When Piero Hincapie joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, Mikel Arteta quickly labelled the combative Ecuadorian a “warrior”.
After overcoming early-season fitness issues, largely linked to groin surgery he underwent in the summer, the full-back has more than lived up to that billing.
As the campaign enters its decisive stretch, he has established himself as the manager’s first-choice left-back, edging out the more adventurous Riccardo Calafiori and pseudo-midfielder Myles Lewis-Skelly as Arteta’s preferred option on that flank.
Tonight, Hincapie returns to his parent club Leverkusen, hoping to dent their Champions League hopes. It also offers a chance to reunite with former teammates and supporters ahead of what appears to be a near-certain permanent move to the Emirates in the summer.
On the swift reunion, he told Bild: “I was happy and sent some messages to the guys from Leverkusen.
“It will be a special situation for me to play against the club where I had such a good time, but that’s football. It will certainly be nice to see everyone again.”
Like their counterparts in England, German sports writers have become intrigued by Arsenal’s set-piece prowess, and by the time the team takes setting up routines from corners and throw-ins.
Last week, the Gunners were on the receiving end of a verbal volley from Fabian Hurzeler even before their trip to the AMEX. When the match got underway, his attention soon turned to Hincapie. As the defender prepared a throw-in, Hurzeler shouted for him to “f*cking play football”. Hincapie responded by raising a finger to his lips, a brief attempt to tell the German to pipe down.
“I don’t hold that against him at all,” said Hincapie when pressed on the exchange.
“In the heat of the game, disagreements are bound to arise. The most important thing for me is that we’re successful and don’t do anything illegal.
“You can’t always win beautifully. Sometimes you have to play smart and fight to the very edge of what’s allowed. You have to have guts. During our double-winning season [at Leverkusen], not all of our games were pretty to watch, but we won them.”
He continued: “Our will to win makes us perfectionists. We pay attention to detail. Our set-piece strength is talked about all over Europe. This is the result of daily training with our set-piece coach, Nico Jover. It sounds tedious, but the results mean that every one of us is eager to score from a corner or a free kick.”
Hincapie also sees clear similarities between Arsenal and Leverkusen, not least because his two coaches, Arteta and Xabi Alonso, were childhood friends.
“Yes, and you can tell [they know each other],” he joked. “Their playing philosophies are different, but in terms of character, the two Basques are quite similar.
“They both have this incredibly strong passion for winning football matches. You can feel it in the intensity of every training session and in every conversation. That’s what makes them special.”
He continued: “Arsenal already has the most important thing: after such a long time without major trophies, everyone here is incredibly hungry for titles. So we’re all really pulling in the same direction, and the coaching staff’s plans are working out really well so far.
“It has to stay that way until the very last second, then we’ll have something to celebrate at the end of the season. I’ve been there before, and I want to help my new team by using and sharing my experience.
“I want to win every title. But the road is still long, the competition is fierce, and you always need a bit of luck. But we absolutely need one major title, no matter how.”