The Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has told Chelsea Soccer News that the criticism of the Chelsea striker Fernando Torres is unwarranted because the Spaniard has been working extremely hard for the London team.

Chelsea secured the signing of the 28-year-old Spaniard for £ 50 million from Liverpool in January 2011. However, he has been a major disappointment at Stamford Bridge after scoring only a handful of goals in his first 18 months at the club. He has been showing signs of recovery this season after he has scored four goals in the first few matches of the season.

Chelsea will be having the first great test of the season when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates stadium. It is a match that will see the first place team against the fourth placed team. Mikel Arteta has been in impressive form for Arsenal ever since signing from Everton for £ 10 million. He has been moved to a defensive role by the manager Arsene Wenger this season, which is paying a lot of dividends. Arsenal and Chelsea are the few undefeated teams still remaining in the Premier league. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s match, Arteta has defended the form of his fellow countryman.

“I don’t like the way he has been treated because I have known him since we were 16 years old and I really appreciate him. He is a friend of mine. Football is like that — it doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, it is only what you have done in the last few weeks and he has been criticised. Mentally he is really strong, even if someone doubts him, because he has been dealing with pressure since he was 17. At Atletico, he was captain by that age,” said Mikel Arteta ahead of the match with Chelsea during the weekend.