Since joining our club from Everton in 2011, Mikel Arteta has established himself as an important part of our team and at times the true midfield leader that we need. In his first year at our club, he played behind the striker with an attacking minded role but after the departure of Alex Song the season after that, who joined Barcelona, he was asked  to drop deeper in the midfield and to play as the defensive midfielder in pivotal role with another midfielder who mostly played the box-to-box role unlike the defensive one that Arteta plays in.