Almunia: Superb Shot Stopper (Manuel Almunia)

Member Name: ld75454

Product:	Manuel Almunia
Date:	22/10/09 (151 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great shot stopper

Disadvantages: Blunders at big games

Full Name: Manuel Rivero Almunia
Age: 31
Club: Arsenal
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in)
Position: Goalkeeper
Squad Number: 1

Manuel Almunia was born in Pamplona, Spain on the 19th May, 1977. He began his senior professional career with Osasuna's reserve team in 1997 where he spent two seasons. Alumia then went under a succession of loan spells. He spent some time in Segunda Division B with FC Cartagena and CE Sabadell before leaving in 2001 to join Celta de Vigo. He was then loaned out three times whilst at the club to SD Eibar followed by Recreativo de Huelva. His third loan spell was to Albacete Balompie which is where he must have caught the eye of Arsenal scouts. All in all, his time in Spain was not overly successful. Was the next stage in his career when his luck was about to change?

Manuel Almunia signed for Arsenal on July 14th, 2004 for an undisclosed fee. He was an unknown and was bought for what is believed to be a fairly low price. Like many Arsenal recruits, he was introduced to the fans via the League Cup (Carling Cup). It was against Manchester City that Manuel made his debut for Arsenal. He got off to a good start with Arsenal as this game resulted in a 2-1 win. Almunia continued his run in the Carling Cup team in the 2004-2005 season until Arsenal were knocked out in the quarter final by Manchester United.

Almunia's Premier League debut came against Birmingham City. This was a huge success as Arsenal went on to win 3-0. Three days later, he made his Champions League debut and again had a triumphant day, winning 5-1 against Rosenborg.

The start of the 2007/08 season saw Jens Lehmann make two big mistakes between the sticks followed by an injury. Almunia clearly saw his opportunity to prove himself and pounced. He did such a great job that he kept the spot in goal and the summer of 2008 Jens Lehmann left for Vfb Stuttgart. It is after his departure that Almunia was given shirt number 1. This season, the same thing may well be happening but to Manuel as Vito Mannone, Arsenal's third choice goalkeeper took his place between the goalposts and has been producing stellar performances. Will he be able to reclaim his place after a sever chest infection?

Almunia is one of the few in the current Arsenal team that have brought trophies to the club. These were the FA Community Shield (2004-05) and the FA Cup (2005). Since then Manuel hasn't been a winner with Arsenal but he is frequently vocal about his desire to do so. I sincerely hope that this year will be the one to get us back on track to winning trophies.

Arsenal are not known for their fantastic goalkeepers. I can probably only name about seven or eight that have played for them. Like most goalkeepers, Manuel Almunia has made his fair share of mistakes. And some that have been quite costly and memorable. On the whole, I think that Almunia has struggled to gain the credit that he has deserved for his fantastic form of late. Since becoming Arsenals number 1, Almunia has become a good decision maker. You can see that he now knows when to come for the ball and when is best for his defenders to deal with the danger. He has also grown to be a more commanding presence in his area.

One of Almunia's key assets is his penalty-stopping skill. He has been quite a specialist and has saved a number of penalties, notably the one by Robbie Keane allowing Arsenal to win yet another London derby. After a number of high profile blunders, this save saw Arsenal fans grow to like him almost instantly. I for one was jumping up and down when he saved this!

Manuel Almunia is one of the older members of the Arsenal squad and is vice captain along with Robin Van Persie therefore when Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is not playing in the side, one of them deputises as captain. I personally am not a fan of Almunia being captain for the simple reason that he is in goal and I don't believe that this position is the right place for a captain! But you can see he has great leadership qualities and is one of the most experienced players. In the past, he didn't appear to be particularly vocal but has since improved in this area which has visibly helped the team.

Internationally, Alumunia hasn't had a sniff with regards to playing for Spain and I think it is unlikely that he will in the coming years. They have a number of fantastic goalkeepers, especially Ike Casillas, therefore I can't see Manuel being called up. Fortunately for England, their loss could be our gain. He has declared on a number of occasions (one of which was at an Arsenal members day that I attended) that he desires to play for England. He qualifies for British citizenship due to the fact that his wife is English therefore he is able to do play for England, should he get a call up. I personally think this would be great for England as he is significantly better than a number of English goalkeepers for example Paul Robinson and Scott Carson! And although I do like David James he does have numerous 'Calamity James' moments which can be amusing.

The most irritating thing about Manuel is his... hair! He insists of dying it a peroxide bleached blonde colour which quite frankly looks hideous. It makes him unique though I guess, perhaps not in a good way though.

All in all, I think Almunia is a first-class goalkeeper who is continuously improving. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he is in one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League but he is certainly making his mark. Occasionally he has his moments when you really do wonder whether he has the quality to be playing for a team like Arsenal, but on the whole I trust him to keep the opposition out. His increased presence and shot-stopping ability out-weigh his times of uncertainty which lead to occasional clangers.

Summary: A steady goalkeeper