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Mikel Arteta has successfully steadied the ship at Arsenal after a worrying start to the 2021-22 season. Beginning the season with three consecutive Premier League defeats meant bad news for both the club and their young manager. Many fans came calling for Mikel Arteta's head, worried by what they saw from Arsenal.
They are currently on a 10-match unbeaten run and even though their next opponent is Liverpool, things feel positive. Arsenal brought in six players in the summer to strengthen their squad and most of them have adjusted well.
The spirit is high in the dressing room and Mikel Arteta seems to have succeeded in inculcating a strong culture and winning mentality in the team. The Gunners have been in transition for quite some time and seem to have put their faith in the Spaniard for the long-term.
Mikel Arteta would have beeen grateful if some Arsenal legends played under him
But the squad is still very much a work in progress, with many young players in the Arsenal team yet to reach their full potential. Over the years, the north London club have had some absolutely crucial figures who have inspired the coming generation of Gunners. These are players who would walk into the current squad without a shadow of doubt and solve major issues.
On that note, here are the five former Arsenal players Mikel Arteta would have loved in his squad:
#5 Lee Dixon
Arsenal have secured a right-back who gets his basics right while defending and is not one to compromise on the attacking aspect of the game in Takehiro Tomiyasu. It might seem harsh but he is a big upgrade over Hector Bellerin, who is on loan at Real Betis.
But Mikel Arteta lacks a clear back-up for Tomiyasu and Lee Dixon would have been a dream to have in this team. The Arsenal legend is the fourth-most capped Gunners player in history. His presence would mean pinpoint deliveries arriving in the box every now and then, something that does not happen a lot from Arsenal's current right-backs.
Dixon's positional sense was always on point and rarely saw him trailing wingers on the flanks because he was too consumed with attacking. In his 619 appearances, he showed pragmatism and solidity and was a fierce competitor. The former right-back was very productive while attacking as well, linking up with the midfielders and Freddie Ljunberg to great effect.
Arsenal are short on quality right-backs right now and Dixon would ease the pressure on Mikel Arteta if the crisis were to arrive in his position.
#4 Tony Adams
When Arsenal signed Ben White for £50 million, it felt like they had overpaid by some margin, but in the end it seems like that has been good investment. The forging partnership between Gabriel Magalhaes and White seems to have answered Arsenal's long, unaddressed question of a shaky defense.
But Mikel Arteta knows fully well that he needs the pair protected for the better part of the season. Otherwise things will fall apart. Who better to walk into that dressing room than Mr. Arsenal, Tony Adams himself. He needs no introduction, and quite rightly, little reason to be a dream man for any Arsenal manager.
The back-up options right now aren't good enough to play in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta is looking to sell Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari has been below par. What Adams will do for the Arsenal side then is keep the spirit and morale brimming in a young squad and help Mikel Arteta make leaders for the future.
The "Professor of defense" will help inculcate instinctiveness in the rearguard and keep them disciplined at all times, calling offsides in his own iconic fashion. The fast reading of the game, his immaculate timing of tackles, physicality and above all, mental strength would have offered a real winning character to Mikel Arteta's side.
#3 Freddie Ljungberg
Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal fans must have been tired of waiting for their £72 million signing, Nicolas Pepe, to come good. Consistency has eluded Pepe every now and then and his tricks and skills in the final third haven't yielded a final product.
So to tackle this all-important position of the right-winger, Freddie Ljungberg, would have been a superb addition to Mikel Arteta's squad. Unlike the Ivorian, the Swede was direct, fast and urgent with his movement and decision making. He did not require too much time on the ball and that was one of the major reasons for his success.
Pepe is yet to learn the art of popping up in spaces and his positional awareness is questionable. Mikel Arteta has been desperate to ease the burden from his strikers and Ljungberg would be the perfect answer.
Clinical finishing, a knack for finding the decisive pass and no unnecessary showboating is exactly what the Arsenal faithful want to see from their right-winger. He could also play behind the striker, something he could teach current No.8 Martin Odegaard and Arsenal's most potent source of creativity, Emile Smith Rowe.
Mikel Arteta has employed Pepe on both wings to see if he will click more on one side than the other. The results have been the same, inconsistency is his biggest vice. Ljungberg took Robert Pires' position when the Frenchman was injured and produced as prolifically as he did in his natural position. The Swede's impact will be visible in this Arsenal side from the word go, if he were still around.
#2 Thierry Henry
Arsenal have their two main strikers, Lacazette and Aubameyang in their 30s, and Mikel Arteta is looking to secure that position for the future. Arsenal will soon be in the market searching for a hitman who guarantees regular goals for their side. Young players like Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli and Florian Balogun all need to be nurtured so that they can become Arsenal's long-term future.
Amidst all this, if a prime Thierry Henry were to walk through the training grounds to Mikel Arteta, he would not think before asking him to start the next game. Arsenal need goals and the Frenchman is a harbringer of goals. In abundance, if i may add. But there was more to Henry's game than just racking up goals.
His ability to take away the defenders along with him, to help Robert Pires and Ljungberg slide into the empty pocket, unmarked, was crucial to Arsenal's success. His presence would help wingers on either side get more space and time on the ball.
Mikel Arteta is well aware that he will have to tap into the raw potential of Martinelli and Balogun. Henry's presence would have been a blessing for these young lads who would get to learn from the very best.
#1 Gilberto Silva
It has been a long time since Arsenal had a reliable defensive midfielder to protect their defense. Granit Xhaka has been a nuisance and error-prone very often and his reckless nature has been dangerous to Arsenal. Thomas Partey is Arsenal's most reliable defensive midfielder right now, but since joining he's been injured quite often.
If Mikel Arteta had Gilberto Silva in his team, half his troubles regarding the defensive side of the game would vanish. The Brazilian was a no-nonsense player who hardly ever had a lapse in judgment. The Arsenal back-line felt the most secure with him ahead of them.
A great reader of the game, always present in the right place, at the right time, Silva handled everything on field with a great sense of calm. The modern game requires attacking and creative players to do their fair share of defensive duties as well. With Arsenal's former combative midfielder, much of the burden will go off the shoulders of the likes of Saka, Smith Rowe and Odegaard.
Mikel Arteta knows his side have had tense moments so far this season. They have grinded out results showing great mentality, but in all fairness they have been nervous.
Gilberto Silva walks into this team without breaking a sweat and makes them so much better. He also contributed with the odd goal with a run-in from the deep! Safe to say, the midfield pivot of Thomas Partey and Gilberto Silva would have been Mikel Arteta's dream.
