Despite his progressing years, Mikel Arteta has supposedly retained his FIFA 14 rating of 82 in EA Sports next game. Arsenals vice-captain may now be 32-years-old and have become progressively slower over the past few seasons but his performances for the Gunners last year justify his rating staying the same. His pace is already rated at a lowly 55 (55 acceleration, 55 sprint speed) so its hard to justify this being lowered any further, as slow as the Spaniard may be. Arteta has been the cornerstone of the Arsenal side since making the move to north London from Everton in 2011. He may not play with the flair and style of some of his teammates but Artetas contribution to the side cannot be understated, controlling the pace of the game from his deep midfield (or pivot) position. His loss of speed hasnt affected Artetas ability to use his mastery of passing and distribution to dictate the way in which his side operates. A solid season for Arsenal was made even better when Arteta captained Arsenal against his former club, Everton, in the FA Cup quarter-final. He was given the unenviable task of retaking a penalty when Giroud ruled his first effort void, but was still able to steady his nerves to score and continue Arsenals cup run which would ultimately end their trophy draught.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
