I will admit that I may find it a bit of a struggle to write an objective article but I’ll certainly try my best. The problem being that I have a soft spot for Mikel Arteta. So much so that I chose our skipper’s name and number to be emblazoned on the back of my Puma Arsenal replica jersey. I don’t know why I like him, I just do; maybe it’s because Arteta appears to be the midfielder that others love to hate. Having captained the Arsenal squad for the majority of the 2013/14 season while Thomas Vermaelen was sidelined I was pleased that Arteta was offered the post at the start of this season. But enough of my fondness for Arteta, let’s start by taking a look at some of the statistics, for both the 2013/14 season and the 2014/15 season to date.
The statistics speak for themselves don’t they? Let’s concentrate on the Squawka stats from last season. Arteta played 2407 minutes in 31 games, an average of 77.65 minutes per game; Flamini played 1604 minutes in 27 games, an average of 59.41 minutes per game. Arteta averaged 44.77 forward passes per game; Flamini averaged 26.59 forward passes per game. Arteta averaged 0.61 key passes per game; Flamini averaged 0.26 key passes per game. Arteta averaged 61.48 successful passes per game; Flamini averaged 37.59 successful passes per game. You can see where this is going can’t you?
But statistics, being what they are, don’t always tell the whole story so let’s take a moment to look at some of their key strengths and weaknesses courtesy of WhoScored.com:
Mikel Arteta
- Passing: Very Strong
- Tacking: Strong
- Ball interception: Strong
- No perceived significant weaknesses
Mathieu Flamini
- Long shots: Strong
- Aerial duels: Strong
- Ball interception: Strong
- Blocking the ball: Strong
- Concentration: Very Weak
- Discipline: Weak
Both players like to do layoffs with Arteta enjoying tackles, which can ultimately lead to fouls being committed, and Flamini having a preference for playing short passes. Despite the reference to Arteta often fouling my nickname for Flamini has become “The Yellow Card Magnet”. Last season Flamini racked up 8 yellow cards and 1 red card while Arteta, in comparison, only picked up 3 yellow cards and 1 red card.
What else, apart from he usual biographical data, do we know about Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini? So far this season not a lot. With Arteta out on an injury to his ankle he’s only played the one game in the Barclays Premier League and Flamini has played just two. The second comparison matrix above shows that Arteta’s average performance was far better overall than that by Flamini. However, I took a look at the statistics (see below) for both players in the 2013/14 Champions League and they tell a completely different story – here Flamini equals or excels Arteta except for forward passes.
While Arteta may not have the attacking pace he once had I feel that we’d be lost without his capable determination and his ability to score penalties from the spot. Flamini certainly has more pace but lacks the consistency and quality and Arteta gives wholeheartedly. At 32 I’m fairly certain Arteta won’t follow in the footsteps of some of our ex-captains, namely Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Vermaelen and decamp to Barcelona’s Camp Nou and I sincerely hope we can get a few more years of play out of him yet. Apart from which, who knows what’s around the corner? Maybe Flamini will eventually settle down, improve upon his play, cancel out his weaknesses and, when all is said and done, make me eat my hat.
I’m sure you all have your own views on who should hold the Arsenal midfield. I’d be interested in hearing them. Comment below.