Mathieu Flamini: A Born Winner

We'd just settled into our seats for the first game of the season at the Emirates against Fulham when it happened.

Eagerly anticipating Arsenal's rise back to the summit of English football, I listened out for the team, fully prepared for the fact I would not going to hear Thierry Henry's name.

But I was not ready to hear that Mathieu Flamini would start the game.

I am ashamed to admit it now, but at the time my overriding thought was, "Oh, bollocks."

This thought was not due to the fact that he had played badly for Arsenal in the past.  Rather, to me, Flamini did not represent an important cog in the enormous wheel you need to work exceptionally well if you are to challenge for the Premier League title.

I think it's safe to say I've been proved wrong.

Indeed, Flamini has become the quintessential defensive midfielder, and his emergence this season has been incredibly impressive.  It is now hard to imagine the team operating without such a hard working, energetic player who never gives up.

There are many players who have these qualities yet do not actually have all that much talent.  Flamini does not only play with a wonderful attitude, but also with immense skill.

This came to the fore in the recent match against AC Milan.  His tackling was absolutely sensational, and he cleanly took the ball from the Milan players on many occasions.

But it is not just his enthusiastic and sublime talent which have endeared him to Arsenal fans.  No; it's also his attitude toward the game.

In the aftermath of our lackluster 0-0 draw with Wigan at the weekend, there was a lot of the talk about the pitch.

I agree completely with what has been said about the horrendous state of the pitch.  I agree, too, that in the future there should be some sort of penalty for teams who purposely ruin their turf in order to prevent better teams from passing the ball.

However, the fact of the matter is that the team drew against a side threatened by relegation.  Mathieu had this to say:

"The pitch was horrible, but it was the same for both teams.  Of course we like to play and we had to play more long balls, so it was more difficult for us.

"But you cannot moan.  You just have to score goals and we didn't, so now we have to work harder in training and be ready for Middlesbrough on Saturday.

"When you want to win the title you have to be ready to fight."

It is very easy for players who are not used to dropping points to make excuses and divert attention from the fact that their team is not playing well.

I do not believe this is the way to improve things, and Flamini has the attitude of a winner.  Rather than blame factors beyond Arsenal's control, the result has simply spurred him on to get the side working harder and preparing for the next match.

In an era in which footballers are being consistently criticized for a perceived lack of passion for winning and for their clubs, it is incredibly refreshing to see such a fired-up attitude.

Arsenal might not have signed many players last summer.  But with Flamini's emergence this season as perhaps one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, it sure does feel like Wenger has brought in a 20m rated individual despite Mathieu having been at the club since 2004.