Per Mertesacker has been the acting captain of Arsenal in the absence of Mikel Arteta for the last year, and he believes that he brings some organization and planning to the team, making sure everything is in the right place to get the team dynamics working correctly.
“It’s not about me or anyone else, it’s about the club,” the BFG said on Arsenal.com. “We want to dedicate our lives to that club, and that means more to me than just performing well individually.
“I think there are characters in the squad that just take care of their game and try not to lose energy, which is what you need.
“You always have different types of characters but my personal approach was always that I would feel good if things were put in place, were planned and were organised. I try to communicate well on and off the pitch so the lads know that when I say something it’s honest and it’s the truth.
“Everyone has their own personality and brings something to the team. Our dressing room is really lively.
“We have different characters and the young, talented players sometimes look up to the more experienced guys. In that case, I have a role to play.
“I do it in an honest way. Things that I learnt and grabbed during my career that I think are important would include being genuine to all the lads and treating everyone equally and differently.
“That’s something I try to do in the dressing room. There’s no hidden secret – I just try to contribute.”
A lot of Arsenal fans think that Mertesacker is too slow to run the defence, but there is no doubt that he is vastly experienced and can contribute to keeping the youngsters calm and concentrated. Although Arteta is nominally the captain off the pitch, it is the German that keeps everyone in line and collects the fines from players that are late for training and such.
He is not called the BIG GERMAN for nothing! If he tarts shouting at you I am sure every one listens!