Since the departure of ex-captain Patrick Vieira in 2005, Arsenal's hunt continues to find a replacement for a man of that caliber. During this period, several players have worn the Arsenal armband, yet none have had the necessary impact on the pitch and the wait for silverware continues. In the past, manager Arsene Wenger has said “Arsenal has several captains on the pitch”, but the void created by Vieira's departure is yet to be filled.
Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has always stood by his beliefs of his squad being good. When examined closely these claims are true. The three summer signings have all had outstanding performances, yet the overall outcome and table shows otherwise. On several occasions this season, the team has failed to appear as a unit. One of the main constituents of this is lack of a leader, an authoritative figure on the pitch who can communicate with the players and can pull up, motivate and preach the right attitude required to win a football game.
The lack of belief in taking on bigger teams and having sloppy starts to a game have seen them under achieve. Also, the underestimation of opponents have cost Arsenal dear in several games in recent seasons. And, the questionable mentality of playing down the clock and defending after taking the lead, something Arsenal can learn from Manchester United.{Whatever the scoreline (0-0, 1-0, 6-0) the team's only objective is to score the next goal, thus extending the current lead and not allowing any pressure on the defense}.
On their day, this Arsenal team can take apart anyone. But the lack of a leader on the pitch, is one of the key reasons for Arsenal's struggles to have continued.
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