Monday, 29th October, 2012
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has paid tribute to the impact Mikel Arteta has had this season, with the Spaniard growing to become a key player in the Gunners team.
Arteta was snapped up last summer from Everton in what appeared at the time a departure from Wenger’s traditional preference for young talents. The midfielder was 29 years old and a proven Premier League performer when he landed at the Emirates Stadium.
Wenger well appreciates the Spaniard’s importance and has spoken about him in glowing terms, with his winning goal at the weekend over QPR still fresh in the Frenchman’s memory.
"Since the beginning of the season Mikel has been absolutely outstanding", Wenger told his club’s official site.
"He does a fantastic job, he is highly focused and I am very happy for him that he gets the rewards."
The Arsenal boss also stressed how the midfielder’s experience has helped, with the real danger of losing three games in a row being averted.
relatedNewsStory"If you lose three games in a row, you are in a crisis of confidence. Therefore it was important to stop that [against QPR]. Good teams go through some bad results, but reduce the time of the cycles and that is what we did here.
"You rely on experience [in these times] because those players can deal better with the pressure and have gone through it before. That helps us to focus on what is important."
Arsenal are next in action tomorrow, when they travel to Reading for a League Cup clash.
Wenger is sure to want his team to keep up their winning momentum, but will have to balance that with handing chances to young talents.
