Unai Emery says he’s decided to delay the naming of Arsenal’s group of captains for another week while he focuses on upcoming matches with Frankfurt, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
As was the case last season, the Spaniard has said he’ll bestow the honour on up to five members of his squad.
Asked for an update on the situation ahead of the match with Frankfurt, the boss confirmed he’s still not ready to go public:
“My focus after Sunday was yesterday to speak about the match with the players and train and today we are preparing the best for tomorrow and I will propose to do that next week after the match on Tuesday.
So far this season, Granit Xhaka has sported the armband in four of our five games with Nacho Monreal, before his departure to Real Sociedad, taking on the role against Burnley.
Mesut Ozil, who made his first appearance of the season at Watford, is expected to retain the responsibility but replacements need to be found for Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny who all departed in the summer.
The returning duo, Rob Holding, who was part of today’s travelling squad, and Hector Bellerin, back in full training, are potential options, while strikers Alex Lacazette and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and keeper Bernd Leno could also be in the running.
Given their experience, it’s possible that David Luiz and Sokratis, despite being capable of bonkers performances, are also being considered.
We’re not really sure why Emery continues to delay the decision. It shouldn’t be that hard unless he genuinely hates the lot of them.
Well there’s no one in midfield or defence that you could give it to, so bit short really, should be someone that gives his all, I’d like to see lacca have it, not many games he don’t try his hardest
Announcing Sokratis and Luiz as captains after what happened last week would have been stupid anyway.
Could be the exact reason Emery has delayed the announcement
He’ll be waiting a while for them to have a 100% good performance where they deserve captaincy…
No one is forcing Emery to pick five and I don’t see why either of them should be first or second choice. I feel he’s created a problem where none existed.
He’s good at that, to be fair.
I think we can safely say that ozil is not really an inspiring captain type
Emery is clueless. The earlier he gets the sack, the better
I am wirh you on this. This man is not what Arsenal needs.
I am sure his shambolic selections, timid appeoach to games and tactical confusion is not lost on Edu and the rest.
I’d be shocked if he lasted the season.
Clueless is a word that describes better us. The fans. Organisational changes have multiple variables and layers. No one can solve such an equation so fast.
I am really glad we didn’t hire one of our player favourites like Arteta or Vieira. They will be skinned alive by now…
This is still so stupid to have 5. Have a number 1, a vice and yes, some who can take it on if there are absences but having 5 and not choosing the captains before the start of the season, just devalues it’s worth. Although giving it Xhaka pretty much devalues it anyway.
Couldn’t have said it better.
I have a sneaky feeling that Ozil will outlive Emery’s reign at Arsenal… ah well…
To be honest, I hope so. A new manager could do a hell of a lot more with Ozil than Emery is. Being a good coach is about making the best from what you have, and about improving what you have too. If a new manager can come in and get Ozil effective again, and play in a way that he isn’t exposed defensively, then we would already be miles ahead of where we are, because we would finally be able to feed our beast of an attacking line up!
Remind me of the great things Guardiola did with Clichy and Zabaletta and Kolo and Yaya and the rest. He thought they were not up to it, and cut them out as quickly as he could. Sadly, Wenger has made Ozil uncuttable. Those two.
I hope so too..Emery not able to find a spot for Ozil is ridiculous. And also, 5 captains proved his indecisiveness. Imagine Captain #1 ask to play simple pass and Captain #2 ask to play long balls, what will happen?
He can’t commit himself to standard formation, he can’t decide on tactics or what kind of footbal we’re suposed to play and after a year and half still hasn’t found a single player whom he fully trust. He is as selfconfident and assured as a virgin in a brothel.
As far as I’m concerned the real measure of Raul and Edu will be shown in getting rid of him before next January.
I’d say it’s a near impossible task to choose a captain when no one knows what the team is supposed to be doing under the manager. How can anyone lead by example when they don’t know what example to follow?
Laca should be captain. He works for the team.
End of story.
Agree with that. One captain and one only. Laca fits the bill.
Agree with Laca for Captain. Not someone who is scared of Watford.
But Laca misses alot games too
That should be Unai easiest decision, give the arm band to Laca. He deserves it because he has so much passion for the team. Tracks back to defend, scores, isn’t shy to tackle.
This has become such an unnecessary clusterfuck of a situation. Absurd.
Is the problem that anyone taking on captaincy has to reflect the boss’s plans and no one is actually prepared to put themselves in that position? Partly that may be down to not knowing what those plans are, partly that they do not want to put themselves in the opposite camp to the majority of players who are against Emery? The whole idea of 5 captains is a nonsense if he can’t even identify one. He inherited Kos as Club captain and went along with that until his departure although injury meant he could initially have his 5 playing captains.… Read more »
How can they reflect the boss’ plans when even the boss doesn’t know what his plans are?
Honestly starting to think Emery is bottling this job…..
Nevermind the captain, when are we going to select a newer manager?
Remember the times when Klopp was jobless and we were discussing if he would be a sufficient successor once AW goes? We’re a funny bunch of people aren’t we.
He will sacked by Monday morning. Out of his depth. #EmeryOut
Hector! Hector! Hector! Hector!
Oh. Xhaka.
Never mind.
Before he names a captain he’ll have to go out and buy one.
True
For fucks sake, just pick a captain. Think it over while brushing your teeth or something, it’s not that hard. Live with the goddamn decision, it’s not the end of the world.
Emery is striking me as a man analysing the bark off a tree, while the forest burns around him.
For real. He is focusing on trying to make this weird “play it out from the back, yard by yard, regardless of the other team” shit work, but hasn’t looked at the obvious question: why? Even if we do it perfectly, is the outcome worth the huge risk it brings us?
you’re less likely to concede a goal if you hoof the ball to your attackers.
No way, especially if your attackers are not far enough up the pitch to capitalize on the hoofed ball. Playing out from the back works really well, but we don’t have the players to do it unfortunately.
Probably highlights our lack of leadership doesnt it
Just pick a fucking captain and be done with it!
well for me i think laca is the right person
Brilliant plan! Leaderless on and off the pitch!
What a shambles. The legendary Patrick Viera was once asked what was his greatest achievement at Arsenal? Surely he will say winning the league, or the Invincibles, I thought.
No, in Viera’s own words, his greatest achievement at Arsenal was “The day I was named Arsenal captain.”
You see, to be Arsenal captain used to actually mean something. It’s not something to be shared or dismantled into little pieces. It must be earned through hard work. It’s a honour. Or at least, it was.
Emery, you just don’t get it.
I wish I could up-vote this a thousand times
I don’t necessarily mind multiple captains. Barcelona and Real Madrid have four captains. But the key with them is that the captaincy is a strict hierarchy and a strict plan of succession.
So captain, vice-captain, second-vice and third-vice. When rank vacates everyone moves up one place. And when the third-vice vacates, you pick somebody. What’s wrong with Laca, Bellerin, Holding, Leno?
Kinda gives us a timeline for Emery’s replacement?
This is totally BS. Emery has no idea how to select his formation, tactics and players. Now, he can’t even select his captains. Please, Edu and Raul, sack him. #emeryout
This clearly means heavy squad rotation?
Can’t even pick a captain, what is essentially a ceremonial appointment if the team is instilled with the right mentality.
No wonder the players don’t know what he wants. Not even he does.
We have a manager that doesn’t even manage to name a captain. Wtf
5 Captains; Rob Holding, Rob Holding, Rob Holding, Rob Holding, Rob Holding.
Not sure what’s dafter, having a handful of captains or being half a dozen games into the season and still undecided.
Just like everything else around Emery it’s all a bit confusing and could be done better.
No other club but Arsenal, would this happen. It’s comical, just like our defending
My 5 captains would be:
1. Aubameyang
2. Aubameyang
3. Aubameyang
4. Aubameyang
5. Gunnersauras
I’d simply ask Emirates for help. They always have female “flight attendants” stand around near the player entrance at every home game, maybe they could also spare a captain.
My main take from the comments here is that people are turning on Emery big time. I am too, the last time I thought we were making progress was 4-2 v Spurs December 2018. After that, all downhill. End of last season was dire, start of this season OK results-wise, but the team looks dysfunctional, rudderless, leaderless, etc. Probably just needs a captain, or five.
He’s waiting for Bells and Holding to get fit. Anything else is pure stupidity.
I think one of the biggest issues with this year’s squad is that there is no clear cut choice for our captaincy. Koscielny, Cech, Ramsey and Monreal are all gone. Xhaka is probably the one with most seniority with the team that plays frequently, but he is such a decisive player with his performances and mental errors. Sokratis makes some sense given his experience and his position on the fact that he is out there most matches (for now). We really need someone to hold other players accountable, get them organized on the pitch, demand more out of them during… Read more »