Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Mikel Arteta has been "absolutely outstanding" all season, while reserving special praise for the remarkable rise of Carl Jenkinson and the talents of Serge Gnabry.
Arteta has been one of the Gunners' most consistent players this season, playing in every single English Premier League and Champions League game, and the Spanish midfielder, despite playing in a defensive midfield role, underlined his importance by popping up to score the winner in Saturday's 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.
"Since the beginning of the season Mikel has been absolutely outstanding," Wenger told the club's official website. "He does a fantastic job, he is highly focused and I am very happy for him that he gets the rewards.
"If you lose three games in a row, you are in a crisis of confidence. Therefore it was important to stop that (against QPR). Good teams go through some bad results, but reduce the time of the cycles and that is what we did here.
"You rely on experience because those players can deal better with the pressure and have gone through it before. That helps us to focus on what is important."
Somebody who does not have much experience but has been playing this season like a ten-year pro, was unlucky to be left out of the starting XI against QPR. However, Wenger, after admitting it was difficult to leave out Jenkinson for Bacary Sagna, believes the young right-back will get plenty more opportunities in the coming months.
"It was a tough decision, very tough," Wenger added. "The team was a bit low in confidence and I felt experience at the back could help. Of course Bacary Sagna has an advantage on Jenkinson in experience.
"But I am very, very happy and thrilled with what Jenkinson has done until now and he will play again this season of course.
"It was a difficult decision, but I would like to give credit to Carl. What he has done is extremely promising and he is so young, so where he is now at his age now is fantastic. Two years ago he was playing in League One, and where he is now is fantastic."
Another youngster making waves in the Arsenal squad is 17-year-old Gnabry, who last week made his Premier League and Champions League debut. Expected to feature more prominently in the League Cup game against Reading on Tuesday, Wenger was quick to point out the playmaker's assets.
"He is a guy who can play in all the offensive positions," the Arsenal manager said. "I think he could even play center forward. He has a kind of efficiency in his game, and can get on the end of things.
"He has big potential, creative potential, finishing potential. Serge is 17 years old and strong for a boy of that age.
"It is difficult to compare with anyone. He is not small, he is stocky with good body balance. He glides, he is fluent."