You Are My Arsenal

Main Menu

  • About
  • Latest News
    • General
    • Match Previews
    • Transfer Window
  • Analysis
    • Players
    • Post Match Review
  • Contact

logo

  • About
  • Latest News
    • General
    • Match Previews
    • Transfer Window
  • Analysis
    • mikel-arteta-arsenal-coach-tactical-analysis

      Tactical Analysis: What the Scotland friendlies tell us about Arsenal’s defensive tactics ...

      September 2, 2021
      0
    • arsenal-preseason-2021-analysis

      Tactical Analysis: What the Scotland Friendlies tell us about Arsenal's Style of ...

      August 12, 2021
      2
    • Defending from the front - How Arsenal has improved their defense

      March 26, 2021
      0
    • arsenal-tottenham-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      Arsenal's Derby Redemption

      March 15, 2021
      1
    • leicester-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      How Arsenal rounded off the perfect week

      March 1, 2021
      2
    • west-brom-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      How Arsenal dismantled West Brom - Tactical Analysis

      January 4, 2021
      0
    • arsenal-chelsea-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      How Arsenal dispatched Chelsea

      December 28, 2020
      0
    • everton-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      Tactical Analysis: What went wrong for Arsenal vs Everton?

      December 21, 2020
      0
    • tottenham-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-tactical-analysis

      Breaking Down Arsenal's Woes vs Tottenham - Tactical Analysis

      December 8, 2020
      0
    • Players
    • Post Match Review
  • Contact
  • Fulham 0–1 Arsenal: Three Things We Learned as the Gunners Go Top

  • Riccardo Calafiori: Arsenal’s Shape-Shifting Soul

  • Arsenal’s Right-Side Blueprint: How Saka, Ødegaard, and Timber Are Driving the Attack

  • What the First Seven Matches Really Tell Us About Arsenal’s Contenders’ Credentials

  • Three Things We Learned as Arsenal Beat West Ham to Go Top of the Premier League

Players
Home›Players›The Passion of Mikel Arteta

The Passion of Mikel Arteta

By Michael Price
February 3, 2015
712
2
Share:

In the month of January, the trials endured by Arsenal captain Mikel Arteta intensified.

Most recently, he had to stand by silently as his employment security came under question. Arteta’s agent Inaki Ibanez told Foot Mercato on 27 January that the club had extended the captain’s contract until June 2016. Manager Arsène Wenger, however, made no such commitment in his press conference before Sunday’s victory over Aston Villa. Asked about Arteta’s contract, Wenger said, “We have nothing to announce yet.”

These mixed public messages about Arteta’s contract appeared while his in-game influence, the most obvious expression of a club’s captaincy, was waning. Arteta hasn’t featured for the team since departing Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund in late November.

His absence became extended in mid-January when he underwent surgery to repair a bone spur in his ankle. He will likely not recover until mid-April, meaning he won’t appear for the first team until May at the earliest. By that point, he will have missed 27 of Arsenal’s 38 Premier League fixtures.

Such an inactive season has to be a worry for a soon-to-be 33-year-old and especially for one whose contract ends this summer. He no longer seems indispensable either, due to the assured performances of Francis Coquelin in his position (though Arteta does not seem the type to begrudge teammates their individual successes).

In this context, it would be only a mild surprise — but a huge sadness for many — if Arteta doesn’t play another competitive match in Arsenal colors.

Arteta’s importance

The reason for the sadness is that many will recognize the important role Arteta has played in the club’s trajectory. He has ushered the club through the transition from its youth project, a response to the financial restrictions created by the Emirates Stadium construction, to the current and likely last version of Wenger’s Arsenal, which I have called “Arsenal 3.0.” (See “The Ox Rocks Arsenal 3.0.”)

The midfielder arrived from Everton at a tumultuous time and provided a steadying influence. Recall August 2011: Captain and star Cesc Fabregas had demanded a move to Barcelona, while another midfield talent, Samir Nasri, had been sold to Manchester City. The result was an unsettled squad and an 8-2 humiliation at Manchester United.

Yet thanks in part to Arteta’s calmness in midfield, Arsenal overcame its early season struggles and finished third in the Premier League, essential for yet another Champions League qualification. Arteta’s late strike against Manchester City, giving Arsenal a 1-0 home win in April 2012, was particularly important.

Arteta’s contributions deepened and broadened the following season, when he became, with Santi Cazorla, the team’s top performer. Some observers, such as 7AM Kickoff‘s Tim Bostelle, named him their player of the season for 2012-13.

Indeed, Arteta emerged over that campaign and the next as one of the Premier League’s standout deep-lying midfielders, as shown in the following statistics from Squawka.com:

 

Arteta_Stats_2

 

As with any set of numbers, this one does not tell the whole story. However, the stats do show that Arteta has competed with the best in the Premier League.

Arteta’s position among Wenger’s captains

Arteta has performed at this high level while equaling or exceeding his counterparts’ leadership contributions. Many have watched Arteta’s demeanor and concluded that he’s not a strong leader because he doesn’t point, shout, and intimidate. But his leadership qualities are remarkable in the way they have helped him — and Arsenal Football Club — navigate a changing captaincy.

Here are Arsenal’s first-team captains during Wenger’s 18-year tenure:

  • Tony Adams, 1996-2002
  • Patrick Vieira, 2002-05
  • Thierry Henry, 2005-07
  • William Gallas, 2007-08
  • Cesc Fabregas, 2008-11
  • Robin Van Persie, 2011-12
  • Thomas Vermaelen, 2012-14
  • Mikel Arteta, 2014-present

Setting aside the Gallas disaster, we can discern a trend in the dominant traits of Wenger’s captains. The first two, Adams and Vieira, were vocal and tenacious. They were the first into a scrap. Henry was just as tenacious, but in a different way: He was unrelenting in pursuit of goals. He was also obviously the star of the team.

After Henry’s departure and the Gallas interregnum, talent defined the next two club captains, Fabregas and Van Persie. They were, like Henry, the headliners of their Arsenal sides; given the inconsistent ability around them, the captaincy may have partly been a tool to secure their loyalty. It failed.

Then came the appointment of Vermaelen. He was not the club’s star player, nor was he vocal. Vermaelen’s foremost quality was his professionalism. He conducted himself with thoughtfulness and class, and in that way, he became an extension of the club’s management. Holding that as a priority guided the choice of Arteta.

Exercising new responsibilities

The qualifications of an Arsenal first-team captain have therefore changed. It’s no longer enough to be the club’s most vocal, tenacious, or talented player. The captain has to be a professional ambassador for all the club’s activities, accomplished in board rooms, with the media, at charity events, with teammates, and with supporters.

Not all clubs are viewing the captaincy in these terms. See Wayne Rooney at Manchester United. But even Joey Barton, the Queen’s Park Rangers captain who does not fit the Arteta mold, has hinted at the importance of professional management in a captain, even as he struggles with that aspect of the role. Barton has written: “As captain you are the go-between for the manager and the players on a daily basis. But there are times at football clubs when a captain’s role goes further. This has happened to me at QPR. There can be any number of issues that can cause board members or owners to ask a captain’s opinion.”

To represent the players and the club in the modern, corporate game, the captain must take on the duties and qualities of professional management. That’s especially true of Arsenal Football Club because it is aware of its position in the public eye. The club’s role in the community and its relationships with diverse constituencies call for a captain with leadership skills that go beyond supporting or criticizing teammates during matches.

Wenger and his colleagues appear to have recognized these new requirements when they appointed Vermaelen captain. Arteta’s captaincy has solidified the trend, as he has fulfilled the new management role gracefully and perfectly in a season that might have broken the spirits and conduct of lesser characters. This will be a meaningful legacy even if injuries cut short Arteta’s tenure as captain.

 

TagsAFCArsenalArsenal FCArsenal InjuriesArsene WengerCaptaincyMikel ArtetaThomas VermaelenYou Are My ArsenalYouAreMyArsenal
Previous Article

Are Arsenal Quietly Building a Contender?

Next Article

Match Preview: Arsenal v Tottenham; North London ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • General

    Arsenal v Manchester United through the Years

    December 10, 2010
    By Michael Price
  • dani-ceballos-arsenal-midfielder
    Players

    Should Arsenal make midfielder their first summer signing?

    March 9, 2020
    By Ben Browning
  • General

    Match Preview: Arsenal v Swansea; A Little Dose of Leadership Required

    November 8, 2014
    By Michael Price
  • Post Match Review

    Arsenal vs Manchester City: Three Lessons from a Tactical Standoff at the Emirates

    September 22, 2025
    By Michael Price
  • Players

    4 Reasons Why Selling Alexis Sanchez Isn’t the End of the World

    July 5, 2017
    By Michael Price
  • Match Previews

    Arsenal v Bayern Munich; Champion’s League Match Preview – Second Leg

    March 12, 2013
    By Michael Price

2 comments

  1. gunnersaurus 3 February, 2015 at 16:01 Log in to Reply

    Gooner11 you fuckign gobshit. Get behind OUR Team, even now everything looks rosy some cant stop crying. He didnt hold us back, he is a fantastic captain even tho he lost his “legs”. Dont listen what the media is talking… 3 weeks ago we were the worst, now we are the best. ITS PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO HOLD THE CLUB BACK NOT MIKEL ARTETA. Support the fucking team!

  2. Gooner 11 3 February, 2015 at 13:53 Log in to Reply

    Arteta has been the MAIN reason Arsenal have struggled for years. It is no coincidence that Arsenal are playing their best football in years when Arteta is out. Coquelin is exactly what Arsenal needed and showed what a huge liability Arteta has been for years. I almost cried when I heard he was coming back next year. To even suggest he performed at a high level here is a disgrace. AWFUL PLAYER

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • david-luiz-arsenal-defender
    Players

    Three players who will thrive under Mikel Arteta

  • wolves-arsenal-premier-league-2020-2021-talking-points
    Post Match Review

    Three Talking Points from Wolves 2 – 1 Arsenal

  • Football

    Sweden withstand Japan rally to book final spot

About Author

Michael Price

View all posts

Follow us

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
© YouAreMyArsenal. All rights reserved.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
You can revoke your consent any time using the revoke consent button.