‘Cech errors down to new Arsenal style’

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Kabasele urges Watford to stay grounded after fast start

LONDON, Sept 4, (RTRS): Arsenal’s new manager Unai Emery wants his defense to play out from the back but the new approach does not suit goalkeeper Petr Cech, who seems uncomfortable with the ball at his feet, Watford goalie Ben Foster has said.

Cech, 36, has had a shaky start to the Premier League season, nearly passing the ball into his own net against Manchester City and gifting the ball to Cardiff City’s Harry Arter on Sunday.

“He has spent his whole career playing one style of football and now, at the end of his career, he is being asked to play another one altogether,” Foster told BBC Radio 5 live.

“He is one of the best goalkeepers the Premier League has seen but that really is not his game.”

Foster said managers had to understand the limitations of their goalkeepers and added that Watford boss Javi Gracia had allowed him to play to his strengths.

“He knows I’m OK with the ball at my feet, but I’m very good at booming it 80 yards up the pitch. He is more than happy with me doing it the way I want to do it,” Foster added.

Watford’s win over Tottenham Hotspur has reinforced the belief that they can beat anyone in the Premier League but midfielder Christian Kabasele has warned the team not to get carried away with their fine start to the season.

Watford beat title contenders Spurs 2-1 on Sunday for a fourth victory from as many games that has left them third in the table behind Liverpool and Chelsea.

“We need to keep this spirit, because – the manager said this as well in the pre-match talk – we can beat anybody, but we can also lose against anybody,” Belgian Kabasele told Watford’s website.

It is the second time in Watford’s history that they have won their first four matches of a league campaign, previously achieving the feat in 1988 when they were in the second tier.

“Four victories in a row – it’s incredible for Watford. I think it’s obvious that nothing gets us down,” Kabasele added.

“Even when the other team scores we want to fight back to take the points and that shows the character of this team.”

Watford host Manchester United in the league on Sept 15 after the international break.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has come under fire due to the side’s uncertain start to the season but midfielder Nemanja Matic says he is handling the pressure well.

After an unconvincing 2-1 win over Leicester City in their Premier League opener, United suffered back-to-back defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, ramping up the pressure on the manager.

However, Matic said their 2-0 win at Burnley on Sunday showed Mourinho’s coaching qualities.

“I think he’s dealing very well with the pressure. That’s why he is here at Manchester United,” the Serbia international told the club’s website.

“We knew they could make problems on long balls. That’s why Fellaini played close to our defence to collect those balls and I think this performance shows we know how to play football and we can still compete for the title.

United travel to Watford on Sept 15 when league action resumes after the international break.

Liverpool will need all the playing resources available them to negotiate a tricky run of domestic and European fixtures after the international break, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has said.

Early Premier League leaders Liverpool face Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Chelsea and Manchester City after club football resumes on Sept 15.

Last season’s Champions League finalists also take on Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade in Europe as well as hosting Chelsea in the third round of the League Cup.

“It’s going to be a really important period for us, not only because they’re big games, but also because we play a lot of games,” Dutch international Wijnaldum told the club’s website.

“In these kinds of periods you need your whole squad.”

Liverpool face a tough challenge to emerge from Group C in the Champions League but Wijnaldum said all groups in the competition were tough and drew confidence from their pre-season victory over Italian side Napoli.

“We know PSG are a good team. We played Napoli already in the pre-season and we won 5-0. But we still know they are a good team and there were situations in that game where there was stuff to deal with,” Wijnaldum added.

Liverpool have made a 100 percent start to the league after four matches but Wijnaldum called for further improvement after hard-fought wins over Brighton and Hove Albion, Leicester City and Crystal Palace.

“We have to do things better, but the result is the most important thing,” he said.

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