Fantasising about this image being recreated on Saturday : Gunners
Something I’ll always remember from the 14 and 15 cup wins is the trophy lifting.
In 2014, since Vermaelen wasn’t starting for us by that point, Arteta as VC would be leading us on the pitch for a vast majority of the season, including the final itself. Afterwards, TV5 lifted the trophy for us first, as he should have.
When we won again the following year, the same thing happened. Although Mikel was club captain, he was no longer starting due to injuries/Coq+Santi being unplayable. Per spent the majority of that season leading us on the pitch, including the final itself.
However, when it came time for Mikel to lift the trophy, as was his right, he insisted Per come up with him so they could do it together. That has always stuck with me, and added onto the large list of reasons I knew he’d be a top coach one day.
I’ve always wondered if Arteta remembered feeling a prang of jealousy in 2014, and wanted to make sure Per didn’t have to suffer the same feelings as he did. I’m probably overthinking it a lot, but it’s a nice fantasy nonetheless.
