Lukasz Fabianski said he hopes to keep his place for the final and will be disappointed if he does not. That is understandable, given he was Arsenal’s hero in Saturday’s semi-final against Wigan.
He saved spot-kicks from Gary Caldwell and Jack Collison in the penalty shootout as Arsenal booked their big day against Hull City. But he was immediately dropped for Tuesday night’s victory over West Ham as Arsene Wenger went back to his No1 Wojciech Szczesny for the battle to finish fourth.
Szczesny, said all the right things after the West Ham match but, make no mistake, he wants nothing more than to be between the sticks to help Arsenal end a nine-year drought and beat Hull at Wembley.
“I’m an Arsenal fan and I just want us to get the trophy,” he said. “It’s not about me playing. Lukas has been doing really, really well and he was our shootout hero at Wembley, so I was happy for him. “For us it’s important to get a trophy and hopefully we can appease everyone at the club.
“Lukas has done really well and deserves a lot of credit. I would love to play, obviously, but it’s the manager’s decision.”
Fabianski has played in every round of the cup, which has brought victories over huge rivals Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton. He also played in the Champions League ties against Bayern Munich because of Szczesny’s suspension, but his total appearances for the season is only nine.
Fabianski’s contract is up at the end of the season and he is desperate to be a No1. Whether that is with Arsenal is looking less likely and Southampton are just one club monitoring the situation.
His penalty heroics show he is not fazed by the big occasion but Wenger’s decision to reinstall Szczesny showed clearly the manager’s thoughts.
Wenger said: “Lukasz had nothing to do on Saturday, but what he had to do he did well, that was basically the penalties. Apart from that he had nothing do to. Wojciech is a bit taller and has not been bad when he has played. But I have complete confidence in Lukasz.”
It is yet to been seen who will be the starting keeper in the Final but both players are hoping to be the number one pick.
Written by Steve Milne
