Much has been made of Arsenal’s need for reinforcements, particularly in the defensive midfield position. The names Khedira, Carvalho, and Bender (amongst others) have all been thrown around for some time now and it is a clear area for concern. In order to find out what is needed however, we must first assess the options already available.

In Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, we have two very different options in holding midfield. On their best day (which unfortunately is much too few and far between), you have two effective ball winners in their own rights. Arteta is intelligent, and likes to position himself to stop attacks at the root. He reads the play and makes tidy interceptions all over the pitch to win the ball back for Arsenal.

Flamini is the bruiser. He doesn’t possess the tactical acuity of Arteta but uses sheer aggression and the moderate pace he does have to track players and get a foot in. His tackling ability is a bit better than Arteta’s and you can count on Flamini for a few meaty challenges.

The problem with the two however, as I alluded to earlier, is their best days come very few and far between and I’m afraid when they are not at their best you are forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. Arteta is intelligent as I said, but nobody can read every play perfectly. The problem arises when he over anticipates or misreads the play even slightly, and finds himself on the wrong side of the ball and the player he is chasing.

He is woefully inept in terms of physical and athletic attributes and simply does not have the pace or agility to turn and sprint. He therefore cannot recover to catch anyone once he is beaten and it leaves Arsenal in danger at times. He is not mobile enough to be an effective defensive midfielder in this day an age and finds the pace of the game overwhelming more often than not.

As for Flamini, he is very naive in his positioning to put it mildly. Too many times he rushes into a needless challenge that only ever results in a yellow or just simply getting beat. It is as if his eyes light up when he sees a glimpse of the ball and immediately rushes toward it. Much too often he gets caught either underneath an aerial ball or on the wrong side of the player and gets rolled much too easily. We applaud his effort and work rate, but he is much too overzealous.

You are splitting hairs between the two on both their good and bad days to be fair. Neither one has the required pace, strength, and height that many gooners desire in a defensive midfielder.

Let us know in the comments who you think Arsenal is better off with.

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