Mikel Arteta Thread

[Power n Glory]

He's not playing as an attacking midfield player but he should be playing that role instead of Ramsey. That kid should be dropped, let Song and Coquelin play behind Arteta and see what happens. Plugging gaps and making up the numbers is neccessary, but it's another square peg in a round hole.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

He's not playing as an attacking midfield player but he should be playing that role instead of Ramsey. That kid should be dropped, let Song and Coquelin play behind Arteta and see what happens. Plugging gaps and making up the numbers is neccessary, but it's another square peg in a round hole.

Your not suggestion playing a player out of posistion, surley not ?

[selassie]

I pretty much see him as a stop gap. I think he'll have a squaddie type role when Jack comes back. Don't get me wrong he's done OK, but I don't see him as a long term option.

[Master Splinter]

Mikel Arteta's 80.8 pass per game average in context: he's 4th behind Xavi (105.7), Alonso (83.5) and Pirlo (81.2). Class.

Arteta .

And we've been pretty shit this season too.

[alexander]

Arteta .

And we've been pretty shit this season too.

there aint been nothing pretty about our shit this year.

[GP]

there aint been nothing pretty about our shit this year.

My dog ate a load of christmas decorations and has been passing glitter ever since. That's some pretty shit.

[Cripps_orig]

MIKEL ARTETA says his decision to leave Everton and join Arsenal has been proven right because he is loving life with the Gunners.

The Spanish midfielder joined Arsenal last summer after a 6½-year stint with the Toffees.His deadline day switch for £10million on August deadline day was harshly labelled as boss Arsene Wenger making a panic-buy.However, the 29-year-old has slotted into the club's midfield and helped inspire them to a 5-2 victory over Spurs on Sunday.That win lifted Arsenal back into fourth place over Chelsea and with Carling Cup winners Liverpool up this weekend, Arteta is hoping the club can continue their run.He said: "From what people said about Arsenal when I was at Everton, I'm really surprised because there is a really good group of players who get on with each other really well."Expectations at Arsenal are really high because we have the potential to be at the top."But when you have expectations it is always good, whether it's personal or as a club. And when you don't do it, you get frustrated."That's football, you're going to get frustrated many times but it's about how many times you can get up and lift your head and fight again."Arteta also believes he has become a better player since working with Wenger and reckons criticism of the Arsenal boss for their inconsistent season is unfair.

The Spaniard added: "He gave me the chance to join this club and I am very pleased and happy with what he's done with me."He has been talking to me and the group and has been very positive."You can criticise someone but you can also find ways to defend someone and say we have not done this or spent as much as the others. It is very difficult."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4160406/Mikel-Arteta-Arsenal-move-proved-right.html

Has it been proved right? Hes been a bit average if truth be said

[Letters]

Right for who, us or him?

Arguably right for him, he's played CL football (if only for one season although we are, bafflingly, in 4th so he might get to do so next year). For us...well, in the circumstances he was a decent signing. Not the world class player we needed to replace Cesc and/or Nasri but as deadline day panic buys go he wasn't a bad one.

[Marc Overmars]

It's just the timing of signing Arteta that was wrong. If Nasri and Cesc were still here, you'd say Arteta would be a shrewd piece of business in terms of bolstering the squad.

As it happened we lost the attacking hub of our midfield, and buying Arteta who doesn't provide a great deal up top only served to magnify that problem further. He's by no means a bad player, he's capable of holding his own against the rough and tumble of the Prem, but he's fairly limited at what he does and after losing that bundle of technical ability our midifeld does need a new injection of skill. Particuarly if we want to do well in Europe again, the performances in the CL this season have been very average and workman like, probably no surprise we got got our arses handed to us in Milan.

[Özim]

Decent enough player but nothing special, as has been said not really the replacement we needed when we sold Cesc/Nasri, not his fault of course he does a decent job without being world class.

Think it was a shrewd bit of business by Everton who had his best years.