Mikel Arteta has served Arsenal well since signing for
Arsenal in Arsene Wenger’s trolley dash on transfer deadline day in 2011. Signed as a
replacement to Cesc Fabregas, Arteta was eventually moved further back in
midfield after the acquisition of Santi Cazorla and the sale of Alex Song in
the summer of 2012.
The Double Pivot
That season, Arsenal tweaked their midfield slightly,
switching from a more orthodox 4-1-2-3 with a defensive anchorman in midfield
to a 4-2-1-3 with a double pivot, removing defensive responsibilities from the
primary playmaker (in 2012, that was Santi Cazorla).
What is a double pivot? Two deep-lying midfielders to defend when not in possession and to start attacks when in possession. Generally, there is one more defensive minded player and one more box-to-box, technically gifted player. An Arsenal example would be the Gilberto/Vieira partnership. Modern examples are the Martinez/Schweinsteiger or the Alonso/Khedira partnership.
While the change proved relatively successful going forward,
with Arsenal having a lot of possession, the team often lacked
penetration and – more worryingly – were getting caught on the break too often
for Arsene Wenger’s liking. With Mikel Arteta playing alongside Jack
Wilshere, both of Arsenal’s pivots were natural attacking players playing in
more defensive positions. It came as no surprise then that Arsenal improved
when Aaron Ramsey returned to fitness and cemented his place in the team.
Aaron, unlike Jack, has experience as a defensive midfielder, having played
that role during his time at Cardiff City.
Arteta on His Own
Last season was a breakthrough season for Aaron Ramsey. High
on confidence and with the creativity of Mesut Ozil in front of him, he found
himself instrumental in Arsenal’s attacking movement. So much so that he frequently found himself at the heart of attacks rather than starting them. The result was that Arteta
was forced even deeper in midfield. Arteta
could no longer rely on Ramsey to play the pivot role with him. As a single
pivot, Arteta would be required to not just start attacks but also have the
defensive ability to protect the back four on his own. This proved a very
difficult job for Arteta as he does not have the defensive intelligence to play
that role.
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| From FA Cup Final: When defending Ramsey sits alongside Arteta, much like you'd expect from a a double pivot. |
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| However, as soon as Arsenal regain possession, the CAM (Cazorla) drops deep to pick up possession while Ramsey begins moving further forward. The amount of running required to do this regularly throughout a game is incredible and a testament to the great engine of the Welshman. |
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| Another example of how far forward Ramsey plays when Arsenal are in possession of the ball. |
The Single Pivot
And that’s what has brought us here. The final piece of what
has been a great summer of transfer activity. Replacing Arteta, some will have
you believe, is the key to improving our record against our rivals. Arsenal will
be looking for a defensive midfielder with the ability to pass the ball forward
rather than a passer with defensive ability (like Arteta). Certainly, some of
the midfielders we’ve been linked to this summer have met the description
(Bender, Carvalho, Schneiderlin).
Sami Khedira
While Arsene did recently state that we were “never close to
signing” Sami Khedira, I doubt we were never interested; his acquisition would
have made sense. Arsene would have reverted him to the defensive midfielder he
was earlier in his career while having world class cover for Aaron Ramsey. My
best guess is that an injury to Ramsey would have resulted in us playing a
midfield three of Ozil, Khedira and Chambers. However, it’s a moot point as the
German’s wage demands was too big a stumbling block.
What Now
I have no idea who we are going to get but the player will be a more orthodox defensive midfielder than Arteta is, that seems clear. With one year left on his contract with little transfer value, Arsenal will have no problems keeping Arteta in the squad unless we begin to have issues in regards to the 25-man squad rule. The player we sign to play this single pivot role may just be the difference between a fight for a Champions League spot and a race for the title.
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