I agree with Vieira, as much as it pains me to say.  There is no player on this team that's "been there" as a leader on a trophy winning side.  Ozil wasn't a leader at Madrid and Giroud is not the leader type.

But they can emerge.  I think Per, Kos and Arteta are the main guys to act as leaders. Wilshere is too dumb for it lol and Ramsey is a kid.

Arsenal is the best team in EPL this year imo.  But not very deep.  Health will be the key more than anything else...

I agree but you don't have to wait until the season ends to know that we know how to win games UGLY as he says, because we've done that for almost a year now.

urbaNRoots wrote:I agree but you don't have to wait until the season ends to know that we know how to win games UGLY as he says, because we've done that for almost a year now.

I want to see how Arsenal does when there's true pressure... which starts in Feb. Really interested to see who are the men on the team and who are the boys... I think there's plenty of character.

My biggest concern is depth, not character.

Perhaps, but he's not wrong when he says there's no leaders in your squad.

By "UGLY" wins, he means when you guys are challenged mentally, which you haven't been yet. You won't be until after January.

Which is why he could've waited until the season ends before taking shots at us, being an Arsenal legend one would expect to show some respect before facing us even if he's working for another club. You see other Arsenal legends know we've been crap for almost a decade but still try to defend us at every opportunity, it's disappointing.

Disappointing or not, his comments are valid.

And to be fair, one would also expect respect from his club not force him to pack his bags to go to play in Italy.

yeah it's a little strange timing, now that Arsenal keep winning games without being necessarily fantastic.
I remember that one game where all goals came from Özil corners/freekicks + Mertesacker/.. headers..

But the simple truth is, Arsenal fans will have to live with hearing those same old tiring talking points, no matter the facts on the ground, until you've won that title.

If you think how much bullshit about 'missing leadership ability' Schweinsteiger and Lahm had to endure after losing 2 CL finals.
year after, we've won it, and now they're these exceptional leadership figures

Yeah, as said before, it's crystal clear this season that Arsenal have been winning games here and there without playing beautifully or even that well. They're still getting points, and whether or not Arsenal will be the champions in May, that is something that champions do regularly. So on that one particular count (playing ugly), Vieira is undeniably wrong. It's just some head games stuff.

The other question, about leadership, is trickier. I think that there are definitely leaders on the squad - like Arteta, Sagna (definitely Sagna), Kos & Mert. But it's true they are often quiet one who lead by example. And as a general rule these aren't guys with a lot of experience winning trophies. This isn't a criticism of their footballing abilities, their mental faculties, or their form this season ... it's about that extra something that comes from being able to say, "Guys, I've done this before, and we're going to do it again."

But of course it's possible. They're sitting five points ahead of all their competitors, so it's definitely something they can keep fighting for. Arsenal have to prove it. That's what sports competition is about.

Don't think there's anything wrong with what Vieira's saying here. Football is a team sport and as such, you need someone out there on the field to remind the players that they are a 'team'.

Viera is ignoring one BIG piece IMO in Özil.

These past 3-ish games(Cardiff,Hull, and Everton) shows how big he is. He always influences the match at the perfect time. No way, a year ago, they would have got 7 points from this stretch.

The bigger issue Arsenal should be worried about is how absolutely terrible Cazorla has been. He has been almost Mata-esque in terribleness.

He cant coexist on the pitch with Özil. Like Mata has found out playing next to Oscar, there is only one captain on the ship.

Lex wrote:Patrick Vieira planted seeds of doubt beneath Arsenal's title bid and warned they could be undermined by a lack of leaders on the pitch.

The Gunners have not won a trophy since Vieira buried the decisive spot-kick in their FA Cup final triumph against Manchester United in 2005.

Now manager of Manchester City's elite development squad, Vieira's barb was deliciously timed ahead of Arsenal's title six-pointer at the Etihad on Saturday.

Vieira said: "When you look at Arsenal, they play fantastic football. But sometimes you need to win games playing badly, and I don't think Arsenal are capable of that at the moment.

"Maybe there is a lack of leadership - they don't have a Tony Adams, Martin Keown or Sol Campbell. These are players who can be leaders on or off the field."

Vieira felt he was pushed out of the door by the Gunners eight years ago, adding: "I had no idea that Cup final would be my last game - I wasn't thinking about leaving at all.

"The club didn't really fight to keep me or ask me to stay. I was really close to leaving for Real Madrid the year before, the deal was done between the two clubs, but I wanted to finish my career at Arsenal."
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bitter, old dinosaur living in the past, still thinks a team needs 11 Presidential bodyguards for it to be successful

Vieira should stfu because he doesn't know what tf he's talking about. Simply from the quotes Lex bolded shows he's got no idea of what he's speaking about and hasn't watched Arsenal at all.

I love and support Arsenal, but don't think I'm just blinded by our recent success. We're in for the title, but very well might not win it. His quotes are just simply erroneous and shows he hasn't watched Arsenal much, if not at all this year.

There clearly isn't a lack of leadership.... just watch them on the pitch, they don't need to win anything to prove it you can tell just by how they carry themselves.

Vieira is just trying to put some pressure on them before the game its not that surprising really.

Vieira trolling about leadership when Arsenal first got the label as 'bottlers' it was when he was made captain over Adams

I understand why politicians are so full of shit, bleat out a cliche and people follow it like sheep. We've won many games this season while not playing well. Dortmund away being a prime example, a game citeh would've lost 3-0.

Lex wrote:Patrick Vieira planted seeds of doubt beneath Arsenal's title bid and warned they could be undermined by a lack of leaders on the pitch.

The Gunners have not won a trophy since Vieira buried the decisive spot-kick in their FA Cup final triumph against Manchester United in 2005.

Now manager of Manchester City's elite development squad, Vieira's barb was deliciously timed ahead of Arsenal's title six-pointer at the Etihad on Saturday.

Vieira said: "When you look at Arsenal, they play fantastic football. But sometimes you need to win games playing badly, and I don't think Arsenal are capable of that at the moment.

"Maybe there is a lack of leadership - they don't have a Tony Adams, Martin Keown or Sol Campbell. These are players who can be leaders on or off the field."

Vieira felt he was pushed out of the door by the Gunners eight years ago, adding: "I had no idea that Cup final would be my last game - I wasn't thinking about leaving at all.

"The club didn't really fight to keep me or ask me to stay. I was really close to leaving for Real Madrid the year before, the deal was done between the two clubs, but I wanted to finish my career at Arsenal."
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bitter, old dinosaur living in the past, still thinks a team needs 11 Presidential bodyguards for it to be successful

Haha, yeah Vieira should shut the feck up.
We're doing our thing atm, let him mind his own business at City.

Red Alert wrote:

urbaNRoots wrote:Ironically this comes from a City employer, a club which doesn't seem to know how to win ugly (unless they're completely dominating), a club which doesn't seem to know how to win without their only "leader" Kompany.

It might be ironic, but he's not wrong.

But to be fair, City have shown they can do it without Kompany. Aguero has stepped up. When Aguero doesn't play to his high standards, Toure steps up. They have the experience, and "big" players that can lift their team at any given moment. So City do have that leadership, maybe not in defence but they do have some leaders in their team, Arsenal do not.

No they don't!
Maybe Toure to some extend, but beyond that they don't have many "leaders"

Firenze wrote:Recent title winning sides;

City: Yaya, Zabaleta, Kompany
United: Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Rio
Chelsea: Terry, Lampard, Cech

The lack of leadership in the Arsenal side will be one of the factors why they will end up bottling that lead they have at the top during the course of the season when the inevitable slump hits.

I'll bump this as the official Patrick Viera appreciation thread come mid May 2014.

Ha ahhhhhhh, okayyyyyyy...
You strike me as the type that likes to be proved wrong.

Who really listens to ex footballers anymore? Vieira.  

We have no leaders? Mert and Flamini are great leaders, Vieria is just playing mind games. I hope the Arsenal players are reading this and fire them up for the Man Shitty game.

Lets wait and see but Viera was pushed out of the club lol ,c'mon Wenger is too classy for that, he never ever push, it's always a player that does. After a summer long of flirting with Madrid, will he wont he? one wonder if Viera has short memory.

Vieira.

Best midfielder Arsenal ever had.

After Cesc.

 

People talk less when you win more. Just the way it is.

Red Alert wrote:Very hard to see a leader in this Arsenal squad right now. Maybe Flamini? But no, he's not really captain material

Don't think I understand this comment? A leader and a captain are two different things. Anyone can technically be the captain, not everyone is a leader. Flamini has been great at organizing the team and issuing instructions this season. Everytime the camera is on him, he's always talking to someone, telling them where to go and what formation to set-up etc

Vieira is just talking out of his blowhole

Man City down 0-2 to Bayern within thirteen minutes.

  

Leaders.

Maybe Mr vieira and co. can show us how to win ugly

OK, I shouldn't have opened my big mouth. Man City have really sacked up here, it seems.

  

All Vieira has been doing since he joined City is talking badly about Arsenal. He's still obsessed with us.

Chumlum wrote:OK, I shouldn't have opened my big mouth. Man City have really sacked up here, it seems.

  

Turning around a game where they were already down by 2-0 after the first 15 minutes without their 2 best players, away from home and against the best team in the world.