Was this Arsenal star’s outburst justified?

I can’t help but wonder what Arsene Wenger had to say when he came across Thomas Vermaelen’s recent quotes in the media. Speaking to The People the big Belgium bruiser bemoaned his current position within Arsenal’s squad and his loss of the Captain’s armband at International level:

“I am fed up playing at left-back. I don’t think I am good there – I want to achieve my highest level and I can’t do that on the left.”

“I play there to help the team but it gives me no satisfaction as I can’t reach my best standard. I do my job but seldom feel content after matches. If the team wins I am happy, but it remains frustrating.”

He’s not exactly mincing his words. Regarding the decision to pass the Belgium captaincy to Man City defender Vincent Kompany:

“I’m not happy about it. I was proud to wear the armband.”

Oh, but Thomas, what do you really think? Though these quotes have been stripped of their context, they do seem pretty strongly worded. So do Arsenal have cause for worry?

Thankfully for both parties (though not for Per) Mertesacker’s battered and bruised ankle seems to have solved the problem. Whilst the big German spends the next month or so on the sidelines, it’s likely that Wenger will move Thomas Vermaelen back to his favoured centre-back role next to the much improved Laurent Koscielny.

Whilst Mertesacker has his admirers, most Arsenal fans will tell you that their strongest centre-back pairing is Thomas Vermaelen and the much improved Laurent Koscielny. Per’s injury, though misfortunate, could actually improve Arsenal’s defence. The only question that remains: will Arsenal entrust the left-back position to Kieran Gibbs who has been out injured for some time. With competition ranging from AC Milan to Tottenham within the next couple of weeks, Wenger has a tough decision to make.

As for Vermaelen, though his frustration is probably born out of a desire to play and perform well for the team, I can’t help but wonder where his team spirit is. Whilst no player enjoys being played out of position, Vermaelen wont have been unaware of the way that Arsenal’s full-backs were picked off one-by-one through injury. A spate of injuries often requires those who remain fit to ‘take one for the team’ and play out of position.

For now, however, let’s just hope that he was misquoted, or that the quotes made sense in the context in which they were uttered. There are three huge games on the horizon and with Arsenal’s favoured centre-back partnership in place, that should be the focus.

Follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for details on all the latest updates and various football-related musings.
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