. Maybe I need a little bit of time.

“It is a little bit more of a risk to play this way because we don’t want to kick the ball up front. We want to play because we have the players to play from the back to have more space in the opposite 18-yard box.

“In the first half last night, the opposition was very deep, so we had big problems getting chances. So, when they started to attack more, there were situations where we can create chances by playing from the back. But it needs a little bit of time for the whole team to improve and to get the confidence.”

Cech is in the final year of his existing deal and revealed earlier this week he is yet to be offered a new contract, amid renewed competition from Leno.

And Leno insisted he is relishing the prospect of improving by training with Cech every day as the pair fight to establish themselves as Emery’s preferred option.

“We have fun together,” he said. “We push each other and I think the competition with us is very good.

Starting place: Cech has remained Arsenal's first choice in the Premier League this season (Getty Images)
Starting place: Cech has remained Arsenal's first choice in the Premier League this season (Getty Images)

“I didn’t just come to learn from Petr. Of course, he is a big personality. He had a big career and is still a very good goalkeeper. I came because of the club. Of course, it is very good to work with him and for my development it is very good to have the competition with him.”

After making eight changes last night, Emery is set to rotate again for Sunday’s Premier League visit of Everton, but it remains to be seen if Leno has done enough to retain his place.