Mathieu Flamini is having a hyper roller coaster season after returning to Arsenal from AC Milan. His braveness in the pitch and his ability to road block opponents in the middle earned him praise from all set of fans and pundits. But is he that good in that defensive midfield as many claim to be?
In my opinion, No. He is indeed a decent utility player to have in any squad, but nothing more than that. Now, lets have a microscopic look at the reasons why Wenger should stop starting Flamini in the middle,
1. No Creativity, No Vision
Creativity and passing are the soul of this football club. Even if your a defender, you need to have the ability to pass/create to have a successful career at Arsenal FC a.k.a “the home of beautiful football.” Flamini was a decent creator during his previous spell with Arsenal. But now, even Koscielny and Mertesacker passes the ball better and accurately than the French enforcer. Winning the ball alone does not mean that the team will win the midfield battle. Ability to retain the ball also matters. Look at other midfield enforcers like Sergio Busquets, Yaya Toure and Pogba, they can multi-task in both defending and creativity departments. Arsenal need such players. They need “the next Vieira.“
Flamini’s stats ( against Manchester United),
2. Arteta’s Rise
Even though, Arteta is not that good defensively as the above mentioned players (Busquets, Toure and Pogba), he has improved his defensive abilities. Adding to that, he always keep things ticking in the middle and rarely misplace any pass or lose possession. Even with Flamini playing, in many occasion, it was the Spaniard who gave protection to the central defenders. Against Dortmund, Arteta had one of his best games as a defensive play maker. Even at Old Trafford, he played decent.
Wenger knows this and that’s why he still plays him in the middle along with Flamini. But, there is no need to play two defensive players in the pivot with so many creative super stars available to play in the squad.
I feel Arsenal will play better if they deploy this trio in the middle – Arteta, Ramsey and Jack Wilshere. When Theo Walcott comes back, Ozil should return to his favorite no 10 position pushing Wilshere to a bench role.
Flamini can still play a key role in this Arsenal team. He can come in as a sub to protect leads and start against high physical sides like Stoke City or Chelsea.
Anyway this is just my opinion and if you have yours, post it below in the comment section,