Arseblog states the characteristic that makes Cesc so special:
” His desire to win football matches is a big part of what makes him the great player he is, that will not change.”
There have been some misgivings voiced about him being captain – when he makes it clear that moving to Barca was on his mind during the summer. How is that perceived by other players when their captain wants to be somewhere else. But lets go back to what I consider is key:
“I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about.
“I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me.”
What he says above amounts to compartmentalizing of emotions. Barca will always be an emotional sway- just like an immigrant’s home country but the negotiations were built on chauvinism.
Cesc is no fool – he saw what happens when clubs seriously desire a player, in Barca’s case, they went after David Villa even after Valencia turned down their offers. It must have also dawned on him that Barca would be playing him from the bench – same as Vicente Del Bosque’s first choice preferences being Xavi and Iniesta.
The situation led to a certain amount of dissatisfaction at the World Cup. These factors created serious doubts. The club was forcing him to go public with his desire to return prior to the tournament – which is probably when he realized that it was more to do with leveraging price and less to do with an abstraction built around bloodlines. Barca’s finances were in the spotlight and it did not paint a rosy picture. Wenger was refusing to budge.
Sometimes it takes such circumstances for a re-commitment. And Cesc’s statements are definitive in that realization. Captaincy is all about balancing emotion with pragmatism and he has shown both in this summer saga.
Really, there should be no problems- his continuation as captain, in fact, should prove inspirational to the younger players. Having two clubs scrap over a player is a delicious quandary they could do with in the future. Having a World Cup winner lead them can only be good- a reminder that success is not unfeasible in a club that has seen little of it in the last five years.