After former captain Robin van Persie left Arsenal for Manchester United in the summer, the captain’s armband was passed onto Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen, who was trusted to lead the Gunners this season in their quest for glory. However, it could be possible that the pressure of the captaincy of a club of the size of Arsenal Football Club has got to him, as his performances at the back have been affected most of the season but particularly of late. Last season he acquired the nickname of “The Verminator” and he looked for all the world like the rock to occupy the center of Arsenal’s defense for the next decade but so far this season things have not gone according to plan.

The current season has not been the best season in an Arsenal shirt for Vermaelen, as he has been found guilty of inconsistent performances, committing clangers leading to conceding soft goals. The most infamous and unfortunate was the one against Manchester United at Old Trafford back in November where he failed to clear a harmless looking ball, only to gift it back to van Persie who scored. His penalty miss also saw Arsenal bow out of the Capital One Cup against lowly Bradford City.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been known to defend his players against criticism, however it now looks like he has lost faith in Vermaelen, which has resulted in him being dropped from the starting 11, with Wenger opting for a defensive pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker as his first choice. The duo put in a stellar performance against Bayern Munich, helping Arsenal triumph 2-0 at the Allianz Arena. They backed it up with another gutsy 2-0 away win against Swansea City at the weekend to cement their place in the starting 11.

Vermaelen spoke to the media regarding his axing, and he acknowledges that his poor form has seen him drop down the pecking order, and that if given a chance, he will do his best for Arsenal and Wenger. According to Metro.co.uk, he admitted: “I have made mistakes,”

“If I played flawlessly in all the matches I would be Lionel Messi. As a footballer you know what may happen when you play badly.”

“I’m not worried though – it’s only the last games, I have played about 35 times this season. This is Arsenal, they are not a bad team and there is a lot of competition.”

Will Vermaelen be able to regain his place in the starting 11? We shall see…