Arsenal’s season ended on a high, winning the FA Cup over Chelsea, but many problems remain to be addressed. The team didn’t challenge for the Premier League, falling behind in December and never managed to catch up.
Their Champions League campaign looked promising in the first round, but ended in disaster against Bayern Munich. The team was plagued with injuries (once again) and no-shows, players whose form or confidence collapsed overnight.
Arsene Wenger admitted that his situation hung over the team as well. You would expect professionals to be able to perform with uncertainty looming above them, but apparently we couldn’t.
Wenger will also have noticed that the past two winners of the Premier League, Leicester and Chelsea, both won without having the distraction of playing in Europe. With the team scheduled to play in the Europa League next year and its awful schedule of Thursday matches, he’d be wise to create two squads: one for the Premier League and the other for Europe, the League Cup and the FA Cup.
THE GOALIES
Petr Cech. 37 matches. B-
Cech generally had a good year, but like the rest of the team, he had a tough time in the early spring. He notoriously gifted Chelsea and Fabregas a goal at Stamford Bridge and he looked suspect at the near post. He did storm back at the end of the season, making a number of excellent saves down the stretch. If I had one wish for Cech, it would be for him to start saving a few penalties.
David Ospina. 13 (1 sub) matches. B-
Ospina was granted the European and FA Cup matches this past year and will be grateful to Wenger for allowing him to play in the final. Ospina never inspired me with confidence that he could challenge for the high balls, always looking vulnerable at corners. On the other hand, his athleticism produced some excellent saves. Rumour has it that he will be leaving.
Emi Martinez. 5 matches. C
Martinez looked quite good at times, but he is young and needs experience. He is definitely one who should go out on loan again next year.
THE DEFENCE
Mathieu Debuchy. 1 match. F
Debuchy lasted for twenty minutes and he actually looked pretty good. Then he went down injured and we never saw him again. He looks to be the new Squillaci, a player content to cash his cheques and never play. Arsenal tried to move him last year and they’ll try again this summer.
Carl Jenkinson. 5 matches. D-
The first couple of matches were okay, but Carl got worse and worse and Wenger had to drop him for awhile as he had lost his confidence. He turned down a move to Palace at the last moment due to a money issue. Will be sold this summer.
Hector Bellerin. 35 (7) matches, 1 goal. B
He had a mixed season. He still at times made defensive mistakes, such as the one he made covering Sane in the Man City match. He also was injured a couple of times, especially when Alonso poleaxed him during the Chelsea match. However, he finished the season strongly and gave a taste of what could come. He is still a target of a number of other clubs as well.
Nacho Monreal. 42 (1) matches, 1 goal. B-
Too often the opposition feasted against Monreal, who is not the fastest of players. He always played his hardest and was best when he slipped into playing in the back three of our new formation. His goal was a memorable one, the tying goal in the FA Cup semi-final.
Kieran Gibbs. 18 (4) matches. C
I have to admit that I’m not a Gibbs hater and that most of his performances were okay and some quite good. Okay probably won’t cut it anymore and he is likely to be sold, although Wenger rates him and still gave him a run of matches in the left wingback position at the end of the season.
Gabriel Paulista. 22 (5) matches. B-
Gabriel had his best year at Arsenal, despite some dodgy moments (such as tripping Kane at White Hart Lane). He played reasonably well as a right back and had a few strong outings in the back three. I thought he might be sold, but his injury means he’ll be back next season.
Shkodran Mustafi. 37 games, 2 goals. B-
When he first arrived and started playing, the team never lost and some fans felt he was the one responsible. Then things started to fall apart and Mustafi at times looked culpable. Against Bayern he was a train wreck. At times his passing was poor and he often was guilty of clumsy challenges. Hopefully the new formation will help his game.
Laurent Koscielny. 43 games, 2 goals. B
Laurent remains our best defender, witness what happened to the team when he left the field against Bayern Munich. He makes big plays as well as sometimes committing a howler. He scored that memorable last second handball goal against Southampton, one of the highlights of the year. He also committed that terrible foul against Everton that cost him an appearance in the final.
Rob Holding. 17 (1) games. A-
Holding had an excellent year, playing with a poise and a confidence that surprised many fans. He was a stalwart at the end of the campaign and earned himself a starting assignment in the FA Cup. He is good on the ball, has a tough streak, and should only get better.
Per Mertesacker. 1 (1) game. A on his performance, C- on his overall impact.
Per was unavailable through injury for the first half of the season. When he returned in January, Wenger didn’t rush him back into the squad and only had him play when there was nobody available. His lack of pace has become a concern, but he showed he can play in the back three. Will he leave this summer? Stay tuned.
The Midfield.
Mohamed Elneny. 12 (12) matches. C
Elneny is a useful player to have around. He plays several different positions, he plays with energy, and is good defensively. The problem is he lacks creativity and that hurt his cause a number of times during the season.
Francis Coquelin. 28 (11) matches. C
Ruthlessly exposed a number of times when playing against top class players, Francis looked vulnerable and a liability. He looked his best playing with Cazorla and he was unable to forge a partnership with anybody else. He still lacks that cutting edge up front.
Granit Xhaka. 39 (7) matches, 4 goals. B-
Granit had some poor performances and he had matches where he showed poor judgement and discipline. For a player who plays in a defensive role as himself to remonstrate with officials, tackle with the studs up, and acquire the number of cards he did, means he became a liability. However, he showed improvement in these areas and coupled with his great long passes, his vision, and his cannon of a shot, he could still be a great addition to the squad.
Santi Cazorla. 10 (1) games, 2 goals. B for his performances, D for his impact on the team.
The team played well when Santi played and he seemed set for a fine season. But he suffered another bad injury, similar to the one he suffered last season, and he would miss the rest of the season. Many believe that his loss was the most catastrophic blow that hit the team this past season. Perhaps.
Aaron Ramsey. 22 (10) games, 4 goals. C+
A terrific end to the season, scoring the FA Cup winning goal, shouldn’t blind us to what was a difficult season for Aaron. The new formation suits him, whereas he struggled to find form and consistency for the rest of the season. He wasn’t helped by another muscle injury.
Mesut Ozil. 41 (3) games, 12 goals. B-
The lightning rod for much of the criticism that faced the Gunners this past season. He definitely has become a great threat in front of goal and has formed a great partnership with Alexis. At the end of the season he looked world class, but too often he looked disinterested, fatigued, or who knows what. Defensively, he could sometimes be a problem and his mystery illness in February coincided with the team’s collapse. Whether he signs his new contract is the question many Gunner’s fans are wondering right now.
The Wingers and Forwards.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. 27 (18) games, 6 goals. B+
Alex’s best season for Arsenal. He avoided long-term injuries and Wenger gave him a lot of games. The problem is that his assignment changed by the week. He played right wing, right back, holding midfielder, left wing, central midfield, number ten, right wing back and left wing back. He added more goals and assists to his performances and was a strong presence most of the season. His ability to deliver good crosses was especially evident late at Old Trafford and against City in the FA Cup Final. Said to be considering a move to Liverpool.
Theo Walcott. 29 (8) games, 19 goals. B
Theo had a number of excellent games and he put a stronger defensive effort into his performances this season. Yet he had some games where he disappeared and the new formation doesn’t seem to favor him right now. However, a goal every two games is hard to ignore.
Alex Iwobi. 27 (11) games. 4 goals. C+
Iwobi’s season featured some good performances and some poor performances. It took him awhile to score his first goal and finishing is an area he needs to improve on. He also needs to be better defensively. Offensively, he still has an innate way of finding space and of keeping his head about him in traffic. He remains one of our best young professionals, but he needs to become more ruthless.
Alexis Sanchez. 47 (4) games, 30 goals. A-
This summer will determine Alexis’s future with the team. Will he sign a new contract? Don’t know, but he’s cut a frustrated figure on the field at times and all indications are that he will leave. Alexis remains a force. His workrate is phenomenal, his ability to influence a game is without question, and his goal scoring ability invaluable. Despite a great season, there were games where he didn’t produce, games where he forced the action, games where he was too selfish. He played as a centre forward and he played on the wing. He became more of a creator this season, getting more assists than he has previously. He has formed a partnership with Ozil and one suspects that Arsenal will need to sign the one to get the other.
Centre Forwards.
Olivier Giroud. 17 (23) games, 16 goals. B
Very often Olivier played better as a substitute than as a starter. He came off the bench and grabbed key goals, such as his late header against Manchester United. His lack of pace has meant the manager has favored Welbeck, but Olivier has more of a killer instinct in front of goal. Is he unhappy enough that he wants to leave? Not sure, but it will be difficult to find a player who can score as often as he does.
Lucas Perez. 9 (12) games, 7 goals. C
Brought in late from Deportivo la Coruna, Perez was too often on the bench, due to Wenger’s many options. He performed well when he played and showed he has a scorer’s touch. Now we hear that he wants away from Arsenal, probably back to Spain.
Danny Welbeck. 10 (10) games, 4 goals. B
Welbeck’s return added the combination of size and pace to the lineup. He was influential when on the field, but at times he lacked the scorer’s touch, the killer instinct. He’s had two horrific injuries and hopefully next season he can be healthy most of the time.
Young Stars and Loanees.
Calum Chambers. 1 game, 1 goal. C-
Played in just one game, the opening game against Liverpool, where he looked unsteady at the back. Had a season long loan at Middlesbrough, where he played a lot and gained invaluable experience.
Chuba Akpom. 1 game. D
Akpom went on loan later in the season and didn’t really do that well. Look for Arsenal to part ways with Chuba this summer.
Jeff Reine-Adelaide. 5 (1) games. B-
We’re told he’s the future, but we only saw him from time to time. He shows flashes of skill, but we want more. Jeff really needs to go out on loan and get some experience.
Krystian Bielik. (1) game. B
He was good in the one game he played. Went out on loan at Birmingham and they raved about him.
Jack Wilshere. (2) games. C
Left the team to play at Bournemouth, where he showed flashes of brilliance, but he also picked up a hairline fracture. Will he get a new contract?
Gedion Zelalem. (2) games. D
Apparently has just suffered a knee injury and will be gone until the New Year. His Arsenal career is probably over.
Chris Willock. (2) games. C
A potential star of the future or is he just too light and small? Look for him to go on loan next season.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles. 4 (3) games. B
One of the best of the young players, he played as a right back and as a holding midfielder. Given our injuries this past year, he practiced with the first team most of the time as well. Athletic with a bit of skill, he still seems short of being a first team player for Arsenal, but he has potential.