Age: 32
Nationality: Spanish
Position: Central Midfield
Squad no. 8
Height: 5ft 10
Interesting Fact: Mikel’s hero is Bayern Munich manager, Pep Guardiola.
Mikel Arteta is the ultimate deep-lying-playmaker. Although he started his career as an attacking midfielder, Arsene Wenger has helped the Spaniard adapt his game in order to combat the problems older midfielders sometimes face in the modern game.
In his new defensive midfield role, Mikel doesn’t have to rely on pace and sharpness, and can instead use his intelligence and vision to control the game from deep in his side’s own half. His passing accuracy is outstanding, and there are very few players in the world that you would have more trust in while in possession of the ball. Arteta very rarely forfeits possession, and is one of the most reliable midfielders in the Premier League.
When Arteta starts for Arsenal, his presence elevates our midfield flow to new levels. Like the composer of an orchestra – Mikel is the one that pulls all the strings in the Arsenal team while others reap the rewards. Unfortunately, this means the midfielder’s efforts tend to go unnoticed most of the time, and a few Arsenal fans have been critical of the technician in recent times.
Although the vast majority of criticism Arteta receives is unjust, there are serious doubts on whether he still has the physical presence needed in order to protect Arsenal’s back four in games against the Premier League’s top sides. At 5’9”, Mikel lacks the strength of the likes of Yaya Touré and Javi Martínez, and players sometimes find it too easy to shove him off the ball.
All eyes will be on the Spaniard this season as he tries his best to lead Arsenal to glory. Let’s hope he is up to the challenge.
How much will he play?
Mikel’s composure and leadership qualities earned him the captain’s armband at the start of Arsenal’s 2014/15 campaign. This would suggest that Wenger intends to play Arteta in the majority of Arsenal’s games this season.
Only two things could restrict Mikel’s playing time; the first being if Wenger chooses to sign a defensive midfielder in January. If Arsene finds a player that can offer both the technical ability of Arteta and the defensive capabilities of Flamini, then our captain may lose his place in the team.
The second obstacle Mikel might face is if Wenger decides to play Flamini or Chambers in the defensive midfield spot in our big games. If either player puts together a string of good performances, Arteta might be forced to watch from the bench each week.
How well will he do?
One of Arteta’s biggest draws is his reliability. It is extremely hard to knock the Spaniard off his game plan; such is his commitment to playing possession football. Whenever Wenger decides to deploy Mikel in our midfield, you can expect him to massively improve our passing and possession retention.
Against weaker sides, the 32-year-old is likely to dominate and toy with the opposition – structuring our attacks and recycling possession whenever the ball is cleared by our opponent’s back four. However, the Arsenal captain is likely to struggle against the top sides in the Premier League – especially when we’re pressed high up the pitch.
Arteta should have a solid season. His technical ability and intelligent build-up play is too good to be brought down by physical weaknesses.
Read: Report cards for the whole Arsenal squad
Pace: 4/10
Ball Control: 7/10
Passing: 9/10
Tackling: 6/10
Strength: 5/10
Penalties: 9/10
Current Value: £4.5 million
Potential Value: £1 million
Overall Rating: 7/10