Sam Oliver
Ed’s Note – This was written after the Man City game, but not submitted to us until last week. As offerings are a little thin on the ground during international breaks, we thought we’d run it anyway. Abou Diaby was still fit at the time of writing!
“Three is a magic number” sung De La Soul in 1988; how right they were, as Arsenal's trio of Arteta, Cazorla and Diaby certainly looks nothing short of magical. Now, chuck in Tomas Rosicky, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey and Emmanuel Frimpong (we'll forget about Denilson). Oh, and I forgot Jack Wilshere, who's returning from injury very soon by all accounts. Alex who? This current first-choice three has it all; the power and presence of Abou Diaby, the tantalising, tactical know-how of Mikel Arteta and the sublime skill of our other Spaniard, Santi Cazorla. These three complement each other superbly, and they've been a joy to watch so far this season.
Although it would appear that our first three is lacking a naturally defensive player, Arteta fills that hole very well; on his arrival, he was hailed a 'downgraded Fabregas' by some members of the press. For me, he's Denilson times 1000. He plugs in any gaps in our defence with great ease, is a top-class passer of the ball, and also knows when to take a yellow for the team, which is more useful than you would at first think.
We then have Abou Diaby, who only managed two league games last season to a cruel amount of injuries. Although I often think 'like a new signing' is an odd thing to say, he really has been. His strength in the tackle and when with the ball is Yaya Toure like and he can also pick a great pass too. One criticism you could have of the ferocious Frenchmen is occasionally he hangs onto the ball too long and gives away possession in dangerous areas of the pitch (Montpellier away was a perfect example.) However, I believe that once he stamps this out of his game, and providing he stays fit, he can become a world class central midfielder, as he really does have everything you want in a player.
Last of this glorious threesome is our new signing and already fan-favourite Santi Cazorla; the little maestro is quick, has great ball-control, can play unbelievable passes and can score from long distance. The reason that Cazorla’s and Diaby's partnership higher up the pitch seems to be developing so fast is that Diaby is so strong and powerful that Cazorla's lack of physical strength isn't at all a problem. They are both great threats going forward, with Arteta happy to play deeper and fill in gaps when needed.
The two other possible midfields we could put out are Frimpong, Rosicky and Ramsey or Coquelin, Wilshere and Chamberlain (I expect Chamberlain to play in a more central position later on this season; he played there a lot of pre-season and has always been impressive when playing centrally). Talk about strength in depth! And they're all good players as well. Clubs like Liverpool have a lot of central midfielders, but those players include the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Jordan Henderson, who aren't the type of players a club aiming for the top four should have. Our midfield is the best in the league; I really do believe that, and with a world-class midfield like the one we have currently, trophies are more than possible - especially if our defence stay rock-solid, like they have been all season. Keep the faith.
