For the first time in a long time, Arsenal fans are doing quite the opposite of finding the constant run of problems in this Arsenal side.
Instead, they are trying to locate exactly what has changed in this Gunners squad in order to climb three places to second place since the turn of the year.
But one man who fits the bill to answering the critics questions is summer transfer market signing, David Ospina.
The Colombian joined the Gunners after an impressive World Cup period, but still left fans bemused as to exactly who he was.
However, Fresh Arsenal have laid on the statistics below to argue Ospina’s case, and highlight just how much of an impact he has had since linking up with the first team back in 2014.
Ospina didn’t have to wait long for his opening Arsenal encounter, but didn’t exactly fill us with confidence during the 2-1 loss to Southampton in the Capital One Cup. At that time, Wojech Szczesny seemed comfortable and Ospina was struggling to live up to his £3million label with Arsenal fans.
Things perked up a bit when Wenger made a mountain of changes for the Champions League tie with Galatassary, and only conceded one goal as we strolled to a 4-1 victory.
A couple of months down the line and Opsina capitalised on the poor form of first choice keeper, Szczesny and after yet another poor performance, the Colombian stepped in for Arsenal.
Since joining in with the Premier League action, Ospina has only conceded seven goals in eleven appearances, and Arsenal have only lost once in the league when Ospina has been between the sticks.
The Colombian also has an impressive tally of seven clean sheets, which has helped lift the Gunners, where they currently sit fourth in the table. It may seem like a record that only matters to him, but when it comes down to positions in the league, goal difference could play a key part as we get closer and closer to the summit.
In all competitions, he has conceded 13 goals from 16 appearances, and in that time has averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.32, a much more impressive figure than Szczesny’s 6.48 rating.
The most important values Ospina has brought to this side is discipline and control, according to stats released one WhoScored. The Colombian won’t take risks when having to deal with a pass-back, and is most likely to punch the ball from set pieces.
Ospina has been a breath of fresh air, and most importantly provides competition with a goalkeeper who has had pretty much plain sailing since making his debut back in 2008.
It’s qualities like these ones that you can barely find in the transfer market these days, and we can confidently say we’ve found our new number one. But when you look at reports taken from Szczesny saying he will never leave the Gunners, you can be sure to expect a run-in of battles to be the best between the sticks.
Something we know for sure though, is that Arsene Wenger will be rubbing his hands together after he got a player of Ospina’s talent for such a small figure.