Mikel Arteta is Arsenal’s nominal captain at the moment, with Per Mertesacker usually wearing the armband during games, although last week he handed it over to Theo Walcott as recognition of the England striker’s ten years at the club.
The BFG will not be sporting it again tomorrow (who will?), as he is banned, but the big defender thinks that there is little need for a captain at the club. “There’s always a balance between having good leaders and a good team, but everyone needs to lead,” Mertesacker said on the official Arsenal website. “Everyone needs to lead, to talk and give energy to the squad. It’s a balance and you don’t want to do too much or exaggerate at times, you just have to get the team going at times.
“In general we have a good balance in the team and a good squad. We’ve still got players coming back from injury but we’ve never complained about it, that is the main reason for our success.
“Players have stepped up, brought their energy and we’ve got the results as well. We won¹t look back on players being injured as a negative because other players have stepped up, especially this season.
Arsene Wenger failed to buy any outfield players in the summer, giving reasons like ‘continuity’, ‘cohesion’ and ‘team spirit, and Mertesacker thinks that this has worked in the team’s favour. “We’ve kept the same squad and we have obviously made some great additions over the past two years.” he continued. “In general, the team spirit has grown a lot. We are competing at the top and that’s something that was not always the case when I joined.
“The team is much stronger and mentally stronger as well. There are a few steps to go, the season is always long and to get consistency is never easy. There are challenges ahead of us but they make us even stronger, and I must say that the team spirit in the squad is huge at the minute.”
We must all admit that the team doesn’t seem to dwell on setbacks any more, but just pick themselves up to fight in the next game. Maybe this is something that our supporters should also learn from…..
Good to see the boss has confirmed Ospina getting a game tomorrow and hopefully Elneny.
THE BEST EVER
Koscielny or Santi Should be our captain I think honestly..
Language fluency goes a long way in determining captaincy of a team, though other factors such as respect command, taking up responsibilities, punctuality etc. I am not sure both Koscienly and Cazorla speaks English fluently.
Petr Cech, fluently,speaks about 5 Languages including English and French. He should be our ideal captain as soon as Arteta retires.
But as for tomorrow game, Ramsey takes it if Walcott is not on the pitch.
Either Ramsey or Cech should be captain, imo Cech is the best option. Mature, experienced and world class ability.
If Petr Cech is playing tomorrow, please hand him the captain band. He brought us this far and the team needs somebody that his presence is a big influence. If not, please no sentiment. Just hand Kos the band.
Great rest the only player that has been keeping us in games? Sorry no. They are playing us tomorrow and they are playing well very well so we need a good team out but somethings are saying AW thinks we will just piss it? Wrong it’s a cup game and they will get at us big time
Per should just STFU!…….. He isn’t worth the captain arm band, neither is he a 1st team material!
Yeah we’ve had some terrible captains over the past few years. Seems like nowadays getting the band you just have to be +30. Arteta, Mertesacker, Vermaelen.. all of them are just kitchen mice on the pitch.
Is Walcott not our new captain?
perhaps walcott given the arm band was just a tribute to him for a Decade spent at Arsenal
we wait and see if he keeps wearing that henceforth on matchdays!
Yes it was a planned move – tribute for his long service.
We have also seen teams handing the badge to the most influential player in cup finals or crucial matches to further give him a boost there confidence, unfortunately that totally back fired on the Theo. Maybe the arm band was to heavy for him and disturbed his balance, the dude kept falling all over the park.
No pace………No energy(yet he talks so much of Energy in the team)……poor in the air despite being an iroko……. No balance….. Half his whole passes sideways or backwards
Forgive me…..maybe he used to be an excellent player …..just maybe, but age and poor form is catching up with him and he isn’t good for the 1st team any more……him, arteta and flamini should just take a bow already
if we really are serious bout this title, then these guys should not be starters for a Team like Arsenal….
The only time Arsene will appoint a new captain is when both Arteta and Per leave so for all those calling them to be dropped will be disappointed.
The best we can hope for is the team to pick a better and more influential captain in the mold of Viera, Keane, or more recently Kompany an John Terry.
However I believe Per meant the club has more leaders now on the pitch than before, plus with both Sanchez and Coq back and Carzola by March or so things can only improve performance wise and team spirit.
I think Cech would be an awesome captain because he is quite vocal, assertive and experienced
But other players would make good captains like Koscielny, Ozil, Alexis
I am hoping our next captain will be a regular starter and Not a bench warmer
Per or Arteta should not be captain from here on out. Arteta injured and will not get in this starting 11 again same with Per suspended, hoping Gabriel steps up and makes sure he partners Boss for the remainder of the season, has the ability and has to take his chance now! Flamini i belive is done now also with Francis back, Elneny there and Chambers covering! Rosicky will get game time from now to end of season.. always helps us in the latter stages of the season, seems to be lil mozarts contribution every year.
All 4 should be leaving Arsenal or going into coaching at the end of the season and will free up places and wages, all over 60k each at the least! Also leaves the Captaincy free and not many older heads than our lil spanish magician Santi or Super Shotstopper Cech, one of the two i would be happy with. Coquelin is a possibility also, Arsenal man through and through from the ranks and youth team… has won youth cups with young guns alongside Jack… Passion, committment and that fight, all traits of one of our greatest captains Patrick Viera, oh also French! He has changed our team defensivly and has made just as much of an impact as Alexis, Ozil and Cech have.
Cech
Santi
Francis
Wilshere (Future Captain if injury free)
Cech Captain, Santi Vice
After that;
Wilshere or Coquelin Captain or Vice
Walcott captain, Bellerin vice.
Speed matters.