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Player Analysis - Bernd Leno; a thread
Leno’s been a hot topic & a polemic recently at Arsenal. It’s fair to say he’s simply inept in playing out of a press & initiating build-up play; a necessity for the way Mikel wants us to set-up. Below, I’ve analyzed Leno’s biggest weaknesses + mentioned what Mikel thinks of them
Limited angles. We’ve started to see teams press high & close down Leno’s passing angles. With the basic angles & passing lanes being shut, we’ve got no option but to go long. We’ve seen many teams exploit this to regain possession from us. Here’s an example + what Mikel thinks
Passing. The technicality, timing & weight of his passes are a massive burden. He puts others in pressure which results in frequent panic + an eventual loss of possesion. Examples + comments from Mikel holding Leno responsible for certain errors; different players were blamed for
Going long. Leno hoofing it up the field has also become a repetitive occurrence and a constant invite to unwanted pressure. IMO, It’s an accumulative of his many limitations and massively hinders our efforts of initiating build-up play. Here’s a few examples + Mikel’s thoughts
Composure while breaking a press. Evident by instances, Leno doesn’t have it in him to choose the right passes & break a counter-press with a killer pass. Instead he panics & always chooses the wrong options. Mikel’s transition from Ederson / Emi to Leno must’ve been a calamity
Coming off his line. He’s been rash acting as a sweeper lately as he’s been unable to perfect the timings of his runs. This often results in bad decisions and a massive failure to easily re-gain possession by capitalizing off a bad through ball or a miss-pass from the opposition
Misjudging crosses. Although he’s improved in that area, I believe he still lacks the presence and security needed from a world-class keeper. Being inadequate in catching and figuring out when to claim have resulted in some shocking mistakes lately
Overall, Mikel knows he’s trying to implement a style of play with a handicap in his side; Leno. It’s becoming unsustainable, hence why we’ve started to see less of our GK involved in the build-up. Here’s his thoughts on Leno’s failed implementation of his preferred style of play
BONUS. Will he replace him? I’ve heard it through the grapevine recently we’re not offering him a new deal & I have it on good authority Mikel desperately wanted to keep Emi as #1 but had to sell him to fund certain deals + we were unable to find a market for Leno
