Safe to say that this midfield was the best part of the Gunners season. This position brought the most depth and success for the Gunners this season. The midfield was so strong down the stretch, the Gunners simply almost only ran a 4-5-1. Just to avoid confusion, Arsenal’s official website lists Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott as strikers, so I will as well and leave them out of this part of the review.
Abou Diaby
Appearances: 15 Goals: 0 Assist: 1 Shots: 15 Shots on Goal: 8 Fouls Committed: 11 Fouls Suffered: 5 Yellow Cards: 2 Red Cards: 0
Once again, the injury bug got the best of Abou Diaby this season. The really sad part was that a healthy Abou Diaby was exactly what the Gunners were looking for, a physical defensive presence in the midfield. Diaby was named man of the match in Arsenal’s first win of the season against Liverpool. It’s really sad that Diaby tore his ACL to end his season prematurely, but you really wonder how many more chances he gets.
What to expect next season:
Diaby will not be moved in my opinion, mainly because Arsene seems to stick with his fellow Frenchman no matter how many injuries. Diaby probably will not be ready for a return till late February or early March at the earliest. So next year will probably be a very short one for Diaby if he even gets back.
Francis Coquelin
Appearances: 22 Goals: 0 Assist: 1 Shots: 4 Shots on Goal: 2 Fouls Committed: 18 Fouls Suffered: 23 Yellow Cards: 2 Red Cards: 0
This season was another building year for the young 22 year-old French midfielder. Coquelin played in 22 total games for Arsenal this year, which is by far the most he’s ever played in one season. Coquelin received most of his minutes early in the season when Arsenal was down most of their midfield and did make the most of his chances being named Man of the Match in the shocking 2-0 loss to Schalke at home in the Champions League match. Obviously, once Arsenal got players like Wilshere and Rosicky back Coquelin didn’t see any minutes really, but the young Gunner still had a decent season.
What to expect next season:
I really don’t see Francis Coquelin getting any more action than what he did this season. It will be very interesting to see if Arsenal will want to loan Coquelin to another team, but I think they will want to save him for FA and Capital One Cup matches. Coquelin still has room to grow, so another season like last will not be the worst thing or being loaned out to maybe a Championship squad or a lower EPL team could also help out the youngster.
Andrey Arshavin
Appearances: 11 Goals: 1 Assist: 5 Shots: 13 Shots on Goal: 5 Fouls Committed: 5 Fouls Suffered: 7 Yellow Cards: 1 Red Cards: 1
Another really disappointing season for the Russian in the Premier League. One major accomplishment Arshavin did achieve this season was that he went over 100 caps for Arsenal in Premiere League matches. Arshavin’s one goal came against Coventry City in the Capital One Cup, and his biggest highlight of the season was his 3 assist against Reading in the 7-5 win in the Capital One Cup. Andrey really saw his time go down once the core midfield came back; he only made 1 appearance for Arsenal from January on, and the last time he was named to the squad was in Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Bayern Munich. Arshavin at one point in time showed so much promise in his career, but really gassed out quickly.
What to expect next season:
Andrey will be looking for a new team after it was announced Arsenal will not renew his contract once it expires in June. I hope the best for Andrey Arshavin no matter where he goes.
Tomas Rosicky
Appearances: 16 Goals: 3 Assist: 1 Shots: 15 Shots on Goal: 5 Fouls Committed: 16 Fouls Suffered: 23 Yellow Cards: 3 Red Cards: 0
A man who you must have tremendous respect for if you’re a fan of Arsenal. To me, Rosicky is still talented enough to start consistently for a lot teams right now, but chooses to stay and work extremely hard for Arsenal when called upon. Rosicky was out of action until December for Arsenal, but that did not slow down the Czech international. In his second game back and his first start in the Champions League match against Olympiakos, Rosicky scored Arsenal’s only goal and was named man of the match. Another great game Rosicky had this season was his 2 goal performance on the road at West Bromwich Albion, where he once again was named Man of the Match. Rosicky showed great heart and grit in Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to rival Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal’s upset 2-0 win over Bayern Munich. Rosicky started the last 5 games of the season when Arsenal made their great run into 4th place and played a major part in the Gunners success. Rosicky brought the energy and passion Arsenal was lacking in previous matches.
What to expect next season:
Tomas obviously is not the same player he once was, but there are still many things he can bring to the Arsenal side that are much needed. Rosicky probably should start less next season than he did this year, but Rosicky can still be a very valuable substitute off the bench and a leader that can help groom younger players like Jack Wilshere or Aaron Ramsey. The Czech will still be a very key player next season for Arsenal.
Aaron Ramsey
Appearances: 47 Goals: 2 Assist: 2 Shots: 49 Shots on Goal: 13 Fouls Committed: 63 Fouls Suffered: 39 Yellow Cards: 9 Red Cards: 0
To start the season, Ramsey looked like the somewhat scared player that had frustrated Arsenal fans for the past few seasons. However, after signing a new contract in December with the Gunners, Ramsey looked like the player Arsenal signed away from Cardiff City. Ramsey started in seven of the last eight matches for Arsenal down the stretch of the season. Ramsey was awarded by Arsenal the player of the month in April. The one memory I will have of Ramsey from this season is his game against Sunderland. Early in the game, Carl Jenkinson was sent off with a red card and left Arsenal down a defender, but Ramsey filled in mightily for the Corporal and helped Arsenal to an important 1-0 victory. Ramsey even scored a nice goal in Arsenal’s 2nd to last game against Wigan.
What to expect next season:
It will be very interesting to see what Arsene decides to do with Ramsey going into next season. It’s very hard to argue that Ramsey doesn’t deserve a chance to start after this impressive performance from this season, but will Arsene then sit Jack Wilshere or Arteta? I don’t think so, but I really think Ramsey is going to continue to improve and be a major key not just in Arsenal’s next season, but for many to come.
Mikel Arteta
Appearances: 43 Goals: 6 Assist: 5 Shots: 21 Shots on Goal: 9 Fouls Committed: 98 Fouls Suffered: 61 Yellow Cards 8 Red Cards: 0
The captain of Arsenal, plain and simple. Arteta essentially played at defensive mid for almost the entire season, which is not his best position, but you couldn’t tell from his performance. Arteta for the second year in a row scored six goals for the Gunners, most of which were important PK’s that lead to Arsenal victories against West Bromwich and Queens Park Rangers. Arteta once again showed his great passing ability this season and great field vision that makes him one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League. The Spaniard did a great job as Arsenal’s captain for the second half of the season. Mikel showed the poise that you need to be a successful captain. Arteta made the second most appearances with Arsenal with 43 (all of which were starts).
What to expect next season:
More of the same from hopefully Arsenal’s captain next season. Maybe if Arsenal signs a defensive mid that they’re rumored to Arteta can slide more into his natural role in the midfield. At 31 I don’t see a change in Arteta’s game, but really there is no need for that at all anyways. Very simple, Arteta will be a consistent starter who will make big contributions next season.
Jack Wilshere
Appearances: 33 Goals: 2 Assist: 4 Shots: 21 Shots on Goal: 10 Fouls Committed: 3o Fouls Suffered: 66 Yellow Cards: 3 Red Cards: 1
It was a very interesting season for the 21 year-old midfielder. Jack Wilshere made his first start in the Premier League in 524 days in his appearance against Queens Park. Jack came out very good early where he was numerous times voted man of the match and even scored in Arsenal’s first Champions League game against Montpelier. Jack in December signed a long term contract with Arsenal that will seal him up for the next couple of seasons, but Jack really struggled after an ankle injury in March really hurt his play. Wilshere in Arsenal’s last 5 games came off of the bench and really didn’t make much noise. Was it entirely the injury? It’s very tough to tell, but it starts to creep into one’s mind can Jack stay healthy for an entire season? There is no doubt that Wilshere has all of the talent in the world, but you don’t want a situation like Abou Diaby where injuries continue to add up. Obviously he’s not as injury prone as Diaby, but it’s frustrating to see a player of his caliber continually being sidelined due to injuries.
What to expect next season:
Expect Wilshere to still be the world class midfielder you’ve seen before, but as I mentioned earlier, will he stay healthy? Wilshere will have surgery on his injured ankle in the off-season, so hopefully this will help the youngster going into next season. If Jack can stay healthy, expect much better numbers than this past year.
Santi Cazorla
Appearances: 49 Goals: 12 Assist: 13 Shots: 138 Shots on Goal: 49 Fouls Committed: 23 Fouls Suffered: 72 Yellow Cards: 4 Red Cards: 0
I’m not going to throw out all of the accolades that this Spanish magician won this year because that would take entirely to long. Santi Cazorla was a late signing for Arsenal in the summer transfer market and it’s very scary to think where the Gunners would be without him. Cazorla was 2nd on the team in scoring along with the most assist for Arsenal. Santi’s best game is a very, very hard one to choose. Is it his hat-trick against Reading where he just dominated the entire game? Or is it the game against Wigan where he had an assist on all four goals? The best thing about Santi though was his consistency. Cazorla had the most appearances for the gunners this season with 49, but that didn’t slow down the Spanish international at all. Santi for the most part always brought his best game and never really slowed down. Even the games where Arsenal played awful Cazorla still showed signs of greatness. Take the game at Old Trafford for example, Arsenal played terrible against Manchester United, but Cazorla scored a beautiful goal late in the game to at least bring some pride for the Gunners. Santi Cazorla wasn’t just one of the best players for Arsenal, but one of the best in the Premiership.
What to expect next season:
It will definitely be interesting to see what Cazorla does to follow his extremely successful first season with Arsenal. Santi will hopefully not play nearly as much as he did this past season, I say this just because he does need to rest at some point in time. I really believe Cazorla will improve next season. For people who don’t believe me I point to the fact that Arsenal will make a big signing of a striker in the transfer market. I felt that a lot of the time players just looked for Santi to do something special and save them, and hopefully with a new signing a lot of this pressure will be off of Cazorla.
Midfielder of the season:
Santi Cazorla
No real surprise here for Cazorla. Mikel Arteta definitely deserves some mention in the category, but it’s really silly to say anyone other than Santi Cazorla was important or consistent in the midfield for Arsenal.
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