Should Arsenal have more than one captain?

I am finding all this talk from the new Arsenal coach Unai Emery saying that he wants “five captains”. When he first said it, I presumed he just meant he wanted leaders on the pitch which could come from anywhere, but it appears that he does actually mean captains of the club.

Mesut Ozil was captain today, and Aaron Ramsey was yesterday, so after the game he was asked yet again what his position was, and this is what he said: “We are working together and giving the responsibility to the player,” .

“I think he can take the responsibility like a captain, but not forget Koscielny because he is a captain as well.

“Petr Cech and Aaron [Ramsey] played as captains in friendly matches. I’m thinking maybe of one more player.

“It’s not closed yet. We will be finished. I will tell you once it’s done. We have Koscielny who is injured and five more captains.

“Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut – and I will continue to search for another one or two.”

How does that work? Wenger always had one captain (usually non-playing!) and a vice-captain to be the leader on the pitch. What will Emery do? Name them in order? Or have one Top captain and four vice-captains?

Can anyone explain this to me?

Darren N

37 Comments

  1. It’s normal that a team has a first choice captain, a second choice captain and so on an so forth. Based on the quotes of Emery’s words, it would be:

    1. Koscielny
    2. Cech
    3. Ramsey
    4. Ozil
    5. Maybe Monreal?

    Monreal should have been the first choice captain, because he is usually fit, a very consistent performer, one of the oldest players and can inspire the others with his work rate. But maybe Emery has another plan for him

    1. For once I agree with you. Monreal is also are best LB. If not then I’m going to let sympathy/empathy sway me and go for Mesut.

      1. i love mesut to bits but its dangerous having our highest earner as the captain when as it stands his command and influence is already somewhere at maximum – if i recall not so long ago mesut (and alexis both) called the club to task in effort to better their incomes. although i get it we’ve had no such shenanigans from monreal which along with his attitude and simple hard work ethic it is time he has the vice-captain or perhaps even the captain armband.

        cech is a much decorated goalie but it doesn’t settle well with me to appoint a keeper just on principle.

      1. But Shaqiri scored yesterday and he played in the worldcup round of 16,dis Monresl even kick a ball?

  2. All these doesn’t matter . the first Article on here should be A HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARTICLE FOR EMILE SMITH ROWENALDO! !!

  3. My thinking is having several players ready to step up if injuries or bad form drop others to bench. Perfectly reasonable and makes better sense than forcing a player in a side regardless of form due to some arbitrary title.

    Honestly, I feel that we lack that commanding figure or presence in the side; for probalbly near a decade I would add.

    With Adams or Vieira you didn’t need 4 more captains on the pitch. Actually, I’ll defer to Mr. Jon Fox or Mr. Ken1945 on Adams and Vieira as captains; or anyone in attendance that watched their glorious careers.

    1. An interesting thought is that when Adams and esp Viera played, most of the players were captaincy material. All of the famous George Graham defence under Adams were tough as teak and would be obvious captains if they were around in todays team. Truth is that the snowflake generation, which is worldwide, has hardly any teak tough players anymore and of course they also need a natural authority, to play regularly and to be widely respected by all at the club. Can anyone honestly think of even one outstanding captain in todays squad? No, nor can I! Probably Monreal is the nearest we have to one. And Durand , Ken 1945 myself and several others on here will easily remember the great Frank McLintock whom we bought from Leicester back in 1964 and was together with Adams, a captain without peer, winning the DOUBLE IN 1970-71. Those three captains I mentioned would in no way have put up with many of the coasters and shirkers who played under Wenger. Adams and McLintock would have soon sorted idle Walcott out and we would have been saved his twelve year con of our club and of our wages. Our club captain today, who Wenger chose as captain, is not even going to play until at least next year, so Emerys idea has much merit. Only problem is there is no one with real captaincy material anywhere near our club right now. But I wish him well in his near impossible task. The real problem is that society today is soft as rancid butter, by comparison to yesteryear.

      1. Jon, I hadn’t read this excellent post of yours before I wrote mine below and I whole heartedly agree with you. Put Frank, Tony, Paddy or Bally on the pitch with this lot and they would go home crying to their mums!

      2. That’s why i deferred to you Jon. I think you are exactly right, and if I can cut out political correctness for a moment, we quite simply lack the “men” that our club had in the past.

        1. Good to see that you, GB, and I know many others too are fully aware of the truth. It is impossible for todays youngsters to know anything of these men. They actually don’t know what REAL men are , as they have seen so few in modern football, and not only at Arsenal but in society, of which modern players are typical. Todays players have just as good physiques as long ago; far better in most cases, as they don’t drink so much and eat rubbish as in days gone by. BUT they have no idea of what real toughness is, as there is so little around today, anywhere.

          1. In contrast, the only captaincy material in arsenal i see is in the two new players Sokratis and Lichtsteiner. The rest like Ozil, Ramsey, Monreal and all the rookies being suggested around are NOT captaincy material. They can’t shout across even a single instruction to a team-mate with seriousness.

            1. When I finally got to England for the first time in 1977, I stood on the North Bank and watched the return of the great Frank McLintock to Highbury as manager of Leicester City. The Arsenal won 2-1 on the day, but I think out of respect for Frank they went out of their way not to embarrass him. Malcolm McDonald was through on goal 5 times for one goal scored; fluffed the rest which was out of character for him.

  4. KEV should be able to tell us everything we need to know about their glorious years . he seems to know everything

    1. Victoria ha very clever. I wonder who gets it worse?

      1. Kev
      2. Iwobi
      3. Ramsey
      4. Wenger
      5. Kronke

      Interesting to see what others think.

      Personally I think Wenger still gets it worse oddly, however Iwobi seems to be gaining on him lately.

      1. I know who it SHOULD be and by far; KROENKE. None of the others are much of our concern. True, I would like Iwobi sold but it is not going to happen, it seems. Ramsey? Well who knows what will happen with him. But NONE of the others have actually harmed our club even 1% as much as our sham owner. HE is our true enemy and we should be spending all our energy on thinking how best to rid ourselves of him,. He is poison to Arsenal.

  5. Having 5 captains brings balance, harmony and responsibilities….and I assume the five captains will be Koscielny, Petr Cech,Ozil,Ramsey and Sokratis…these players are have the abilities to be in the first eleven…which allows the team to have leaders all around the first eleven whereby bringing good responsibilities…and once the first captain is out everyone knows who the second in line is and who the third in line is and so on… It brings harmony..i guess Emery understands our motto VICTORIA CONCORDIA CRESCIT…victory through harmony………i understand what Emery is trying to do.. I get the trick.. Emery is surely a wise and interesting man.. I wish him well

    1. i think you’l find emery gave his 5 captains response simply out of the need for diplomacy after the media imply we’re without a captain or someone to see to it we remain motivated and focused. so to actually hear of fans going along with the 5 captain idea is i think naive. all aspiring teams have captains the fact we are without such a stand-out fellow has not stopped today’s effort but moving forward its got to be addressed as an area for concern – eventually 1 captain has to be appointed.

  6. The captain is really a throwback title but these days is the player who just does the toss up at the start of a game (and we’ve loads of tossers who could that) but also someone who faces the press in news conferences, the off field face of the team. Old time captains of Arsenal like Frank McLintock, Tony Adams and Alan Ball didn’t take any shit on the pitch and bollocked players in front of 40,000 fans (at Highbury) but try that today and the little loves would start crying. Emery’s wish for 5 captains on the pitch was a throw away number in my opinion. I think he meant that everyone on the pitch should be a leader.

      1. Nothing specially witty . MERELY THE TRUTH WRIT LARGE. THOUGH THE “TOSSERS” LINE WAS A GOOD ONE. AND APT!

  7. people were so quick to brush off the scoreline today saying we played the PSG reserves .
    But here are facts and reasons to be optimistic
    1) a wenger team would never win this same PSG “reserves ” 5-1
    2) we started the goal galore when our senior players were subbed off
    we had this line up
    GK MARTINez
    RB Bellerin
    CB Chambers
    CB Holding
    LB Kolasinac (CRAP)
    DM Guendouzi / Willock
    CM Ramsey (CRAP)
    AM Emile Smith-RoweNALDO
    RW Nelson
    LW Nketiah
    St Lacazette
    A wenger team with that line up would never win 4 nil within 67-94 minutes ..

    OVERALL , I THINK WE ARE IMPROVING

    1. Victoria quite an excellent observation. I would also add that it appeared Arsenal players kept same intensity into the 93rd minute, which previous years seems unlikely.

      I liked to see Arsenal players taking advantage of those opportunities in dying minutes (Eddie that’s you my man). Also I enjoy the on the pitch response Emery is getting from the youngsters.

      Very excited about future of the club, and the half dozen teenagers trying to stamp their mark.

      1. Although Emery and Co. possessed the distinct
        advantage today in both collective talent and
        experience I must say the youthful component
        on the pitch was extremely impressive and has
        left me rather optimistic about the future of our
        beloved AFC. Guendouzi, AMN, Nikietah, ESR
        and Torreria are all possess the necessary skill
        set to be integtral members of the starting 11
        for the next decade and the Uruguyan happens
        to be the elder statesmen @ 22. ? I understand
        that friendlies are simply exhibitions and one
        must be careful in there effusive praise for a lot
        of players that havent kicked a meaningful EPL
        ball yet but each one these youngsters has
        definitely passed the eyeball test and should be
        given domestic Cup as well as Europa League
        group stage run outs. I could also envision there
        inclusion in the starting 11 against bottom half
        as well relegation stricken EPL teams.

        If somehow Emery and Co could sell of a few
        players and sign Leon Bailey before the end
        of the window AFC would be genuine top 4
        and EL contenders.

        Personally I would love to see the following
        business take place:

        OUT:
        Ramsey…£45M
        Welbeck…£20M
        El Neny…£10M
        Perez…£10M
        Ospina…£8M
        Campbell…£4M
        Jenkinson…£1M

        £98M

        IN:
        Bailey…£50M
        Kovacic…£48M

        £98M spent.

        Adding these 2 future stars would conclude one the greatest transfer windows in the clubs
        storied history!!

        1. Ace i agree the need for another pacey winger. We’ll find out soon enough when the window closes.

          1. I agree strongly on 3 players i.e. Ramsey, Jenkinson,and even Xhaka. They simply do not have the skill-set for club of ARSENAL stature. the rest can be tolerated as bench warmers.

  8. Emery is trying to get leaders in every position on in the team Cech, koscielny,monreal,ramsey,ozil,auba

  9. Having now seen Emery’s wonderful coaching and motivational skills, plus defensive organisation, forward passing(instead of slow sideways) at speed, I am both thrilled we now have him AND even more angry than ever before at how Wenger simply could not, would not and did not know how to do the job that Emery is doing so brilliantly. I still wake up each morning thrilled to think that Wenger can harm us no longer. And thrilled EVEN MORE to dream of what the club can now achieve under modern methods and with dynamic men in charge. Suddenly , we have a young dynamic and hungry squad.

    1. Jon at this point you should feel no anger but enjoy the moment. We are in a new era and I for one am not getting carried away with the results but from what we have seen on the pitch is really making me optimistic. I’m not going as far as to say we will win the league (I don’t count anything out though) but I guarantee you we will cause some serious headaches this year for most teams. In a few years, we will see a resurgence of the Arsenal that many once feared by all opposition.

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