The Arsenal midfield of old was something that was truly mesmerising. The likes of Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Robert Pires epitomised what the ‘Arsenal way’ was all about.

While the Gunners still play good football – possibly the best in the Premier League – the quality of players that are producing it has fallen slightly, which is the fundamental reason why the North Londoners have not mounted a serious title challenge for the past five years.

Many of us know that manager Arsene Wenger likes to put his faith in youth, but the lack of experience really did begin take its toll on the squad, and experience had to be brought in to steady the ship. Per Mertesacker was one of them and has largely excelled at the Emirates. But another, who had really impressed with some of his performances, is starting to look over the hill.

Mikel Arteta first caught the eye when at Spanish La Liga outfit Real Sociedad as a winger. The 32-year-old midfield general then went onto to dazzle for Scottish giants Rangers, and fellow Premier League side Everton, before playing for the Arsenal.

The vision of the midfielder when he gets on the ball is outstanding, and it's strange to think how, even in his prime he failed to even make the Spanish national squad. Arteta was predominantly brought in to be Arsenal’s version of Steven Gerrard, someone who breaks-up play and pops up with a goal now and then. With 100 games under his belt, which includes 17 goals, injuries are starting to take its toll on the midfielder and the Premier League looking too physical.

Clearly, Arteta is better suited to his role than fellow midfielder Mathieu Flamini, with the Spaniard winning more tackles, more interceptions and completing more passes than his teammate. Furthermore, last season’s FA Cup winners concede fewer goals when Arteta is in the starting XI (0.55 compared to 0.7).

However when Flamini is in the side, Arsenal do score more goals per game (2.5 compared to 2.1). This is quite unusual considering that many would think that Arteta to be a more creative player than Flamini, who was largely brought into the side to add some backbone.

What Arteta brings, that not many teams have in their ranks, is a sense of security. Playing safe balls might not be the most riveting at times, but knowing that keeping the ball can frustrate the opposition is an attribute that is very commendable.

Talk of moving on and getting rid of Arteta is difficult to hear. He has been a great servant to the club, but with the vast amounts of cash floating in the Premier League, and Wenger urged to splash more of it around, it looks like Arteta could be shipped out sooner rather than later.

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