Vermaelen wants to improve off last year
Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen says he thinks there are a few areas of his game that he can improve ahead of the Premier League season.
The Belgian defender says he feels fit and ready to go in the new season but believes he can do more to improve Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League and giving the club their first trophy since 2007.
Vermaelen joined Arsenal from Ajax in the summer of 2009 and has since made himself one of the best defenders in the Premier League. There are many positive elements to the way he plays but with Sol Campbell and William Gallas no longer at the club, the pressure will be placed on top of him.
It's important to examine the areas where Vermaelen believes he can improve to judge the impact he's likely to have this season. He will have extra responsibility in the Arsenal defence as he now looks like the main defender of the team.
Areas to improve
Vermaelen scored seven times during 33 appearances last season and made a huge amount of defensive headers away from goal. However, he has said that he should have scored more goals for the club when he went forward for free kicks and corners. He says poorly directed headers are not acceptable when a chance is presented to you going forward.
His leadership skills will have to get a little bit better because he does not have the security of Gallas and Campbell playing around him. He will have to lead the defence at crucial times during the season. He can be a little more vocal and animated in the way that he structures the defence around him.
One thing that all defenders can work in is discipline. If Vermaelen can stay disciplined and efficient in defence then it will mean he receives less bookings and will not end up banned from any Premier League game.
He said: "You have to keep performing every year. If you play for Arsenal you can never say 'I had a good year, so now I'll ease off'. That's not possible. People ask you to do better every year and I will try to do that. It's always more difficult to stay at that level and next year that is the challenge - not only to maintain the level but to improve upon it because it wasn't enough last season."
Extra responsibility
If Cesc Fabregas does eventually leave the club then it may not be long until Vermaelen is given the captaincy. This would mean extra responsibility on top of the jobs that he already does in the team.
He's going to have to carry the defence this season and he can already start preparing for a role that many have said he will get at some point in the near future. He's proven that he can handle the pace and pressure of English football after his first season at the club.
Betting advice
Arsenal are not favourites to win the Premier League because they concede far too many goals and lack the consistency needed to lift the title. Vermaelen cannot do all of the defending by himself and even if he improves hugely as a player, very little will change in terms of Arsenal's position in the league.
Always back the Belgian to score against smaller teams. He loves to get forward and he's scored one goal less at Arsenal than he achieved in his entire career at Ajax. You are bound to get good odds for him because he's a defender but don't bet a life changing amount of money.
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