Is it just me or there’s something wrong with being the Captain of the Arsenal football side in recent years? Injuries just seem to hover around anyone who dares to wear the armband ever since the departure of RVP.
The North London club’s current captain Per Mertesacker has been conspicuously missing from the squad this season 2016-17.
This was as a result of a serious injury to his knee during a friendly against Lens pre-season where he picked up a knock.
To make matters worse, the injury came at a time when his center back partners were unavailable for the Gunners.
With Laurent Koscielny given an extended break from his Euros sojourn with France, Gabriel Paulista sidelined and the start of the 2016-17 season campaign a few days away, Arsenal had no choice but to make a move in the transfer market.
This move is what brought the only Arsenal defender who hasn’t tasted defeat in an Arsenal shirt to the Emirates. His name…….SKHODRAN MUSTAFI.
This piece, however, isn’t about him but the person he came in to compete for a spot with when he eventually returned to fitness.
The partnership between Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny at the center back is one which displayed on various levels the beauty of playing in sync with one another.
Despite his lack of pace, Mertesacker more than makes up for with his vision and awareness to effect timely interceptions as well as dominate the aerial duels wherever possible.
A merge of tactical defending by him with a man-man style of defense by Koscienly worked beautifully. …..Most times!
When it did, however, go wrong, there was never a shred of doubt in commitment as regards the way he tried his best to effect some damage control.
Case in point was the game against Chelsea were Diego Costa made a meal of his error in judgment. That notwithstanding, Arsenal could have fared better in the past if the current front line we have were as potent then.
This makes me wonder how he must feel watching the incredible partnership between Mustafi and Koscielny from the sidelines.
For me, it would feel like watching an ex-girlfriend moving on with someone else with airtight game working happily together and curing cancer whilst owning a charity worth billions of pounds.
Thank goodness our BFG isn’t me…..judging from his social media utterances, one can tell he is a focused fella with a professional mindset.
When he did return to training after such a long time out, one would expect that he use his position as captain and throw Sanchez-sized tantrums to get some playing time under his belt this season which could dovetail to better contract negotiations but no!
He rather chose the part of staying focused, putting the interest and stability of the team above his own and most importantly, use his captaincy to inspire the lads from behind the scenes whilst patiently waiting for his time to come again.
What more could one want from a captain? With his 6ft 6 inches stature towering over everyone he could easily be a locker bully instead, he continues to be a harbinger of peace, discipline, and understanding within the group.
His lack of playing time which when quizzed about he was quite honest on has been a source of rumor that has suggested an imminent desire to return to Werder Bremen as his Arsenal career is over.
I don’t see why his response should be represented in the manner it has been unless to get headlines so I am simply not going to give it much thought.
It is prudent to state that key members of the team who are chosen captain tend to have the exit door quite close to their Arsenal careers.
Hopefully, he will extend his stay in the team by signing a new contract soon. He is still an integral part of the fold at the Emirates as far as I am concerned.
Till the next thought. …..
