Flamini

Time to give The Little Corporal his own thread...

Mathieu Flamini has expressed his delight at rejoining Arsenal after five years away, and admits that playing in Sunday’s north London derby victory was like returning home.

The 29-year-old spent the summer training with the Gunners following his release from AC Milan, eventually signing a contract with the club where he previously enjoyed four successful seasons.

The Frenchman was signed in time to make a substitute appearance in the 1-0 win over Tottenham, and says he has found it easy to slot back into life at the Emirates Stadium.

33/1 Arsenal are 33/1 with William Hill to win the Champions League

“I really have the sensation of being back home. Playing against Tottenham in a big derby, it was a great emotion, a great feeling,” he told the club's official website.

“Playing against Tottenham is never easy but it is special for the club, for the fans and for the players.

"Of course, for me it was my first game and I wanted to show everyone how committed I am to this club, how I am ready to give everything on the pitch. I hope everyone saw it; I really did my best when I came on.

“I have heard it a lot [that it is like I have never been away]. I feel like I never left.

"There are players I played with before, and even staff, there are a lot of people still here that I knew before and the [relationship] with the fans was just amazing. I just want to thank everyone for the nice atmosphere on Sunday. It was great.”

Flamini was Arsene Wenger’s second summer signing following fellow free transfer Yaya Sanogo’s arrival at the club, but has since been joined by on-loan goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano and £40 million man Mesut Ozil.

The midfielder has been impressed with the quality of his team-mates, and believes they have everything in place to enjoy a successful season.

“The quality is very high in this team and at this club,” he continued. “That is the most important thing, to have players of quality because that makes a difference.

“The team spirit is also very good, and we saw on Sunday that everyone was helping each other on the pitch. That makes a difference in the big games.”

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2013/09/05/4240593/flamini-delighted-to-be-back-home-at-arsenal

I love this boy and I was gutted when he left.

I've said it in other threads but I think he will be as important for us as Ozil will be, but for different reasons.

The team has been crying out for someone like Flamini and he will get plenty of game time, I think both Flamini and Ramsey in form are so dynamic and work so hard that they could be one hell of a partnership at the base of the midfield.

As I said in the other thread, the better two out of Flamini, Arteta, and Ramsey along with Santiago "The Magic" Cazorla is our best midfield three right now. He will have a very big season. Besides, he may/will slot in at full back this season especially with Sagna playing CB so often.

Theo Walcott has welcomed the authority Mathieu Flamini has brought to the Arsenal squad.

The French midfielder re-signed in August, having previously spent four years with the Club between 2004 and 2008.

Walcott is impressed with the way his team-mates have stuck together in recent months and believes an upturn in communication goes hand in hand with Arsenal's fine form.

"I think everyone is talking and everyone is communicating and that's helped," he said.

"The likes of Mathieu coming in, he's a leader and you saw him bossing people around, that's what we need.

"It showed from last season how we wanted to be in the Champions League and I think we are pushing on now.

"When you go to one of the toughest places in Europe and win [at Bayern Munich] you've got to think you are a very good team.

"At times I think we didn't believe in ourselves and I think it showed that towards the end of the season we knew we wanted to be in the Champions League, we want more games like that and that's why everyone's working hard for each other and we will continue to do that on a high level.

"We haven't got the biggest squad in the world and we've got a lot of injuries which doesn't help but the players that are playing are contributing bodes well.

"It's important that we stay focused and stay fit which is very crucial as well because we don't want to lose any more players, but as soon as the players come back there's going to be competition for places. That should be a good thing for Arsenal and I think we will definitely challenge this year."

The form of Aaron Ramsey has helped Arsène Wenger's team to six consecutive wins. Walcott says he is "honoured" to play alongside the Welsh midfielder and is glad to see him excelling.

"He had one of the worst injuries in football and he's had a hard pre-season," Walcott said. "He's worked very hard and it's definitely paying off now. He's enjoying his football and he's difficult to get off the pitch.

"He loves getting on the ball and he's added something different to his game now with his goals. People used to criticise that part of his game but I see him in training every day, he's a totally different player and he's like a new signing. It's an absolute honour to play with him at the moment.

"I think you can see there's a lot of players are having fantastic starts to the season like Aaron Ramsey who has been incredible to play with. It just shows because everyone believes in each other and the trust is there and that's all we need."

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/walcott-we-needed-bossing-around?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arsenal-news+%28News+Feed%29

Here here, finally some talking and leadership and competition for places! Very happy.

When we get Arteta and Diaby (lol) back fit there is so much room to rotate and competition for places at the base of the midfield.

We have argurably the best midfield
in the league this season.
So mobile,so fit,so hungry.
Chelsea = too attacking
Spuds = too new
Citeh = too Yaya-dependant
Manyoo = too Carrick-dependant

Probably Liverpool is the closest
comparison.

Felaini really could help United's midfield.

We used to be so reliant on Arteta, and struggled when he was injured. I suspected Flamini would be an excellent signing, but didn't think he would challenge Arteta to be first chosen. His performances have been great, and think it will be a tough choice for Wenger over the season.

I think Flamini will play plenty of games this season. Wenger tried playing 3 technical midfielders in the same midfield together last season and many a times we were ironically caught in possession trying to play too many decisive passes in our own half. Not to forget Flamini is the only instinctive defensive midfielder we have, as evidenced by Ramsey's new found freedom to move forward and get into the box more. For max number of games, we'll probably see Flamini start alongside Ramsey/Arteta/Diaby(lol)/Wilshere. In summary, Flamini won't be playing only if he's injured/needs to be rested.

Arsenal midfielder Matthieu Flamini is as important to the side as record-breaking £42m signing Mesut Özil

He did not cost £42 million, he cannot change a game with an ingenious flick of the boot and there will never be crowds gathered outside the Emirates Stadium to pose in their Arsenal shirts with his name on the back.

By Alan Smith.

Nevertheless, Mathieu Flamini is just as valuable to his team right now as Mesut Özil, the superstar signing who has generated so much excitement in London N5.

Yes, Özil had a hand in all three goals against Stoke City with his accurate corner and free-kick deliveries. It is so easy to admire a talent like that, even though there is much more to come from the little German.

But football is about balance and contrasts, about doing the dirty work as well as taking the glory. In this regard, Flamini is perfectly suited, just as he was perfectly suited to this hard-fought contest that never quite found a pattern or shape.

You could see it from his body language – the Frenchman is loving the specific role assigned to him just now, the one that requires him to sit stoically in front of the back four, to put in a foot or two, to block off a runner, to generally act as a human shield.

Flamini is a sleeves-rolled-up type of scuffler, the sort who never stops running or indeed talking. His ability to organise, in fact, comes as a welcome addition to a team that hasn’t always been vocal enough in the past. It could be far too quiet when things needed to be said.

And even though this was only Flamini’s third start since returning to the club after a five-year stint at AC  Milan, he felt confident enough to put a few in their place.

Arsenal's defence, in turn, looked all the healthier for it. With Flamini in the side, they did not face the ugly scenario whereby a huge gap opened up in front of the defence to allow an opponent or two to run at them unchecked. That happened far too regularly in the past when a midfield combination of, say, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey would all get caught ahead of the ball at the same time.

Flamini, it must be said, is not in the same league as those aforementioned players in terms of talent. He is, in reality, a limited footballer who quite often looked out of his depth in the Milan side. But the balance was different there. Perhaps the midfielder felt he had to do more than solely put out fires 30 yards from goal.

That was not the case here. The 29-year-old was in no doubt of the job expected, and it didn’t involve trying to be clever in the attacking third. Quite rightly, he was happy to let those far more qualified think up ways to confound the visiting defence.

On the negative side, Flamini can be a bit of a hothead. He was actually quite fortunate not to get sent off for a two-footed lunge shortly after coming off the bench in his first outing against Tottenham. An excitable attitude gets the better of him sometimes. But you can forgive him for that when he puts in a shift like he did on Sunday. Commentating for Sky, I nominated him man-of-the-match because he had made Arsenal so much more solid from a defensive standpoint.

So often, he would be the one to halt an attack, whether it was through a tackle or positional sense. Dropping back in front of his centre-half, Flamini would cut out a cross before it could do any damage (see graphic). A natural nose for danger helped his side no end.

He will not play every game this season. Some occasions, as I said, are better suited than others and this one had his name written all over it. Mikel Arteta’s return from injury now gives Wenger a less physical but more thoughtful option at the base of midfield.

Even so, it was a great piece of business snapping up a free transfer who, having been released by Milan, had only returned to Arsenal to keep fit. But when Wenger saw the level of his fitness and the accompanying motivation, it made perfect sense to sign him up.

The Telegraph

I was at the game versus Stoke yestarday and you can see he is a proper leader. Not only during the actual game but also before the kick off, other players were standing waiting for the whistle yet he was pacing up and down and giving orders to a couple people then pacing more like a caged animal. I loved it.

If only he didn't leave for AC Milan we'd have had a proper defensive midfielder the last few seasons and he'd arguably be the captain now.

if this is true then im all smiles

http://inagist.com/all/382152409713098752/

deep.gurung wrote:if this is true then im all smiles

http://inagist.com/all/382152409713098752/

Wouldn't mind if he gets a one game ban or whatever punishment for that. We need players like that.

I don't think there will be a ban attached I tried to find a video for it earlier online but couldn't, I missed it on tele. Probably not the wisest choice of words but I agree with the sentiment, I said this before but I bloody love Flamini and think he will be a massive player for us over the next three years.

Not only his defensive aspect, but his passing range if pretty good if not as great as other creative midfielders. What's differences him from other CDMs is, he plays the right ball everytime in space, hence not delaying our potential attacks.

Personally, I don't think his passing is anything special. But I don't care :-)

He doesn't need to pass much. Just win the ball.

Also, hahaha the balls on him to say that to the Stoke players.

His passing has been better than I expected. Moves it quick and accurately.

Yeah, nothing fanciful about his passes. Just plays the simple and right passes. And does it accurately too. More than sufficient from a defensive midfielder.

deep.gurung wrote:if this is true then im all smiles

http://inagist.com/all/382152409713098752/

hahaha,,,...I owe him a pint for that...

Anyone else slightly surprised he didn't get a mention regarding the French squad?

Sparkling form combined with a lot more exposure playing back in England I thought might have given him a chance, maybe later in the year?

what do you guys think about Flamini's actions ? i know its the daily mail Anti- arsenal brigade .http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2514132/Mathieu-Flamini-cut-Arsenal-sleeves-Arsene-Wenger-unhappy.html

In all honesty he shouldnt be doing that. Its a childish move, sure hes passionate on the pitch and gives 110% but this is a bit of disrespect towards the club. Its a bit of a self centred move. Sure players have cut holes for their thumbs in their sleeves but this is over the top. Plus he was warned last week and hes gone and done it again. Hopefully it doesnt disrupt the locker room chemistry.

Agree with Marko. He shouldn't do it if the tradition goes against it. He can easily roll up his sleeves after kick-off instead and it wouldn't cause such a fuss. According to BBC Sport he said he won't do it again though so can't see there being a big problem. Mountain out of a molehill etc

He was one of our better performers yesterday, but i'd still prefer Arteta over him. It's amazing how the Spaniard does his defensive duties ever so well and contributes from the back in the build up of our play with his amazing passing.

I have been a big fan of Arteta.

But I think that while you lose a little bit in passing by having Flamini, we are better with Flamini overall due to his increased grit, bite, reading of play and guiding other players.