Time for Arsenal’s ‘Leaders’ to step up! But who are they?

I was not as furious as some other Arsenal fans when Arsene Wenger decided that Arsenal would be the only Premier League club not to sign a single outfield player in the summer transfer window. After all, the injury situation was looking a lot better and I agreed that the transfer of Petr Cech from Chelsea would have a big impact.

And it was not just for his keeping ability, but his experience and the winning mentality and leadership qualities that the veteran would bring, so it is great news to read in an Evening Standard report that Cech says he will be fit to face Watford on Saturday. Even though David Ospina has done very well in Cech’s absence I do feel that Arsenal need all the leaders in the squad to step up now to give us any chance of the title.

But who else do Arsenal have to fill that role? Well there is Per Mertesacker the vice-captain but we do not know if it will be him or Gabriel starting alongside Laurent Koscielny. Perhaps it might be an idea to start the BFG to have one more leader on the pitch because even though the other two might be better or in better form they do not provide that leadership on the pitch.

I also think that Francis Coquelin does this and you often see him extorting greater effort from his team mates, something he seems to have picked up from Mathieu Flamini. After that, however, I am struggling to pick any real leaders in the side. Alexis Sanchez can be said to lead by the example of his energy and work rate but is that enough? Will our lack of real leaders on the pitch end up costing Arsenal dear?

Tags Cech Coquelin Mertesacker

8 Comments

  1. At the back, sol cambell, Martin keown, tony adams. In the mid, Viera, Silva, petit. Out wide, pores, Freddie. Up top, Dennis, Henry…… THESE WERE ALL LEADERS, not the rubbish we have now!

  2. Forget the leaders for now because we don’t have them even in the management. So its time to stick with an in form players……… Elneny, Iwobi, Welbeck, Gabriel.. Leaders or not.

  3. Leadership or no leadership for Arsenal starting XI team of the day on the playing field of the Ems Stadium on Saturday, Arsenal will beat Watford to collect all the 3 points which are going to be at stake to leave Watford empty handed as they go back to the Vicarage Road. That’s all that will count at the end of the match.

  4. Arsenal has played 45
    competition games this season.
    How many games were
    amazingly outstandingly exciting?
    How many games left you spellbound for days afterwards?
    How many goals can you remember drooling over for weeks?
    How often were you left thinking wow just wow that’s why
    I love this game that’s why I love this team?
    43 games? 36? 30? 24? 19? 13? 9? How many?
    Because according to the Arsenal model the games and the players
    so enrapture us that we are not bothered if we win titles or not.
    That’s why our players are paid 100k per week because they
    elevate our sense of well being for 10 months of the year
    such is the pheromonal effect of their wondrous displays.

  5. Koscielny should be the one player we count on every game to show strength and leadership but even he hasn’t produced it this season. He has the experience to be captain and leader, not Mertersaker. We don’t have any players like Adams or Viera anymore which frustrates me, this is the issue we haven’t resolved since Viera and later, Henry left. Sad, but true.

  6. In general Im a Wenger lover, but even I see one weakness in our Boss’s approach…

    In my opinion Wenger doesn’t like confrontation. He’s a motivator, not a boss who rules by aggression – lots about that I admire-

    However I suspect that desire to avoid confrontations where possible, leads him to avoid signing ‘big’ characters. Many of the leaders mentioned on this blog talk about players that were part of Arsenal team before the Prof joined Arsenal-

    Adams, Keown etc. all big characters – but all Pre-Wenger

    Every signal signing I can think of, at least in the last 10 years, has been talented, but quiet, well-behaved players-

    I think we actually need a rebel, a natural leader, we need a Kean or Adams to be the manager on the field of play.

    How many times are you praying for half-time, in the hope that the manager can inspire at half time. With these leaders – we didn’t need to wait until half-time the inspiration, the kick-up-the-arse was done on the pitch

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