Arsenal: Per Mertesacker has one key edge over Rob Holding

Arsenal’s defensive situation is hardly as bad as it seems, and that’s thanks to Per Mertesacker, who has one key edge over Rob Holding, his replacement.

Arsenal was forced to improvise with the lengthy injury to Shkodran Mustafi, and they had two choices – Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding. These two weigh in on two opposite sides of the spectrum, with one being a young, athletic up-and-comer and one being an experienced, control tower of a veteran.

On the Arsecast following Swansea, the question was raised if we would be better off with Holding taking over for Mertesacker. Which hadn’t even occurred to me as an option because I have been so pleased with the big friendly German’s performances lately.

The consensus was that Mertesacker should hold down his spot, particularly against City, and I have to say that this pleased me greatly. Because, for as highly as I think of Holding and his potential, Mertesacker has one key aspect to his game that Holding doesn’t. And I’m not just talking about the leadership.

Mertesacker has a key understanding of stakes and how to rise to the occasion. I don’t need to point any further than Chelsea. I mean, this guy hadn’t started a match all year and he looked like the second coming of Jurgen Kohler. And it came so late in his career.

Which mean one of two things. Either Mertesacker is Benjamin Button-ing or he has exactly what I indicate earlier – an understanding, and appreciation, of stakes. Which is something a lot of these Gunners aren’t known for having in abundance.

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You may be thinking to yourself “but Rob Holding was out there against Chelsea too,” and you’d have a point. Holding was similarly fantastic. But it was established post-match that Mertesacker was coordinating the whole thing. Which is good enough, but the physical level that he rose to was on a different world.

For Holding, that was his usual solid outing, which we had seen plenty of times before. Holding has since fallen on a bit of inconsistency, while Mertesacker has come back down to earth a bit, but with City looming, it shouldn’t even be a question.

You put in the guy who has proven he can rise to the occasion. The guy we all should trust more.

And this isn’t to say that Holding is oblivious to stakes, but we have seen far less evidence from him that he can elevate himself to another level without being prompted to do so. Lined up with Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal, there isn’t a leader there. Mertesacker elevates himself and those around him. So even if Holding can elevate himself, which there is no guarantee, then we still have the problem of leadership.

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Mertesacker may be at the heart of a defense that has surrendered five goals in three matches, but I would hardly pin that all on him. Plus, I’d even go so far as to say we disregard that going into City, because clearly the German has a “next level” that he will be reaching.

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