Wenger - Almunia is number one

Gunners boss not worried about his 'keeper

By Hayley Paterson   Last updated: 7th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Wenger - Almunia is number one

Almunia: Number one

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Arsene Wenger claims Manuel Almunia is now back to his best after a tough couple of months for the Arsenal goalkeeper.

Poor form, a family tragedy and illness all seemed to have taken their toll on the Arsenal shot-stopper.

During those difficult few months Arsenal suffered defeats to both Manchester United and City and the Spaniard saw rookie goalkeeper Vito Mannone applauded for some fine performances during his absence.

However Wenger was pleased to see the 32-year-old bounce back in wins against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Champions League and Tottenham in the North London derby - where he kept his 50th clean sheet in 133 appearances.

Competition

"To me he looks back to his best. Of course, he needs a few games to get used to playing again but I'm not worried," said the Gunners chief.

"I feel he had been affected a bit by the mistakes he made against Portsmouth.

"Almunia knows the competition when a player is out.

"They see the players of quality in the youth department, the quality of young players who practice every day. There is always competition in training."