Arsenal El Capitan, Mikel Arteta
This is a brief blog about Mikel Arteta.
Spain, Rangers, Arsenal – right midfield, central midfield, defensive midfield blah blah. You all know his evolution so I will spare you a history lesson.
I believe that Santi performs brilliantly in a role designed for Arteta. It’s more defensive than that of The Snake when he was with us and definitely not the traditional defensive midfielder that the cool kids call ‘DM’. Arteta did, however, play that role without the help of Coquelin so perhaps the earlier part of this paragraph is nonsense. Regardless, the job to which I’m referring is that of the tactical leader. Arteta had the intelligence, touch and composure to play the role masterfully.
El Capitan (Spanish for ‘the captain‘) has made a couple of substitute appearances for us this season in which he burst onto the pitch like a bull in a clichéd reference to Spanish culture. He came on in the game against Chelsea and within minutes found himself in a heated exchange with their midfield. This was a man pumped up and ready to fight for however many minutes he could get on the pitch.
Against Palace, Arteta didn’t immediately replace the outgoing Coquelin but did feature and went straight into his position at the base of midfield. Again, the skipper came out all guns blazing. He made tackles in our box and steadied a ship rocked by its midfield base being excused by the manager.
Arteta still has legs. I saw them on Sunday, they still exist. He isn’t quick on his feet but then I don’t think he needs to be. Tactical nous is what Arteta will live on for the remainder of his career and it could be the difference in many games, as it may have been on Sunday. It remains to be seen how much football he’ll play this season but I at least expect to see him make many substitute appearances.
Footballers age at a dramatic rate and the good ones constantly evolve mentally as their bodies deteriorate. Arteta has done that his whole playing career and, as he heads down the home stretch, which this undoubtedly will be, he will adapt smoothly to his new role of full-time captain, part-time player. He is too intelligent, too resourceful and too determined a man to let it go any other way.
Arteta continues to be a great servant for Arsenal Football Club.
Positively Arsenal 
You are right – he has as sharp a football brain as I have seen at the club this century. He is still the obvious leader on the pitch.
What I would like to see is Mikel taking more free kicks and corners, the latter of which we struggle with and have for a long time.
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… and he oooooozes class.
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@bradyesque7 writing about Mikel. Life is good .
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An all-too-rare post from one of my favourite Tweeters and well worth waiting for.
Mikel has slipped into the ‘dead wood’ category of players in the eyes of some – usually the same numbskulls who choose/chose to lament the lack of ‘experience’ in our younger teams when it suited them.
What is exciting me so much about the current squad is the heady mix of outstanding youth, established ‘first-teamers’ and senior players such as Arteta who have the ability to provide backbone, perspective and stability in times of difficulty.
I will always remember and celebrate the fact that Mikel joined us in one of our darker hours and I hope he sticks around the place for as long as is practicable with a move into coaching the various Arsenal sides if that is his aim for the future.
Good job Brady, hoping for more as the season winds on.
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🙂
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I can’t believe he just did that !
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https://mobile.twitter.com/AFTVines/status/498788958692974592/video/1
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It’s why I’m a positivista, it’s why I want AFC to win everything. Mikel must end his career with AFC having won the EPL and/or CL. It’s what I wanted for him when he joined AFC. He is a rare breed, a man of impeccable professionalism, dignity and class.
Well done Brady.
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Thanks Ro, it’s so good to be surrounded by people who appreciate the real quality things in life. Mikel Arteta is and always has been quality.
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Who can forget that back page I saw on the Newscorp rag in the cafe where they highlighted various tables of stats in order to praise Carrick as the best midfielder in the league* last time the evil cheating Mancs won a title, with Arteta atop every table.
*he wasn’t not bad, another under capped Gritish player
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We had a pending comment from a new poster, “Stray Passenger” that was waiting overnight – as it was worth reading I thought I’d move it;
Wenger thinks too laterally for some fraction of Arsenal support (not you guys) to understand.
The irony in him trying to outwit his managerial peers working so well to fool even Arsenal fans is kind of funny. Too often our free flowing football leads to false epiphanies about how easy managing a football side is; if you have the best players and play them in their best positions magical things can happen. But it’s just a dream, the spontaneity fans think happen is fought for and won in training and whiteboards, in the mutual expectations of the managers and players and it requires the same level of tacticality that any bus parking team can boast.
Failures in this system is what allows us to critically examine they whys of Wenger’s tactics and only those expecting to find anything will appreciate that he does intentionally tweak with tactics. Those who don’t see probably can’t see his hand even when we do well.
His hand is usually hidden from us, but I’m certain players (like many of our midfielders) will testify that he does guide enough of what they do on the pitch. Arsenal tactics are that efficient when they work; they fulfill our aesthetic sensibilities and get the job done. It happens so often that people confuse one for the other.
But we’re winning again now, the clunky pieces are mostly settled; the dramatic difference shouldn’t be a surprise, the Arsenal machinery is only just warming up.
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Andrew – has the poster been contacted to tell them they are out of moderation? Be a shame to lose such a contribution.
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A welcome return to these pages by Bradyesque (Rohan) and a timely tribute to arguably the most important player at Arsenal in the past four years.
What I like about our veteran captain is the structure and composure he brings to our midfield when he makes an appearance. Despite his reduced minutes I am sure this know-how is being passed on to Santi and Coquelin who are now doing most of the heavy lifting in that part of the field.
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It is done Stew – the poster is @Rancidpotato on Twitter who we all know
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Excellent observations by that self-deprecating character Stray Passenger aka Rancid Potato. Hope he becomes a passenger here rather than straying around. He is usually a voice of wisdom on Twitter. Now he could share more than it takes in 140 characters.
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It is done Stew – the poster is @Rancidpotato on Twitter who we all know
In that case leave him in moderation 🙂
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Outbreak of smilies – like the old days what with a main post from Rohan ‘n’all.
Luckily George is out for the day, he’d close us down in a heartbeat.
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Mutiny in the ranks.
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Remember the day he came? I felt great, how did you feel? Underrated player,great passer with great vision of the game.To easily scapegoated by a certain section of our fan-base who constantly look for a scapegoat as Ramsey knows and the Coq is now experiencing.
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Goodness, it’s anarchy. Brady with a post (well done, Brady), my favorite Potato with a comment (also well done, RP), smileys everywhere. And it’s only Wednesday!
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Nice one Ro,Arsenals number 8 is a class act.
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Shotts,
Ta for the brilliant article preceding this one. The tackle completion analysis etc was good for me as I hadn’t re watched the WH game, and the whole piece was very good.
You lad wot wrote this piece, is it you that done the podcasts with PG? (In a previous life, and never to be revisited despite my numerous requests, tut).
Yes, MA8. Class.
I miss his hand waving at the refs. Such dismissal. But of course, it’s his play I also miss. His occasional goal from open plays his clear understanding of what’s going on.
Who was the person/team(s) that smashed him up last year? B******s!
I can’t wait to see exactly how Mikel played when he came on – Sunday.
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I see Jose is going third time lucky with Pedro after hosing his employer’s roubles up the wall on flops Cuadrado and Saleh – yawn
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Thanks Mr Brady and also RP. I wonder when we look back on this season whether MA8 has just played a few minutes as a late match substitute – or if in fact he has started in many of the games where it seemed likely we didn’t need such an obvious defensive bloq.
I also suspect that many of the twitter mob who wither him for being well into his thirties would act out the role of the man who went to the fancy dress party if we signed Ibrahimović.
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Pedro, the Spanish Theo.
Good player. A bit more technically accomplished then his Gritish peer as to be expected, but Theo has the edge when it comes to the old goals and assists. A verifiable ‘Goal Machine’.
Hopefully if does make the move to Gazprom-upon-Fulham (two Barca players now moving to Gazprom?) hoping to avoid the drunken master LVG he’ll soon come to realise that in spite of his faults that the manager who rose to fame with that youthful Ajax squad still has more kudos in the Game when compared with the Hack Dwarves’ favourite cheque-book manager (please refer to Salah, Cuadrado, Robben etc. not forgetting Gazprom’s post-Mourinho awful treatment of their best wide forwardish player in recent times (Malouda).
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Yeah but, no but… TV5, AD2, CF4 AA23, EE27, – all kinda deadwood here, inc. ankleweak JW10. Whatcha gonna do?
Reasons to be Counterattack, Part2:
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Next on Bammer’s list is Aston Taylor! Check it out.
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For a trolley dash on the last day of the transfer window, Arteta is a cut diamond!.
As for PG, let us soothe his hurt feelings –
“July 26, 2011 at 1:28 pm
These results prove for once and for all that what I have been saying was 100% right all along.I have been vindicated ,Arsene Wenger is the greatest manager in the history of the world and we should never question him.
Its a fact .Muppet has proven it.
Well that how I am interpreting it anyway.Proof positive of my own genius”
In those days, George Rodger was a “smiley” fan..
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Muppet had a twitter debate, with of all people Tim “Chump” Payton.
The result was an article with the title::
– Arsenal: Serial Over-achievers Or Par For The Course
The good people have all left that site, leaving a score or so, strawmen!
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Great 6 mins and 19 seconds that Rantetta!!!!
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Afobe > Harry Kane
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Haha I was funny back in the day
george rodger says:
July 26, 2011 at 2:29 pm
If we went out and spent £200 million in the window and won the quadruple I would not be impressed.We would be no better than City and Chelsea.
Winning is not everything.Not unless it is in a fight for your life.Then it is.
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In contrast to my total lack of surprise at Chels signing Pedro, or anyone signing the desperate to get away (and earn serious £) Barca wingman I admit Leicester’s capture of Inler is an impressive catch. He is a very good youngish player, very experienced, quite a player for them. bravo the foxes.
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Enjoyable 2nd half from Parkhead tonight – no great quality of football but a hard fought game and a top quality Poznan from the fans
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when does the transfer window close? surely end of august?
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Lovely read the past few days guys. We’re bring spoiled here in PA.
Now one of my personal highlights of Miki is that goal at the Emirates against Man City. Quali’y!!
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*bring=being
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best way to describe Arteta – The princely Spaniard.
We are lucky to have him. simples.
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Nice article. El capitan hehe. The old dog does indeed have some life left.
Also enjoyed Shotta’s piece yesterday didn’t get a chance to comment.
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Great to see smiley’s are now acceptable on this blog
🙂
🙂
😈😆😋😎
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Thin end of the wedge – I knew it
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Slow news today.
The great unwashed working themselves into a lather over the transfer window and ‘just’ 11 days to go in order that Arsene can save our season and sign ( insert any name that happens to be flavoursome this week). Gawd they are as dull this season as they were last, and the season before etc.
I see Sturridge is back in the UK after surgery and 3 months rehab in the U.S on his hip – I had almost forgotten he was a Liverpool player. He won’t be fit for a game for about 3 weeks though. In the mean time it is Benteke we face on Monday. He may play better than his last effort against us in the FA Cup final but up front for LFC he is on his own.
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WS along with his CBs took Benteke out of that final. He might have had a sniff or two of the goal if Villa had got a lucky deflection on a strike and got that first goal that they were hoping for otherwise fair to say that it was a stand out performance from WS (& others) on the day.
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Dortmund 3-0 at half time and eddy nowhere to be found – Odd
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3-2 now Andrew. 70 mins.
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Bad miss by Aubemeyang.
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Stoke have signed 12 new players and Arsenal have only signed one, the fore Stoke are better. That’s how Arsenal WoB Twitter logic works.
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Great post no.7
We had to be patient for Spider and El Capitan is no different. I honestly believe after he has reaped his rightful rewards he will serve our club as a coach and maybe even a future manager.
I think the window closes sep 2nd by the way
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3-0 in 22 minutes
4-3 up in 88 minutes
Bloody hell Shotts !
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Monday night football?
I have to wait till Monday to see the Arsenal? Till the next week.
The end is nigh.
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