Serie A, Roma have denied that Arsenal loanee Wojciech Szczesny was dropped because he was caught smoking again, with club director Walter Sabatini claiming the goalkeeper was left out for a match against Atalanta for sporting reasons.
The Polish shot-stopper was left out of Rudi Garcia's side for a 2-0 home defeat against Atalanta, capping a disastrous week for the Gialorossi.
Szczesny had conceded six in a rout against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and Sabatini suggested to the Italian press it had been this performance that had prompted the decision to drop the 25-year-old for "technical reasons".
La Gazetta dello Sport had reported earlier on Monday that Szczesny had been dropped after being caught smoking. The reported incident, now denied by the club, came less than a year after he had been found with a cigarette in the showers after an Arsenal defeat to Southampton. He was immediately exiled from Arsene Wenger's starting XI.
His replacement, 38-year-old Morgan De Sanctis, did little to impress in Szczesny's absence in the loss to mid-table Atalanta though it was full-backs Lucas Digne and Maicon who were responsible for both goals.
And speaking after the match under-fire Roma boss Garcia offered hope to the Arsenal loanee that he would be offered a reprieve.
"Szczesny hasn’t done anything wrong and he isn’t responsible for anything,” he told reporters. "We all need to be better, including the goalkeepers. Roma’s problem isn’t in goal."
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