Arsenal: Per Mertesacker’s presence about more than posterity

Arsenal had to turn to Per Mertesacker in their moment of desperation, but seriously, he has to be given more of a presence if he’s going to play like this.

There are still some people out there that heave a big sigh of frustration when they see Per Mertesacker‘s name in the starting XI for Arsenal. The big man’s lack of pace is well known and it’s pretty much unanimously accepted that he doesn’t have that big of a part to play in the first team picture.

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He’s here because when he retires, he will be off to coach the academy and, quite frankly, I could not be happier with this decision, from all points of view. Mertesacker is a beacon of leadership, he loves this club and he has always held the respect of Arsene Wenger.

But after seeing his performance against Watford, I have to wonder if his presence on the club shouldn’t be about much more than just posterity.

Mertesacker was an absolute anchor on that back line, and at a time when we sorely needed one. I get that we lost the match. Trust me, I do. But Mertesacker was about as far from the center of the blame as anyone could have been.

It was just like in the FA Cup final. The big German played out of his mind and, honestly, out of his body as well. He controlled that back line, kept them in tow and for the gross majority of the game, Watford was left grasping at nothing, because this defense wouldn’t give them anything to work with.

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A complete bullshit penalty call changed everything and a pinball in the box found it’s way home to give Watford the win, but Mertesacker was not to blame for either of these happenings. Yet you would have thought, given his despondent reaction after the match, that he had failed the club personally.

This is what a captain should look like. I know I rant a lot about how Arsenal’s captain’s armband is misused, but when I see our hulking German rocking the armband and playing like this, I feel pride. It’s amazing, really, that in a match full of heartbreak and dejection, one of the few positive things that we can take away from it all is the performance of Mertesacker.

The back three needs someone who can communicate in the center of it all, and Mertesacker has proven yet again that he can do that job. But he also proved, yet again, that he can uphold the physical aspects of the role as well.

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So isn’t it about time that we seriously consider letting him have a go as the pillar of that back three for the long haul? I’d say so. Of course, with Shkodran Mustafi out, we will be getting that chance anyway, so we have that to look forward to.