Arsenal vs Manchester United: David de Gea praises Petr Cech ahead of Emirates Stadium showdown

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has heaped praise on Arsenal counterpart Petr Cech ahead of their meeting on Sunday (4 October) at the Emirates Stadium. The Red Devils are looking to reclaim top spot in the Premier League after being knocked off the perch by neighbours Manchester City following their victory over Newcastle United on Saturday.

The Spanish goalkeeper has returned to claim his place as United's preferred choice between the sticks following a summer of speculation, which saw De Gea almost complete a move to Real Madrid. He has since agreed a new long-term deal and will be key, if the 20-times English champions are to maintain their position at the top of the league.

Cech, on the other hand, has just begun a new chapter in his illustrious career following his summer move to Arsenal from Chelsea, where he spent a successful decade winning Premier League and Champions League. He has was Arsene Wenger only summer signing, and De Gea is confident that the Czech Republic international's experience will make a huge difference for the Gunners this campaign.

"I think he [Cech] is a great keeper, one of the best in the world. I think that having him in goal will really help Arsenal a lot. He's got so many games under his belt and he's just a top, top goalkeeper," De Gea told United's official site.

"That's a decision for the coaches [resting Cech on Tuesday]. At the end of the day, he wants to give both his keepers some playing time and obviously David Ospina is a good keeper who can also perform well for them."

The 20-times English champions will go into the game against Arsenal as the favourites, as the Gunners have not beaten them at the Emirates Stadium since May 2011. Moreover, they are low on confidence following their midweek home defeat against Olympiacos in the Champions League. The former Atletico Madrid stopper, however, is confident that the north London club will make it tough for United, despite their lack of form at home.

"Arsenal are one of the best teams in the Premier League. They have some very good individuals, very fast players up front and I think they are a very good side. Even though they lost at home, they'll be really up for it on Sunday and will want to give their fans something to cheer about, so I think they'll make it very tough for us."

"We'll go there full of confidence, we know it's in our hands to stay at the top [of the table] and we'll go there believing in ourselves and all out for the three points."

Petr Cech at Arsenal: Has the new goalkeeper made a difference?

We look at Petr Cech’s impact at his new club with the help of former Arsenal goalkeeping hero David Seaman...

"He will save them 12 to 15 points a season." John Terry's opinion isn't the first that Arsenal supporters would seek out but his summer verdict on what Petr Cech could bring to the club would have had them excited nevertheless.

Arsene Wenger addressed his perceived goalkeeping weakness in the summer

Last season David Ospina had provided a solution of sorts, albeit struggling in Arsenal's costly Champions League defeat to Monaco, while Arsene Wenger appeared to finally run out of patience with Wojciech Szczesny. But Cech was seen as a level apart.

This was Arsenal addressing a weakness. According to Opta, Szczesny made six errors leading to shots last season - costing his team the game at Southampton. Only QPR's Robert Green made more and he played more than twice as many games as the Pole.

Significantly, Szczesny and Ospina's combined tally of four errors leading to goals was more than any of Arsenal's rivals among the Premier League's top eight. Goalkeeping mistakes were holding them back. 

Cech was supposed to change that. A goalkeeper of vast experience, the stats showed that his safe hands had been blameless in all seven of his Premier League games for Chelsea the previous season and his reputation for reliability dated back rather further than that.

As a result, schadenfreude salesmen made a killing when Cech erred on his debut against West Ham. Such is the nature of the job, only time will allow the new goalkeeper to make up for that opening-day mistake.

Cech had been bought to eliminate the errors and he'd failed at the very first attempt. Confidence would've been hit and that's a problem for someone in a leadership role who is expected to inspire others. But the goalkeeper's response has been impressive.

It's not just Cech's saves that can help Arsenal but the confidence he gives others

They say reputations take a lifetime to build but only a split-second (spent failing to claim a routine cross) to destroy, but it seems that Cech has been unaffected. "Mistakes will happen," said Per Mertesacker. "But my feeling is he comes back even stronger."

Retaining that aura was key. And even after such an alarming start, Hector Bellerin was clearly in deferential mood. "We are learning a lot from him," said the young full-back soon afterwards. "When you look back and see Petr in goal it gives you a lot of confidence."

Confidence. That great intangible. Stats tell part of the tale. For instance, teams are missing more big chances against Arsenal this year and Cech boasts a better save percentage from close-range shots than his rivals. But they don't reveal how his presence affects others.

Cech's experience is something that helps team-mates such as Per Mertesacker

The man that Cech might have replaced at the club if Wenger could have secured a work permit in 2002 feels the belief that the 33-year-old instils cannot be overstated. "I think he's brilliant," David Seaman, a veteran of 564 appearances for Arsenal, told Sky Sports.

"He's quality and he commands respect. He's exactly what Arsenal needed - a steady, confident player at the back. He's consistent rather than up and down. Szczesny would make great saves but he'd also make rash decisions which would put the back-four on edge.

"He will give the defence more confidence because they're not always on edge wondering what's going on behind them. It's the stature of the man. When a player like that comes in, the squad raise their game in training to show what they can do."

Cech saves a shot from Christian Benteke in a home game against Liverpool

Arsenal fans want to see that in matches too - starting with Sunday's game against Manchester United. Visiting' goalkeeper David de Gea was the game's decisive figure in this fixture last season pulling off a string of saves as United won 2-1 at the Emirates.

Ten months on and the gulf between the two teams' goalkeepers has been closed on paper. On the pitch, perhaps this is the moment that Petr Cech shows his new supporters that he can make a tangible difference this season too.

Former Chelsea star Petr Cech praises Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez for Man United display

PETR CECH has heaped praise on Alexis Sanchez after his stunning performance in Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Manchester United at the weekend.

The former Chelsea goalkeeper believes Sanchez is back to his best after his exploits in helping Chile to Copa America glory in the summer.

The Gunners demolished United in the first 20 minutes of their Premier League match with Sanchez scoring twice and Mesut Ozil also getting on the scoresheet.

The result means Arsenal now sit second in the table, ahead of United on goal difference, and just two points behind leaders Manchester City.

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“We're pleased that he's back with his energy, with his enthusiasm and you can see that he feels confident”

Petr Cech

Cech said: "We're pleased that he's back with his energy, with his enthusiasm and you can see that he feels confident and with performances like that, it's great for the team."

"It's always hard for the players when you have the Copa America.

"He won it, he was there for a really long time, didn't have much break and then came back and needed to start again.

"You could see that everybody from the Copa America had a slow start, in other teams and competitions as well."

Sanchez will look to continue his fine form when Arsenal face Watford in the Premier League after the international break.

Petr Cech: Arsenal need to be more like Chelsea

Petr Cech has urged Arsenal to be more like Chelsea and learn how to adapt their philosophy when things are not going their way.

The goalkeeper swapped Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium this summer and believes Arsene Wenger's side can learn from his former employers' tactics.

"At Chelsea we had games where we knew it was not going our way, but we managed to get the most out of it, which was a great skill to have.

"It's about adapting to the situation better. As I said before, if you go too much with the emotion, you can be punished," he told Sport Magazine.

The Gunners' brand of football is attractive on the eye but has not always produced positive results while Jose Mourinho has enjoyed success courtesy of a pragmatic approach with the Blues.

Cech, who won a host of silverware during his decade in west London, is adamant that Arsenal need to be able to win ugly and recognise when to stray from their penchant for passing.

"Sometimes you need to stick to the basics and forget about playing the way you want when it's not going your way.

"You need to make sure you do the basics right in every game. That gives you the platform to build on - and then, if you don't have a particularly great day, you can make sure you still get the maximum out of it."

Petr Cech: Why I made that mistake against West Ham on my Arsenal debut

PETR CECH has explained the reason behind his nightmare Arsenal debut which featured an uncharacteristic mistake against West Ham.

The Czech goalkeeper was heralded as the answer to the Gunners' woes in goal following his arrival from Chelsea.

But things went horribly wrong in his first competitive start for the club when he was caught out by a Dimitri Payet free-kick and Cheikhou Kouyate headed the ball into an unguarded net.

Cech was then caught flat-footed when a shot from Mauro Zarate beat him at the near post to complete a 2-0 defeat.

The 33-year-old admits he was trying to inject an bit of energy into the Arsenal team, who he felt had made a slow start.

Petr Cech was caught out when West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate headed in a first-half free-kick

He told Sport magazine: "It was just a coincidence, in a way. We were all raring to go and then the first half was really slow. There was a bit of a lack of rhythm and you think: ‘Let's put a bit of energy in here.’ 

"So when that ball came [a free-kick by West Ham’s Dimitri Payet], I was thinking: ‘Let’s go and get the ball and make something happen.’ A fast counter-attack, or whatever. 

"And this was where the mistake came, because there was no way I could have got this ball.

"I wanted to do something extra, but this usually goes wrong.

"You shouldn’t do things that are extra; you should do things the precise way and not try to do something you don’t have to. 

"You learn in every moment, even at 33. And, in a way, you surprise yourself because this has never happened to me before. I’m always good at keeping myself focused on doing what I need to do."

Since the blunder, Cech has bounced back impressively and he said the social media backlash was just a bit of fun.

Petr Cech has bounced back well from his opening day woes

He added: "My wife showed me that Superman-style picture floating around the internet. This is part of the game. 

"When something like that happens, people take the opportunity to make a bit of fun. The way I see it is: they don’t get a chance to do that the whole year, so the first time they have it, they have to use it. 

"For the rest of the season they might not get a chance."