Why Mikel Arteta Injury Absence Will Hurt Arsenal and Arsene Wenger

After a rousing victory over Borussia Dortmund, Arsene Wenger should have been able to relax a little. Beating the man hailed by many as his potential successor, Jurgen Klopp, ought to have been enough to offer him a rare evening of respite.

However, things are rarely quite so simple at Arsenal. Worrying news is never too far away, and this win came at a considerable cost. Just a few questions into his valedictory press conference, Wenger was forced to address the latest two additions to the ever-expanding injury list at Arsenal.

Speaking to Arsenal.com, a sobering Wenger admitted: "The injury situation is a problem because we have many games and we lost two players tonight. The first one is Mikel Arteta who has another calf problem and that looks quite serious. We also lost Yaya Sanogo to a hamstring problem."

The loss of Sanogo is manageable. By the weekend, both Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud should be back in contention for a starting place. Sanogo would most likely have been relegated back to being third-choice centre-forward regardless.

However, the absence of Mikel Arteta is cause for real concern. His influence was obvious against Dortmund. Arsenal made a concerted effort to play with greater security, gathering men behind the ball to protect their slender advantage. Arteta was absolutely integral to that process.

While the manager deserves a measure of credit for reining in his team, it was Arteta who was issuing instructions on the pitch. 

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There was one notable incident that occurred when Arsenal were 2-0 up, and Per Mertesacker started to trot up for a set piece. Arteta quickly told him that such risk-taking was unnecessary, and Mertesacker instead stayed put.

Arteta played a captain’s role against Dortmund, organising those around him and ensuring the team did not become too cavalier. That was particularly evident in the case of his interaction with his midfield partner, Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey can be prone to bombing forward, but the Spanish skipper was constantly in his ear to keep him back in position.

The pairing of Arteta and Ramsey at the base of the Arsenal midfield was one of the key components in Arsenal’s title challenge of 2013/14. Against Dortmund, they looked like they were getting back to their efficient best. With Jack Wilshere forcibly removed from the equation, Wenger had reverted to deploying his most reliable midfield duo. 

That’s why it’s such a blow to lose Arteta. There is no obvious like-for-like replacement in the squad: Mathieu Flamini simply doesn’t offer the same degree of composure and positional awareness. Arteta plays with his head; at his worst, Flamini plays like a headless chicken.

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This is not the first calf injury Arteta has acquired this season. The regularity of his problems suggests that there is an underlying issue. The only solution may be a prolonged period of rest.

At this stage of the season, that’s a luxury that Arsenal can ill afford. The games come thick and fast: In the next 12 days, Arsenal must travel to West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Galatasaray as well as hosting high-flying Southampton. Wenger will be delighted to have beaten Dortmund, but he may be left counting the cost. He will not relish navigating this perilous period without his captain.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.