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THREAD: Leno or Martinez? It's been a topic that many wanted me to discuss. In this thread, I will provide an in depth analysis on our two outstanding goalkeepers and who I believe should start the season as our number 1. RTs so more Gooners can see this piece would mean a lot
LENO: I love him. Initially, I wasn't entirely sure that he could be the answer to solve our GK problems as during his last year and a half at Leverkusen, his performance levels stagnated. But for 19M, we now have had two brilliant seasons from Bernd.
ANALYSIS OF BL FIRST SEASON: During his first year in England, there were plenty of positives. Emery initially favoured Cech as the number one with Leno playing in the league cup and EL group stage games. Petr's injury against Watford at home, meant Bernd was given the chance to.
cement himself as our new No. 1. I was at the game and he performed brilliantly, making a crucial second half save to stop Deeneys header. Since then, he hasn't disappointed. Outstanding saves, unreal reflexes are descriptions you could always use when analysing his performances.
What we all must remember is that GKs will make mistakes. But what separates the good GKs from the elite ones is the reaction after making a mistake. Can you put it to the back of your mind and go again? Or will that mistake become a common trend. Leno showed that he could forget
about situations where he made a mistake and was able to maintain consistency. This is what impresses me most about Bernd. Just look at De Gea. At one stage, I had him as the best in the word, ahead of Neuer. But since the 2018 WC,he's been continuously making errors on a regular
basis and has failed to provide consistency. If you remember our game against Southampton away in the 2018/19 season, Leno made a bad mistake, which allowed Austin to score the winner. But his reaction after making this error was fantastic. The next mistake he went onto.
make was against Wolves, where he had a nightmare. Four months of football in between these massive mistakes shows that mentally, errors do not hamper his performance levels. There were certainly plenty of elite performances from our German stopper in his first season. United at.
home (2-0) and Spurs away (1-1), where he made that outrageous double save springs to mind. Games against Leicester away, Everton away are examples of where he kept the score down. Overall, a very encouraging first season from Leno
SECOND SEASON: Whilst his first campaign with us was good, his second was even better. Under Emery, it was clear that the structure, balance and shape both in and out of possession was an absolute shambles. Regularly, the distances between the back line and midfield were far too
big, hence why teams were able to transition easily from defence to attack and was the reason why Leno was continuously having to face a high volume of shots. Similar issues were apparent under Freddie. Watford away, Southampton at home, Leicester away, Wolves at home, Norwich..
away. The list is endless. Bernd regularly kept the score line down. Under MA, he wasn't tasked to be as active as what he was before because our shape, structure and balance was significantly stronger. But he continued to provide top displays. Everton and West ham at home are
examples. So lets analyse Bernd over three categories that I look for in a modern GK. The first is shot stopping ability. He's elite/world class in this aspect. His frame allows him to be agile, and light on his feet. Look at his save vs De Bruyne! The second is the ability to...
command your area with authority, and provide a calmness when defending your zone. During his first campaign, he struggled hugely in this aspect. Palace away, Spurs at home, Wolves away were incidents where he should have done better. He has improved this year, although there
still has been some incidents where he hasn't shown authority.Chelsea, Everton at home and there was an incident against Sheffield united where Xhaka bailed him out. The final aspect is distribution which I'll discuss towards the end of the thread. But overall, Leno is top level!
EMI MARTINEZ: The power of the loan system! Most will remember Emi's shocking display away at Reading. But what I admire is that he has always believed in his ability, determined to be our eventual No.1. He's gone out on loan, learnt his trade and has improved immensely in his
overall play. This is why I urge our young stars who are looking to breakthrough from the U23's to go out and seek first team football. Martinez's loan at Reading in the championship has helped him enormously in his ability to command his area. He has benefited massively from the
physicality of the league. When Leno sustained his injury at Brighton, I feared we would miss him hugely. But Emi came in and has't put a foot wrong, making vital saves on a regular basis. FA cup quarter final against Sheffield United, Southampton away, Lpool at home, City in the
cup, Chelsea in the final are all games where he has made crucial stops in key moments. Structure, organisation and balance has certainly improved post lockdown and Emi has benefited from that, hence why he isn't facing shots as frequently to what Leno was. But a key aspect in a
GK that is needed is the ability to maintain concentration levels. Can you make that important save when the team needs you? He showed on numerous occasions that he can do this, which is a fundamental requirement needed in a GK to play at a top club. You may not have to do much,
but when called upon, you must be able to be the difference. Allison does this, hence why he is renowned as one of the best GK's in the world. His most recent display against Liverpool in the CS was another game where he provided the team with calmness and made vital saves
LENO VS MARTINEZ: Lets compare the two. Whilst both are similar shot stopping wise, Leno does have the edge. With regards to commanding your area, Emi is superior and this is largely because of his frame. Physically, Martinez is tailored to the PL. What I love about him is that
when the opportunity arrises to catch the ball, whether its from crosses, corners e.c.t, he does it comfortably, which eases the pressure of the defence and allows us to regain our shape. Leno opts to punch more which means we have to deal with the second phase. The final aspect
is distribution/playing out from back. Emi is currently superior. Very calm on the ball, providing us with two avenues to create patterns. Can easily lay it short to teammates when under pressure but can also ping a long pass, allowing us to build attacks further up. So overall,
Emi is currently the more rounded GK. The sample size is smaller compared to Leno and we don't know how he will react to a mistake. But for me, until Emi gives MA a reason to drop him, he should remain in the team and this is not recency bias. But its great to have two top GKs!
