#4 Simeone can sort out their mentality
The last three designated captains of Arsenal FC have been Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker (current).
Arsenal seem to be obsessed that their captains should be players that rarely make it to the first 11. This compounds the clear lack of leadership Arsenal already suffers from – and they wilt when put under the spotlight or imposed physically.
The worst moment in Bayern Munich’s 5-1 drubbing of Arsenal at Emirates wasn’t when Vidal sidefooted the fifth past Ospina – it was the sight of Arsenal players hanging their heads down in resignation when Lewandowski scored the first. What transpired afterwards seemed inevitable the moment Koscielny walked off.
There was no leader on the pitch to demand more from the rest; to tell them to roll their sleeves up and get on with the job. Replace Bayern Munchen with Watford, Crystal Palace, Everton, or West Brom and the pattern has been painfully evident and the result the same.
Once asked to describe his style as a player, Simeone quipped, “like a man holding a knife between his teeth.” A tenacious, combative midfielder in his formative years, Simeone’s teams are crafted in the same image. At Atletico, he has refused to surrender meekly to the financial might of Real Madrid and Barca, the same is what Arsenal need to stand up to the Manchester clubs and Chelsea.
Simeone can also teach some of those 'nice' Arsenal boys a thing or two about graft – imagine what a sight it would be to see Arsenal players throwing themselves into 50-50 challenges against the likes of Shawcross and McAuley.
To be a champion, you need to have the mentality of one; and Simeone sure can help some of these players get there.
