Mathieu Flamini says he’s enjoying himself in his second spell at Arsenal, and that he learned a lot from his spell in Italy.
The Frenchman has played a huge part in the Gunners recent form and he put in another blinding performance against Napoli last night.
If there were reservations over the opportunistic nature of his free signing in the summer, they’ve surely been put to bed by the quality of his displays.
“It is going well for me on and off the pitch,” he told UEFA.com. “We are doing well, so I’m delighted. We knew that Napoli are a good team who are doing well in the league with excellent players. But we had an excellent match and managed to score those two goals.”
And on what his spell in Serie A meant for him.
“In Italy the football is different, more closed tactically, whereas here it is more open, plus we have a very good team. I play defensive midfield here and have to protect the defence and it is going well. I wanted to play in a different championship and play with great players such as Maldini and other European and world champions.
“I won the league there but then I came back to my old team and I’m happy with that.”
He also managed to get through last night’s game without a booking.
Allez Mathieu!
Better than any of those signings the spuds made and best of all… Free! Great to have to you back Mathieu!
He’s been brilliant. And he just doesn’t shut up on the pitch – my mate and I watched him for a few minutes last night and he spent the entire time running around the midfield pointing and yelling. At one point we weren’t even sure he was talking to anyone.
In the match against Swansea,second half,whenever Clattenberg blew for a foul on Arsenal,he would automatically raise his hand towards flamini and stop him,even if he was miles away. He just wouldn’t shut up,kept yapping in the ref’s year all night long!
all is forgiven?
What was to forgive, he honoured his contract with us
This is the crucial thing with me. Flamini has never been a traitor in my eyes, he didn’t run his contract down, he fulfilled it. That’s something Flamini always does, he’s free to do so. He’s no bullshit, plays his contracts like his football. If your mate was talking about the same thing with a job wouldn’t you suggest and respect the same thing Flamini has done? We’re frustrated as fans because it feels like he wasn’t loyal to the cause – the whole Arsenal project. Fans can take that view, but should players? I don’t know. There’s a big… Read more »
I must say I was in your camp when we resigned him but and its a BIG but I was wrong and he is a bit good isn’t he! 🙂
Glad to have you back “Gattuso”!! Fucking beast! COYG! Next up West Brom…
Flattuso!!
The Arsenal guard dog!
So glad he’s gonna be protecting our back four for the next few years.
touch Jack’s ankles again, I double dare you
“another blinding performance” – Blogs 2013
read that in a samuel l jackson voice, pulp fiction style lol, say what again!
Hi Mathieu, i won’t be presumptuous and pompous by saying this represent the views of all fans but at least for me the feeling is mutual 🙂
This is why I bought a Flamini shirt instead of Ozil.
If you want thumbs up you should have bought both
He was fuckin awesome again last night. Pointing, directing, disrupting and smashing into Napoli at every opportunity.
It’s that type of commitment that gets the crowd going as much as the nicer stuff.
The ground last night was buzzing like an Ann Summers party in a convent.
Has any player in the history of football been so lauded for pointing? Has anyone ever pointed like Mathieu?
He is the Pointmeister.
Pointeur de maître
The flame has returned and is burning brighter than ever!
People still doubt, but Wenger truly does know.
When Le Prof said its a no brainer some mob with no brain still doubt him. Pls Arsene, what about giving Sagna the much needed contract he truly deserves. I will rather be in the trenches with him but Van pursie. Indeed Arsene knows best,
If you are not an arsenal fan ths time around you certainly not a football fan. May be you can pitch tent with those that play Rugby at stan… Bridge. In Arsene and Arsenal Wε̲̣̣̣̥ believe. Welcome Flamini.
Barthez: Angry bald Frenchman
Evra: Angry black Frenchman
Vieira: Tall angry black Frenchman
Flamini: Short balding angry Frenchman
Angry Frenchman, depending on whether they’re in your team or not, are the best/worst. So glad we’ve got another one, finally.
Silvestre – Sad bald frenchman!
William Gallas – Sloppy French vagina?
why did you feel the need to mention when they’re black? Surely they’re Frenchmen, just the same?
Because they are neither balding or bald, and a second adjective was required. Preferably, one that rhymed with bald/balding. PS, I’m Nigerian.
Stop raace baiting.
*race- must drink more coffee.
Many doubted his return, but it already shows this was the sort of player we’ve been missing al these years.
I think Its less we missed that kind of player, than we forgot he really is that good.
Glad to have him back! Watching him yesterday was a joy, and I was laughing every couple of minutes when I saw him making tackles Napoli players didn’t expect, and even making a clean tackle that still looked as if it might take someone’s foot off.
How we’ve missed someone like him.
We were angry with him because of the manner in which he left us. But seriously, the way to prove that he deserves the Arsenal shirt again is not only by having some good performances, but by showing a great attitude. And by doing that I think he deserves the respect and backing of the fans, which he now gets!
He’s French he’s free he,LL break your fuckin knee flamini
Oh so much this.
Best of all is I think he’d like it.
Double *like*
Been in Brazil for the past month, so I hadn’t heard it yet!
Catchy, but the irony just kills me when we bay for Shawc*nt’s blood, then sing about the flame snapping knees. Can we please NOT use this, and come up with something classier?
And so are we
happy times
come on guys! flamini needs his own song!
He has one.
“He’s French,
He’s free,
He’ll break your fucking knee!”
Barca pay us 15 million for song and we get flamini for Fuck all.
It feels like cheating.
Flamin’ excellent.
I have to say I was very impressed with Sagna last night as well. What a difference it makes if he has someone near him on the sideline who is technically better than Theo and not hiding behind defenders like Theo quite often does.
Gonna get couple of thumb downs for this probably 🙂
Last season we were cheering him to “Sign Da ting”, this season after “not so impressive” start, we are bashing him again?So Fickle!
I’m 100% behind him. I think what he offers with his pace and attacking runs behind the defense is priceless and extremely important to our game. Especially when facing weaker sides or in home games when the opponents park the bus after they get mesmerized by our passing during the opening five minutes.
The goals are a coming. Trust me (and Wenger).
The great thing about Theo is his determination to improve himself, a few seasons back his finishing wasn’t that great so he started staying behind after training and worked on it. Last season he was our top scorer despite being benched for a number of games at the start of the season. You won’t find that with the majority of players these days so he deserves our respect. Ramsey is a lesson for all of us that our players need our support regardless of their form, as long as the efforts there they deserve our support because every single member… Read more »
The one that was lost but is found again. Well, I was hoping that Cesc would be the one, but then it turns out to be even better. I guess a lot of ex-Arsenal players (and their agents) thought that grass is always greener, but there is no place like ‘home’ I guess. I am placing my bet now that Flamini will be called up by France once again in the coming summer.
I think he and others prove what Arsene Wenger was trying to say all along. Spending money should not be the objective, but bringing in the right players with the right attitude and skill is. Doesnt always work as we have seen with Nasri, Adebayor, Bendtner and others. Some cost us nothing, some alot and some very little. But display the right attitude you will eventually succeed.
The best bargain of Premier League history, after Campbell of course.
Not that it matters but Sol’s wages were high. Flamini is da bargain.
When he left before, I recall a lot of complaints that we weren’t getting new contracts sorted quickly or emphatically enough for our important players and that by not doing so we were losing important members of the squad (Sagna, anyone?). Cue a raft of improved contracts to young players to avoid losing them as we had Flamini. But then a lot of them never fulfilled the promise they had, and in some instances we’re, even now, still playing the price for being so quick to secure the services for these, relatively untested, players. It’s quite tough to get these… Read more »
we all sat here and mourned about how Wenger saw the clause in the weird haired guys contract expired and how Gustavo ended up at Wolfsburg. l guess all long he knew in flamini he had something even better.
It was great to see Flamini and Arteta working well together last night. I can see this being a very important partnership for us this season.
Lol @ Flamini “In charge of waiters at bunga bunga parties.” Now can see why the way he talks on the pitch.
A genuine Hard Man… they don’t make many of them anymore…
Brilliant performance from the man!
I loved his energy when he first played for arsenal and often wonder would it of being drifferent result if he was’ent dropped for cashley cole for champions league final after being brilliant at left back, he’s even better now and is like a pit bull around the field, he keeps everyone alert with his shouting and could be one of the signings of the season and for free
Loving the way that he applies himself on the pitch. 100% commitment and hard running, tackling, encouraging, directing. Also the nostalgia from having in the team adds to the awesome feeling i get when i see Flamini shielding the back four. And he’s just a cog in an already impressive team that has some serious top top quality and every position and in the case of the midfield, on the bench as well. Everyone playing with commitment and hunger along with said quality just makes it a perfect combination for a football team. Right balance of youth and experience and… Read more »
My Player of the months…who to pick?? Gattuso-FLAMINI or Can’t stop Running- RAMSEY.
Gorgeous giroud. Acknowledged for his beauty but less so for sheer hard work, defensive duties and link up play. He is so impt!
FIFA 2014 needs a new stat to fairly distinguish Flamini from a wealth of other players with better speed, dribbling and shot accuracy: ANGER.
His aggression is rated 89 on FIFA 14. Beast.
89? What does he have to do for the other 10 points, actually kill someone?
i just keep picturing him dressed as Napoleon,pining for us the whole time he was stuck on elba. Last night may have made me romanticize a few things. C’est la vie.
There is no one to tackle with a two-footed “reducer” on this God-forsaken island.
I MUST MARCH ON ISLINGTON, THE PEOPLE WILL CARRY ME ON THEIR SHOULDERS!
Bloody hell, you lot don’t half have bad memories. Everyone was pretty gutted when he didn’t sign last time. We alll knew he was cracking player before he left and could really put himself about, what he did in that run in the Champions League was amazing. Everyone was moaning when he left, so we should all have been happy when he came back, I mean he wasn’t going to turn shit over night was he? Yeah yeah before you say it, I know…it was the part where he didn’t cost any money that made us made us forget, right?
No, it was how shit he looked for Milan which meant they couldn’t be bothered to renew his contract again…
Er, I think you’ll find it was Flamini who turned down Milan
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11863/8805246/transfer-news-mathieu-flamini-turns-down-offer-of-new-deal-from-ac-milan
As the trumpeter said,
wanh, wanh, wanh, wawawawawhaaaaaaaaaaan.
indeed hurm, indeed. We now have a generation who would refuse a bargain because it would make them look cheap,innit?
Aint hearing Sagna’s song…
Lad did a good job of fending off Insigne last night…
Still waiting for the meaning of COYG and HFB
COYG = Come On You Gunners/Gooners
HFB = Handsome French Bloke (Oliver Giroud)
Flamini is just as important as Ozil in my opinion. Both have raised the overall level of this team, which was already very good, to what is now top top quality. Each brings something that was missing to the team. May they both remain healthy!