Mentality Giants

If you happen to be around a Gunner, ask them who they think the least impressive addition to the Arsenal squad is. You will most likely get an answer that will break my heart. You see, people are most likely to say David Luiz.

I have been following the Premier League for a little over a year now and while a lot has changed in the world in the past year (what with a global pandemic and allied depressing news), one constant has been Arsenal fans being….erm….toxic.

Admittedly, I am not the most technically gifted. People may be right to say that his performance has left a lot to be desired. But, you see, I am not watching football matches just because I love the sport and cannot get enough of it. I know there is technical intelligence and sporting ability to look out for, but I watch the Premier League for the humanity of it all. I cannot help but feel heartbroken when my favourite players underperform or when those I dislike outperform expectations. I admit that in the beginning,  it took me ages to differentiate between David and Guendouzi, but I have seen both and analysed their personal influence on the team. So, I request you to bear with me while I go on talking about non-technical reasons for liking a player.

Coming back to David. In the year that I have watched football, one constant had been the sorry state of affairs at Arsenal. I remember when Xhaka was booed at the Emirates stadium and the subsequent abuse he faced. With David, the memes were incessant. Somehow it escaped everyone’s notice that he alone was not responsible for the collapse of the team during certain games. He has seen red cards and referees’ decisions going against him.

But David dealt with such….poise? I don’t know how to describe it. Imagine being in his position. Let’s assume for a second that he is at fault for all of those losses (which he is not because it is all a team effort and no one person should be blamed, but I digress) and look at how he turned it around. He’s been blessed to have the opportunity to prove his critics wrong. People are starting to have (a little) more faith in him and it is wonderful to see him win us over. His leadership qualities are being recognised and he is doing his best to instil good values in the young players of the team. We’ve seen it ourselves: David giving pep talks to Saka and Ainsley during the Community Shield penalties. His importance is invaluable to the club and his wining mentality has brought him this far. I have loved seeing him grow further under Mikel and hope to continue seeing him influence the young lads in the team.