Wojciech Szczęsny

Wojciech Szczesny

Szczęsny in 2012
Personal information
Full nameWojciech Tomasz Szczęsny[1]
Date of birth18 April 1990
Place of birthWarsaw, Poland
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)[2]
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current team
Arsenal
Number1
Youth career
2004–2005Agrykola Warsaw
2005–2006Legia Warsaw
2006–2009Arsenal
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2009–Arsenal132(0)
2009–2010→ Brentford (loan)28(0)
National team‡
2007–2010Poland U204(0)
2009–2012Poland U217(0)
2009–Poland22(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 April 2015

Wojciech Tomasz Szczęsny (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjt͡ɕɛx ˈʃʧ̑ɛ̃w̃snɨ]; born 18 April 1990) is a Polish footballer who plays for Arsenal and the Poland national team as a goalkeeper.

His composure, agility and command of his area led to his establishment as Arsenal's first choice when he was 20. After winning his place in the first team, Szczęsny expressed his desire to continue as Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper for the rest of his career.[3]

Szczęsny has earned over 20 caps for Poland from his debut in 2009, and was included in the nation's squad as it co-hosted UEFA Euro 2012.

Early life

Before turning to football, Szczęsny first learned ballroom dancing and later excelled at the javelin throw.[4] His father, Maciej, is a former Polish international goalkeeper, and his elder brother, Jan, also plays as a goalkeeper, currently for Gwardia Warsaw in the seventh tier of the Polish league, the club where their father once played.

Club career

Legia Warsaw

Szczęsny trained at Agrykola Warsaw as a young player; soon, Legia Warsaw's goalkeeping coach, Krzysztof Dowhań, was so impressed with the young keeper, he allowed him to take part in a training camp with Legia's first team at the age of 15, joining them afterwards.[5][6]

Arsenal

In 2006, Szczęsny joined the Arsenal youth set-up, progressing to the reserve team during the 2008–09 season. In November 2008, he lost his balance while lifting a heavy weight and both his forearms were fractured, causing him to miss five months.[4] Szczęsny appeared on the first team bench for the first time during the Premier League match against Stoke City on 24 May 2009.

At the start of the 2009–10 season, Szczęsny was promoted to the senior squad and given the number 53. He received a call up for the Champions League match against Standard Liège on 16 September 2009, staying on the bench. On 22 September 2009, Szczęsny made his first team debut in the Football League Cup, keeping a clean sheet against West Bromwich Albion.[7] In December 2009, Arsène Wenger revealed that he and the rest of Arsenal's coaching staff had high hopes for Szczęsny, saying, "We have identified Wojciech as a future great, great goalkeeper."[8][9] In January 2010, Wenger said: "I really believe in him that he will one day be Arsenal's number one. He has all the qualities you want from a goalkeeper."[10][11]

Brentford (loan)

On 20 November 2009, Szczęsny joined League One team Brentford on a month's loan. He saved a second-half penalty in his second match, a 1–0 loss to Wycombe Wanderers. Szczęsny completed his fifth game for Brentford on 12 December 2009, where he made a number of saves to keep out Leeds United and was given the Man of the Match award.[12] On 22 December, Arsenal agreed to extend the loan for a second month until 17 January 2010,[13] and then until 31 January. Finally, it was extended until 31 May.[14] In April, Brentford manager Andy Scott said: "His performances suggest that he would not be out of place in the Championship or even the Premier League. It has reached the stage where when he lets in a goal we wonder why he hasn't saved it."[15] One year later after Scott sacking as a Brentford manager, Szczęsny criticized the club of sacking Scott on Twitter stating "“What a joke! Andy Scott sacked?! He is a fantastic manager and Brentford will pay the price. They were struggling in League Two when AS took over! He is the only reason why Brentford is in League One.”[16] In February 2015 Szczęsny was named as Brentford 'Keeper of the Decade' in a club poll.[17]

2010–11

On 27 October 2010, Szczęsny made his second appearance for Arsenal in the League Cup, keeping a clean sheet against Newcastle United at St James' Park and stopping numerous attempts from Newcastle players.[18] He signed a new long-term contract on 11 November 2010, thanking his goalkeeping coach Josh Phelan and his father Maciej Szczęsny (who was also a goalkeeper for the Polish national team), for helping him progress in his breakthrough season.[19][20] Szczęsny made his Premier League debut in the 1–0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 13 December 2010, deputising for Łukasz Fabiański and Manuel Almunia, who both missed the match through injury.[21] On 8 January 2011, he started the FA Cup third-round match against Leeds United. The following weekend, Szczęsny kept his first league clean sheet in a 3–0 win over West Ham United at Upton Park.

Szczęsny in action with Arsenal in November 2011

Following Szczęsny's form after playing consecutive Premier League matches, Wenger confirmed that Szczęsny would remain Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper, stating "he's done nothing for me to take him out."[22] On 16 February, Szczęsny made his Champions League debut against Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium. The game finished 2–1 for Arsenal with Szczęsny making a number of saves.[23] On 27 February, Szczęsny let in a late Birmingham City winner in the League Cup Final. In the 89th minute, a header caused confusion between Szczęsny and defender Laurent Koscielny where the latter pulled out of a clearance at the last minute causing the former to lose control of the ball, which rolled right into the path of Birmingham player Obafemi Martins, who converted from near the penalty spot.

2011–12

Szczęsny played a half in each of Arsenal's pre-season games on their tour of Malaysia and China. Szczęsny was assigned the number 13 jersey, formerly worn by Alexander Hleb, then Jens Lehmann on his second spell at the club. During 2011–12, he became Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper, playing every minute of the team's Premier League matches. On 24 August, Szczęsny made a vital penalty save in the 59th minute of play against Antonio Di Natale in the second leg of the Champions League qualifying round. Arsenal were tied 1–1 (2–1 on aggregate) against Udinese and Szczęsny's penalty save proved vital in securing Arsenal a spot in the lucrative group stage of the competition for the 14th straight season. Arsenal went on to win the game 2–1 (3–1 on aggregate) with goals coming from Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott. On 28 August, he played in the 8–2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford which turned out to be Arsenal's heaviest ever defeat in the Premier League and the first time they conceded eight goals for over 115 years. On 26 February 2012, Szczęsny finished on the winning side in a North London derby for the first time, as Arsenal came from 0–2 down to win 5–2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur.[24] On 3 March 2012, Szczęsny made a number of important saves and blocked an early penalty to help Arsenal win against Liverpool at Anfield.

2012–13

Following the release of Manuel Almunia, Szczęsny was given the vacated number 1 shirt.[25] After a couple of months out with injury, Szczęsny made his return in the 5–2 win against Tottenham Hotspur.[26]

On 13 March 2013, Szczęsny was dropped from the Arsenal team to play Bayern München in the Champions League.[27] In Arsenal's next Premier League match against Swansea City, Szczęsny returned to the Arsenal squad but was named only as a substitute, with Łukasz Fabiański selected to start in goal by Arsène Wenger.

On 20 April 2013, Szczęsny returned to the team in a Premier League match at home to Everton due to a rib injury sustained by Fabiański.[28] In his first two matches back in the Arsenal goal, he kept consecutive clean sheets against Everton and Fulham respectively.

2013–14

Szczęsny warming up during the 2013 Emirates Cup.

Szczęsny had a testing time in the opening fixture of the 2013–14 Premier League season, as Arsenal lost 1–3 to Aston Villa. During the match, he conceded a penalty after tripping Gabriel Agbonlahor. Despite the disappointment, Szczęsny responded well by keeping three clean sheets in Arsenal's following four matches. He also made two crucial saves to help preserve Arsenal's 1–0 lead away to Crystal Palace in October,[29] as well as keeping two consecutive clean sheets in vital wins over Liverpool[30] and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.[31] In a November 2013 match against Manchester United, Szczęsny received lengthy treatment following a head-to-head injury with Phil Jones, but finished the game after Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger allowed him to continue. Wenger said he would have substituted for Szczęsny if instructed by the team doctor, but added, "No, nobody told me anything about him," when asked if medical staff had cleared the keeper to play.[32] Tottenham Hotspur coach André Villas-Boas was heavily criticised the previous week for keeping concussed keeper Hugo Lloris in a match against Everton.[33]

On 16 November 2013, Arsenal announced that Szczęsny had signed a new long-term contract with the club.[34] His excellent form continued throughout November, a month in which he conceded just one goal and kept five clean sheets in six matches. He also recorded his 50th clean sheet for Arsenal on 26 November, in a Champions League match against Olympique de Marseille which Arsenal won 2-0.[35] Szczęsny conceded a penalty and was sent off in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich in February 2014 for a foul on Arjen Robben. As he left the field he made an offensive hand gesture. David Alaba missed the penalty, but Arsenal lost the match 2–0.[36] In the process Szczęsny became the 100th player sent off during Arsène Wenger's reign at Arsenal.[37]

At the end of the season Szczęsny was jointly award the Premier League Golden Glove award alongside Petr Čech of Chelsea, with both keeping 16 clean sheets.[38] He also ended the season by winning his first senior trophy with Arsenal, the 2013–14 FA Cup, but was only a substitute in the final itself, with Łukasz Fabiański retaining his place as first choice goalkeeper for domestic cup competitions.

2014–15

Szczęsny conceded a penalty and was sent off in a 4–1 Champions League home win against Galatasaray on 1 October 2014 for a professional foul on Burak Yılmaz.[39]

On 1 January 2015, Szczęsny made errors leading to both goals in Arsenal's 2–0 defeat at Southampton. He was later fined £20,000 by the club for smoking in the changing room showers after the match.[40] He was dropped to the bench for the team's following Premier League match, with David Ospina replacing him in goal.[41]

International career

Szczęsny (left) with Jakub Błaszczykowski before an international friendly against the Republic of Ireland.

Szczęsny played for Poland's U-21 team and started in three 2011 European Championship qualifying matches. He was also placed on stand-by for the Polish national team by manager Leo Beenhakker for the team's World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Slovenia in early September 2009. However, since none of Poland's top three goalkeepers dropped out, he was not called up and instead played the U-21 qualifiers against Spain and Finland. He has a total of six caps for the U-21 squad.

In October 2009, new manager Franciszek Smuda sent Szczęsny his first call up to the full national side, for the friendly matches against Romania and Canada.[5] Szczęsny made his debut versus Canada on 18 November, coming on as a 46th minute substitute for Tomasz Kuszczak.[42] He earned his second cap and his first full match in a February 2011 friendly against Norway.

Szczęsny had a strong performance against the Germany national team on 6 September 2011. The final result of the match was a 2–2 draw, however Szczęsny made eight critical saves that kept Poland from conceding any more goals. His performance in this match earned him praise from former German international goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn.[43][44] He was sent off in Poland's opening game against Greece in UEFA Euro 2012. In the second half of the match Szczęsny fouled Dimitris Salpingidis in order to prevent him from scoring a second goal for Greece. The foul occurred in the box causing Szczęsny to miss the next match against Russia, and costing Poland a penalty which was saved by Przemysław Tytoń in a 1–1 draw.[45] Therefore, Tytoń became the first goalkeeper in history of the European Championships to save a penalty after coming on a substitute.[46] Szczęsny failed to play again for the rest of Euro 2012 as Tytoń played the rest of the group stage as Poland went out finishing bottom of Group A with two points. On 12 October 2014 Szczesny was pivotal in securing a historic first victory over Germany for the Polish national team.

Career statistics

Club

Szczęsny warming up before an Arsenal match in 2011
As of match played 18 April 2015[47]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal 2009–10 Premier League 000010000010
Brentford (loan) 2009–10 League One 28000000000280
Arsenal 2010–11 Premier League 15020502000240
2011–12 38010009000480
2012–13 25040103000330
2013–14 37000009000460
2014–15 17040006010280
Total 132011070290101800
Career total 160011070290102080

International

As of 07 September 2014[48]
National teamYearAppsGoalsClean sheets
Poland 2009101
2010000
2011602
2012503
2013201
Total 19 0 7

Honours

Arsenal

Academy/Youth

Senior

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Poland – Wojciech Szczesny".
  2. ↑ "Player Profile: Wojciech Szczęsny". Premier League. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  3. ↑ Szczesny – I want to be No 1 for 15 years. Arsenal F.C. (13 July 2011). Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hytner, David (4 February 2011). "Inside the weird world of Arsenal's new No1, Wojciech Szczesny". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Smuda powołał kadrę na mecze towarzyskie. 90minut.pl (22 March 2012). Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  6. ↑ Dawidziuk, Adam (16 December 2009). "Ranking polskich bramkarzy według Dowhania". sports.pl. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  7. ↑ "Arsenal 2–0 West Brom". BBC Sport. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  8. ↑ "Exclusive Wenger webchat – Part Two". Arsenal F.C. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  9. ↑ Dawson, Alan (28 December 2009). "Arsene Wenger looking forward to Wojciech Szczesny's continued development at Arsenal". Goal.com. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
  10. ↑ Teale, Nick (26 January 2010). "Wenger – Szczesny can be Arsenal's No 1". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  11. ↑ Teale, Nick (23 April 2010). "Wenger – Szczesny is our future No. 1". Arsenal F.C. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  12. ↑ "Brentford 0–0 Leeds United". BBC Sport. 12 December 2009.
  13. ↑ "Brentford extend goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny's loan". BBC Sport. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  14. ↑ "Wojciech Szczesny extends loan with Brentford". Arsenal F.C. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  15. ↑ "Szczesny earns Scott plaudits". eurosport.yahoo.com. 18 April 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  16. ↑ "Gunner Szczesny hot over Scott sacking". Mirror Football. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  17. ↑ http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/szczesny-michael-turner-jonathan-douglas-lloyd-owusu-brentford-2296164.aspx
  18. ↑ "Szczesny: Arsenal's Nets Big Thing". ministryofglove.com. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  19. ↑ "Interview with Arsenal’s new No1, Wojciech Szczesny". Arsenal.ie. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  20. ↑ "Wojciech Szczesny pens new long-term contract". Arsenal F.C. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  21. ↑ "Park puts United on top of Premier League". Google. Agence France-Presse. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  22. ↑ "Szczesny is Arsenal's No 1". Arsenal F.C. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  23. ↑ "Arsenal 2 – 1 Barcelona". BBC Sport. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  24. ↑ Wojciech Szczesny says Arsenal can overhaul Tottenham in the table | Football. The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  25. ↑ "Arsenal confirm 2012/13 squad numbers". Arsenal.com. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  26. ↑ Ornstein, David (17 November 2012). "Arsenal 5–2 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  27. ↑ "Bayern Munich v Arsenal: Wojciech Szczesny talent not in question, but mistakes cannot be ignored". The Independent. 14 March 2013.
  28. ↑ "Lukasz Fabianski's cracked rib gives Wojciech Szczesny chance of a run". The Guardian. 18 April 2012.
  29. ↑ "Crystal Palace 0-2 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  30. ↑ "Arsenal 2-0 Liverpool". BBC Sport. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  31. ↑ "Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  32. ↑ "Wenger clear on Szczesny concussion". Fox Sports. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  33. ↑ "André Villas-Boas blasts 'incompetent critics' in Hugo Lloris concussion row". The Guardian. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  34. ↑ "Szczesny signs new long-term contract". Arsenal F.C. 16 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  35. ↑ "Wenger: Szczesny can be an Arsenal great". Arsenal F.C. 28 November 2013.
  36. ↑ Wallace, Sam (20 February 2014). "Arsenal 0 Bayern Munich 2 match report". The Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  37. ↑ View, Barrie's (19 February 2014). "Arsenal’s 100 red cards during Arsène Wenger’s reign". Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  38. ↑ "Petr Cech & Wojciech Szczesny share the Barclays Golden Glove". Premierleague via Twitter. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  39. ↑ "Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray". BBC Sport. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  40. ↑ Rice, Simon (6 January 2015). "Wojciech Szczesny caught smoking in the showers - fined by Arsenal". The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  41. ↑ "Arsene Wenger: Why I picked David Ospina instead of Wojciech Szczesny". Daily Express. 11 January 2015.
  42. ↑ "Polacy wreszcie strzelają". 90minut.pl. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
  43. ↑ "Szczesny – Kahn praise has motivated me". Arsenal F.C. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  44. ↑ "‘Playing for Poland is the best feeling in the world’ – Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny". Goal.com. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  45. ↑ "Poland 1–1 Greece". BBC Sport. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  46. ↑ http://euro2012.onet.pl/wiadomosci/euro-2012-przemyslaw-tyton-przeszedl-do-historii-m,1,5155433,artykul.html
  47. ↑ "Wojciech Szczesny". ESPN. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  48. ↑ "Szczęsny, Wojciech". National Football Teams. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  49. ↑ "Premierleague.com users' team of the season revealed". Premier League. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wojciech Szczęsny.