Why Arsenal need both Arteta and Flamini back for Watford

I am sorry to say, Arsenal fans, that I have mislaid my crystal ball and cannot read the tea leaves to save my life, so I can only guess at what will happen when the Gunners take on Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday evening. And although he might have a better idea of how things will pan at than I do, Arsene Wenger does not know either.

The boss can make an educated prediction on the way the game will pan out, but in football, anything can happen and often does, which is why I think that the injury update on the club captain Mikel (or Michael if you are Sir Chips Keswick) Arteta and our French midfielder Mathieu Flamini is great news.

I doubt whether either will start but I also reckon they will both be on the subs bench, even though both play in the same position of defensive midfield. Wenger must plan for what might happen and that includes an injury or a sending off for Francis Coquelin.

Depending on how the game is going, Arsenal have two very different options in Flamini and Arteta. Despite his two goal heroics in the north London derby clash with the Spuds in the League cup, Flamini is not the man to bring on if Arsenal are either chasing the game or struggling to make a breakthrough on the opposition goal. In that case the Spaniard’s passing ability and more creative mindset is what you want.

If Arsenal have the lead, though, it is Flamini you would turn to to keep that lead and offer the defence some protection. So although it is great for the Gunners to now have a player in Coquelin that can do both, it is very handy for Arsenal to have the two different styles of his back ups.

Have Arsenal now got all the answers to the DM question?