Arsenal: Per Mertesacker statements don’t actually matter

Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker has expressed his bouts with anxiety and now people are freaking out. But how much of that really matters?

Per Mertesacker has disappeared from the Arsenal spectrum this year. His most recent performances have been shadows of where he once was. It appears that his last great performance – and great it was – was against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.

Mertesacker has only peeked his head into the news again to acknowledge that he suffers from anxiety and would rather spend his last year on the bench then out on the pitch.

It’s a brutally honest statement that has some people a bit peeved. Dieter Hamann is one such man who is less than pleased with Mertesacker’s statements, though he did tip his cap for the German’s honesty.

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Hamann feels that Mertesacker is disrespecting the fans and the club by not playing to the end of his contract at the very least.

I get why Hamann might feel that way. The captain of the club admitting that he’d rather be in the stands than on the pitch is less than inspiring to the younger masses. But you can’t just lump all situations into the same basket. Mertesacker’s situation is different.

And that’s why his statements, however controversial, don’t matter, and don’t merit any sort of outcry or displeasure. If anything, as Hamann indicated, his honesty should be praised.

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Here’s why it doesn’t matter – Mertesacker is not a sprightly solution anymore. His abilities on the pitch have deteriorated and, in Mertesacker’s defense, I can’t help but feel that he is better off on the bench as well. No point in having us have to disrespect his inability to handle modern day competition if he’s forced where he doesn’t belong.

Again, you can’t sum up this situation by “captain wants to sit on hands and not play.” More like “captain whose body has broken down would rather monitor team he will be coaching from the stands.”

Ideal? No. But better.

This does nothing to my opinion of Mertesacker. And I hope it’s the same for you. He probably just wishes his contract was up last year, but it wasn’t, so he was here for emergencies. Honestly, there wouldn’t be any place for him on the pitch now anyway.

Not with the solid stock of centerbacks we now have.

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So let’s all just chill. Mertesacker isn’t disrespecting anyone. He’s just being honest with us that he doesn’t feel comfortable on the pitch anymore. We should have known that. His last hurrah was the FA Cup Final.