That video is superb.
Not only does he throw himself about and command others into place, the way he's able to play the ball under pressure when opposition are closing him down is excellent. Something posters like PnG always says is crucial for a DM as he lambasts Arteta for not being able to do it.
So glad to have this guy back.
just goes to show, price tags in football mean nothing. superb signing so far
Was it Matty who did that bit of skill on the touchline toward the end as well??
It's better to burn out, than to fade away.
and then clapped the fans straight after itOriginally Posted by LDG
It makes a big difference having a DM that's comfortable on the ball. Remember when United stuck Rooney on Arteta and shut us down. We struggled to get the ball out of our half and we'll have the same sort of problem against high pressing teams. Was watching the City game and Yaya was just immense. Was able to collect from deep areas and just turn and shrug players off to help mount attacks. I remember when Vieira left they did an analysis of on his role of the club and why we miss him. It was the simple stuff. Just collecting the ball from deep and passing it off. It's an important part to our game. It's good to see Flamini back in the squad.
When you compare Flamini to the rest of our midfield you can see he's not at the same technical level. To my knowledge no-one has stuck a man on Flamini thus far but if we allow teams to isolate and outnumber him, he will struggle as much as Arteta did in that game.
The fact is, previously we relied on Arteta to be the launchpad for our attacks, that's why sticking Rooney on him was such a smart idea - cut off the supply. We don't rely on Flamini in anything like the same way. This year we are supporting the DM much more, AFAIK Ramsey is joint leading midfield tackler in the league so far, averaging over 2 tackles more per game than he did last year.
Plus of course, we are sitting deeper and staying more compact this year. That always helps.
It's worth noting that Arteta's previous season stats (3.2 tackles, 2.9 interceptions, 2.2 fouls - per game) vs Flamini's so far (2.7, 1.7, 1.3) aren't because Flamini is a worse DM, but because he doesn't have to shoulder so much of the load.
With the Flamster now clearly our preferred deep lying midfielder, I'd like to see Arteta being given a bit more of an advanced role - one where he's allowed to have a more creative influence.
A bit of rotation between him and Jack perhaps.
Last edited by Özil's Panoramic View; 23-09-2013 at 01:56 PM.
I've kind of forgotten how Arteta was in an advanced role (eg at Everton). I'd also swap him for Wilshere so he can rest up for the time being
That is an excellent post.
Technical ability is one thing but Arteta doesn't hustle for the ball and make space for himself if marked. He stays at one pace and will point for defence to hit it long or out wide if he can't shake his marker. He's not the most agile player and can't play on the half turn. Not saying Flamini is the most technically gifted but I could see from yesterday's game that he'd at least try to relieve pressure from the defence and give them a passing option. You'll just have to watch how he reacts when he's back in the team to see the difference.
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