Sam Limbert
In recent years, it seems that many perceive the number 18 to have been unlucky and those who sport it on their back are destined to perform poorly for the club. In the Wenger years, I think those fans are being harsh on those who have worn the number and that there is some hope for the current incumbent, Sebastien Squillaci.
Being a younger Gooner, my first full season of being truly aware of the Arsenal was fortunately 1997/98. The great man who wore the number 18 that season, and for the four years after it, was Gilles Grimandi. Now when you’re a child, you believe that everyone in the squad is a world beater, especially when you win the double. So my opinion of Grimandi may be biased but he was a great player to have in the squad.
Grimandi was reliable at centre back and as a holding midfielder, and could be trusted in big games to put in a shift for the team. He was fortunate to usually play alongside some of the most experienced defenders in the game in Steve Bould and Tony Adams, but that brought the best out of him. He’d rarely win you a game, except for that stunning looped volley against Crystal Palace, but he wouldn’t lose you a game. Plus legend status was achieved for the unceremonious hack on Edgar Davids, with the then Spurs player set to score, during Dennis Bergkamp’s testimonial.
Overall, Grimandi was part of two double winning squads so can’t have been a passenger in those sides.
One Frenchman was replaced by another at number 18, in the form of the bigger and balder Pascal Cygan. Signed, in part, to fill a large Tony Adams shaped hole in our defence, there was always going to be a lot of pressure on him. Initially, the signs were promising. His form did tail away as first team chances were hard to come by behind Keown, Campbell and an emerging Kolo Toure, but Cygan remained at the club for four years and was an invincible by getting a medal in 2004. Like Grimandi, it can’t have been a coincidence that we won two FA Cups and the Premiership in his four years at the club. However it probably is a coincidence that we haven’t picked up a pot since he left in 2006.
The next number 18 incumbent again began well at the club. Surprise signing Mikael Silvestre did temporarily jump ahead of Kolo Toure in the centre back pecking order with performances including a goal against Spurs and a win against his former team Manchester United. Although realistically, Silvestre was no more than a squad player. As much as I’ve tried to defend our previous number 18s, Silvestre did put in some truly appalling displays for the club but was only meant to cover for Toure, Gallas and later Vermaelen.
There is a recurring theme with the number 18. All were cover for a first choice centre back pairing, and with the exception of Silvestre, they usually were reliable and put in a shift for the club.
That leaves me with the current holder of the number 18 jersey. Sebastien Squillaci divides opinion amongst fans, but there is no doubting the fact he is an experienced player in Europe and with the French national team. Like the previous number 18 incumbents, he was signed as cover. When all four centre backs are fit, although unlikely with the current Arsenal squad, he would be behind Vermaelen, Djourou and Koscielny.
Squillaci has played more this season than people might have expected or wanted him to, and this should help us in the long term, even if short term it seems we, or Laurent Koscielny’s face, have suffered. Most foreign players need adaptation time, and hopefully Squillaci is almost out of that stage.
With Vermaelen set to come back before the end of the season, Squillaci can assume the true number 18 role of being a reliable back- up centre half. However he’ll have to do something really special to match the greatest 18, Gilles Grimandi, and his Edgar Davids take down.
Twitter:@SamsMatchReport
