UNDER Arsene Wenger, a regular criticism of Arsenal was that they “lacked leaders”. It became a somewhat tired trope, trotted out with depressing regularity every time they suffered a significant defeat.
That chatter has significantly diminished since Unai Emery arrived. Curiously, even in this season’s lowest moments, that specific jibe has not been audible. Perhaps that’s in part down to Unai Emery’s “five captains” policy—a strategic move to share accountability throughout the squad. However, it might also have something to do with the summer acquisition of Sokratis Papastathopolous.
Like his philosopher namesake, Sokratis is quite the talker. Within a matter of months, he has established himself as one of the dominant figures in the Arsenal team, constantly cajoling his team-mates and demanding more.
#Sokratis is back pic.twitter.com/c4iSQWVojK
— Waleed_Gunner ⚪ (@muraikms_) March 3, 2019
A great example occurred during January’s 2-0 win over Chelsea. When Alex Iwobi was brought on in the 68th minute, part of his role was to help protect Arsenal’s lead by challenging for Bernd Leno’s long-goal kicks and holding the ball up. When Sokratis felt Iwobi’s efforts weren’t up to scratch, he marched halfway up the field to literally grab Iwobi by the shirt and give him the sternest of talking-tos. He is a player—and a man—that exudes authority.
It’s strange to look back now at the general air of concern when Arsenal moved to sign Sokratis last summer. Head of recruitment Sven Mislintat was accused of taking the easy option, falling back on his old Dortmund fileofax. At 30, Sokratis did not look like a man for the future—especially given that he was coming off the back of a fairly poor season in the Bundesliga.
It seems those concerns were misplaced. The move appears to have reinvigorated the Greek international, who has set about allaying most fears with a captivating cocktail of aggression and intelligence. Sokratis is a throwback: a defender’s defender, who is absolutely fixated with keeping a clean sheet. Many feel that kind of pure defending is a bit of a lost art, and it’s certainly true to say Arsenal haven’t seen someone as doggedly determined to shut out the opposition since the days of Martin Keown.
He’s saved some of his best performances for some of Arsenal’s biggest games: in the aforementioned Chelsea game he was outstanding, and he’s had the best of Harry Kane in two north London derbies. Most of his best games have been alongside Laurent Koscielny, with whom he has struck up an easy understanding.
Sokratis:
"I weigh three kilos less than when I was in Dortmund and feel physically much stronger than in previous years…After eight months, I'm convinced that I've made the right decision with #Arsenal." #afc pic.twitter.com/ZSz23x7ZOF
— Arsenal TSN (@ArsenalTSN) March 5, 2019
Arsenal have learned the hard way that two good centre-halves does not always equal a good partnership. However, there’s also a natural balance to their partnership: Koscielny is more comfortable playing in open spaces, whereas Sokratis tends to adopt a more close-contact, man-to-man approach. Although Koscielny is the senior man, he rarely thrives as the dominant partner. His best Arsenal performances historically have been alongside an organiser—and Sokratis has no issue acting as the alpha in that particular duo.
The on-field rapport between Koscielny and Sokratis is of huge benefit to Emery, who now feels able to switch between a back four and back three relatively comfortably. Although aged 33 and 30, there’s no reason both players oughtn’t play a significant role for Arsenal next season. Arguably Sokratis is currently at the age many central defenders would pinpoint as their probable peak.
When you see the performances Koscielny is able to produce at his age, it would be folly to write Sokratis off too soon. Sometimes it seems as if his grizzled looks and veteran expertise make him appear older than he really is. After all, he’s only a year older than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and almost exactly the same age as Mesut Ozil.
Next season, several of Emery’s five captains could be absent at Arsenal. Petr Cech is retiring, Aaron Ramsey is leaving, and there has to be real doubt over where Ozil’s future lies. If the Spanish coach is looking for someone to promote to sharing the armband, Sokratis would be a worthy choice. Arsenal’s defensive warrior has shown in less than a year that he certainly has the stomach for the fight.
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