Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says defensive midfielders are no longer part of the game.

Wenger sold Alex Song in the summer he was tipped by some to replace the Cameroon star with a traditional 'holding' player, but instead Mikel Arteta has excelled since dropping into a deeper role.

"There are no defensive midfield players at the moment," explained Wenger.

"We try to find the defensive balance collectively. We have fewer players who are purely defenders but some are physically strong in defending like Diaby, some are tactically strong like Arteta.

"At the moment we have the balance because everybody participates, but we have fewer specialists, purely defenders. We are more versatile going forward because everyone has the potential to go forward."