Former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen has now provided an insight into what makes Mikel Arteta such a great leader.
Thomas Vermaelen spent five seasons on the books at Arsenal between 2009 and 2014, when he moved on to join Barcelona.
At his best, the Belgian was a reliable defender, who was excellent on the ball and had a useful knack of popping up with goals. He made an impressive start to his career in north London, and was handed the captain’s armband by then-manager Arsene Wenger in 2012, following the departure of Robin van Persie.
However, the latter part of Vermaelen’s Arsenal career was largely lost to persistent injury issues. He can look back upon his time at the Emirates Stadium fondly though, as he picked up an FA Cup winner’s medal in his final season at the club.
Vermaelen was replaced as Arsenal captain by Mikel Arteta. Prior to that, the pair had been part of the same squad since the Spanish midfielder’s arrival at the club in the summer of 2011.
Whilst, in his time as Arsenal captain, Arteta had injury issues of his own, he led the club to further success, picking up another FA Cup winer’s medal in 2015.
How has Mikel Arteta fared as Arsenal manager?
After hanging up his boots, and enjoying a stint as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City, Arteta took his first step into management when he returned to Arsenal in December 2019, this time taking his place in the dugout rather than in the middle of the park.
His love affair with the FA Cup continued, as he led the Gunners to glory in the competition at the end of his first half-season at the helm.
Some tough times followed for Arteta after that. A second consecutive eighth-place finish for the club, in his first full season in charge, saw him come under pressure at times. Sporting director Edu has spoken out publicly about why the club opted to stick by the manager throughout this period.
There was further heartbreak in the following campaign, as Arsenal narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. Last season, the Gunners emerged as surprise title contenders. Whilst they did not ultimately lift the trophy, the progress that the club have made on Arteta’s watch is as stark as it is obvious.
This season, Arsenal once again have their eyes on the biggest prizes. Arteta will certainly believe that he is the man capable of leading the club into a new era of success, and for good reason.
Thomas Vermaelen provides insight into Mikel Arteta’s character
Vermaelen is unsurprised by Arteta’s success as a manager. Reflecting upon the man he knew as a player, the former defender recently gave his verdict on the Spaniard, as quoted by the club’s official website.
Vermaelen said, “Mikel was a great player and already a great leader for us in the team,” Thomas said. “I was saying it from early as well – he was one of those who was destined to become a manager. You could see how he was on the pitch – talking to the players and always involved in how we wanted to play. He was a true leader for us already in that team. You can see he’s doing an amazing job now.”
“When I watch the games on TV, the team are always exciting to watch. You look at the players and feel like you have a feeling [of identity] with them. Sometimes you look at a team and you’re not really connected with them but with this team, you really love to watch them.”
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