With the busy festive season starting Mikel Arteta's men are facing an energy crisis after a difficult stretch of the schedule

Alex Song has never been short of self-belief, but the former Arsenal midfielder has ignited fresh debate after boldly declaring that he would start for Mikel Arteta’s current side ahead of stars Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi.

And if one man has been able to keep all those runs going, it’s Mikel Arteta, who had his own personal record to keep intact at the weekend. That’s because throughout his Arsenal career as a player or manager, Mikel has never lost a home game against Tottenham in any competition.

Arsenal's 11-game unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an end at Aston Villa and Mikel Arteta namechecked Manchester United and Chelsea following the defeat