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Arsenal Armband Needs To Remain With Laurent Koscielny
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal was lead by Laurent Koscielny as captain against Bournemouth and it was an effective use of the armband. Who better for the role than the Boss?
Laurent Koscielny was welling up with pride talking about his first ever Premier League match as captain of Arsenal. While he had lead the team twice before in cup competitions, it was his first time as captain in the League that struck him as something special.
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“It’s more pride. It was the first time in the league. I’d already had the armband in the Cup against Sunderland and then Burnley, but this honour doesn’t add more pressure,” he said, via France Football. “I believe every player has an important role to play in a team and he needs to fulfill it. However, this armband will remain something important in my career. Legends like Tony Adams or Thierry Henry wore it before me. That’s not nothing!”
Koscielny’s captaincy was met with Arsenal’s first Premier League win (and goals) in the past three matches. Let it serve as a reason to continue handing the armband to the solid French defender.
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The captain’s armband has been a hotly-debated item at Arsenal. Not since Tony Adams has Arsenal had a long-serving captain. Throughout the captaincy’s of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, all tremendous potential at captain was lost by a premature exit.
By that standard, the captain’s armband at Arsenal has been more of a fashion accessory than a meaningful position. This year, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and Theo Walcott have donned the armband and all three have something in common – they are not regular starters and not a crucial piece to this team’s title hopes.
The band was handed to Walcott as a ceremonial item to commemorate his ten years with the club. While such a milestone undoubtedly deserves special recognition, the fact that the captain’s armband is being flung around like a pair of socks is a sign that Arsenal do not have that leader figure. They do not have a true captain.
Captain’s are a big deal. They are the heart and soul of a club. They embody the club and are the leader that the players look to in crunch time. Every big club has them. John Terry is Chelsea’s. Steven Gerrard was Liverpool’s long-serving captain. Wayne Rooney has been Manchester United’s.
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What do these captains have that Arsenal’s previous captains this year did not? They have a central place on the team. They are an authority figure and they are highly respected. So respected, in fact, that even other clubs’ fans show tremendous respect to them.
Again, Arsenal do not have that, nor have they for awhile.
They can have it again in Laurent Koscielny. He may not be the long-term captain I have been so desperate to see, but he loves the club, he is a central figure, and he is arguably the most respected member of the club.
I have often opined that Aaron Ramsey should be given the captaincy, or even Francis Coquelin. I still hold to the belief that either one would be a fitting long term captain, but in terms of what the club needs right now, it is Laurent Koscielny. Koscielny is a born captain. He is a leader and he is a force at the back.
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Plus, the pride he exhibited at being handed the band is proof that he still understands how important the captaincy is, even if Wenger wants to give it out willy-nilly.