Well, this certainly has escalated quickly, hasn't it?
Petr Cech is not happy. Not happy at all. The Arsenal goalkeeper shipped two goals in their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, Unai Emery's new side failing to find a goal of their own.
Cech was a surprise starter in the game following the summer arrival of Bernd Leno, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen. With little over 20 minutes played and having already conceded to Raheem Sterling, the former Chelsea goalkeeper came dangerously close to misdirecting a first-time pass to one of his teammates inside his own post - much to the amusement of many commenting on the game on Twitter.
https://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/petr-cech-arsenal-bayer-leverkusen-172520
Amongst those to comment on the incident was Bayer Leverkusen's English language Twitter account, who compared Cech's apparent difficulty with playing out from the back to that of Leno, the man many had assumed would automatically be Arsenal's first choice 'keeper.
https://twitter.com/bayer04_en/status/1028674552388300801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1028674552388300801&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fpetr-cech-leverkusen-194704
Clearly, it was a bit of lighthearted fun. Certainly not something to get upset about and definitely not something for Cech to respond to... yet on Monday evening, that's exactly what he did.
A tweet from Cech said it was 'sad' that Leverkusen's tweet showed the German club didn't share the same values of 'fair competition, professionalism and sportsmanship' that are expected at Arsenal.
Having seen Cech's response, Leverkusen were quick to send a response in order to smooth things over, explaining that he'd taken their joke more personally than it was intended.
https://twitter.com/bayer04_en/status/1029062773525884928
'It was only a bit of banter,' their Richard Keys-esque reply explained. 'We're all for the values you've stated and wish you and your big club all the best.'
No hard feelings then. At least on Bayer's part.
Another big weekend! Your ultimate Ireland TV guide to all of the weekend’s big sporting action is back. We have some huge GAA for you as the Allianz leagues come to an end, and there’s some big clashes across League of Ireland, the Premier League and Scottish Prem. Plus the small matter of a Carabao […]
Feisty from Heimir. Heimir Hallgrimsson announced his Ireland squad earlier today, ahead of next week’s World Cup play-off semi-final against Czechia. There were four uncapped players named – Harvey Vale, James Abankwah, Bosun Lawal, Josh Keeley – with Lawal in with a good shot of getting a debut, following an injury to midfielder Josh Cullen. […]
Fans are puzzled. Heimir Hallgrimsson has announced his Ireland squad for the World Cup play-off semi-final against Czechia next Thursday. There was even more big news, with the manager revealing at the end of the press conference that he has signed a new contract until the end of the Euro 2028 campaign. Hallgrimsson stated that […]