Who is your player of the season (you can only pick one!) so far? Also tell us why?
For me the pick is easy, it’s Emile Smith Rowe. We have a lot of players to pick from at the Arsenal right now, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale, 冨安健洋, Gabriel, Øde, etc. so it’s not a slight on one to pick another. It’s literally just my personal preference, that’s it.
My reasons are pretty simple: 7 goals. His combination play with the other forwards is good but it’s not special (except with Saka). His conversion rate is astronomical and unsustainable – he’s getting 63% of his shots on target and has converted 7/24 shots (29%), his xG is only 2.7 (which is much closer to a real number of goals from the positions he’s been in. And what makes his tally especially high is that he has three goals from outside the 18 yard box. The only stat he leads Arsenal in is Carries into the Final Third per90 (excluding Eddie Nketiah).
So, I guess all that is to say that my choice is completely irrational. And yet.. he’s my choice. Just for the sheer joy he plays football with, for his infectious smile, for the fact that his socks are rolled down and that he wears playing cards for shin pads. He epitomizes everything that I shouldn’t like in a footballer. He defies all the stats, he breaks my rational brain, and yet, I just love watching him play.
That wonderful goofy ad he did for the JNF barber shop (Arsenal Supporting Supporters) just adds to his appeal 🙂
Ramsdale. I feel like he’s directly responsible for at least 12 points in the table this season, which is huge in terms of our current league position. And the defense look a lot more comfortable with him than they ever did with Leno.
agreed. like tim, i love the way emile plays but, for player of the season thus far, it’s ramsdale all day long…and it’s not even hard. he’s been so good.
Agreed. Wish Ramsdale will stay for a long period.
Xhaka.
Gotcha.
If you were close by, I’d throw something at ya 😂
Sorry – couldn’t help myself. OK seriously we are having an embarrassment of riches at the moment. Saka looks unplayable. ESR is scoring goals even when he barely plays, and Martinelli looks like the greatest find in a decade. Ramsdale has really changed the mojo of the team, though. He just brings a fire and fun that’s irresistible, so he’s probably my pick.
My “underrated player” vote is Laca. Dude has just put his head down, set aside the nonsense and balled. He’s not the best player by any stretch. His goal-scoring is fair at best. But his passing. unselfish play, steadying influence on the young guys and willingness to get beaten up every game has been hugely influential. Doesn’t mean we have to keep him next year. Doesn’t mean he couldn’t be a lot better in front of goal. Just means he’s been patient and 100% professional. Yes, it’s a contract year, but many others would have mailed it in long ago in his situation.
Well said. Ode to the underrated:
I can’t separate Saka and Smith Rowe. Saka is playing quite wonderful football at the moment. He is on current form, the best wide right player in the premier league (who also plays wide left and left wing back well), and one of very few on Arsenal’s team who could get into Pep’s starting XI.
But purely on productivity, it’s got to be Emile, doesn’t it? Leading scorer, and if you think about it, the man who saved Arteta’s job a year ago.
I love Ramsdale. Personality, rapport with fans. Good distributor, good stopper. But I want to see him do something special in a big game. Four against Liverpool, three against United. Aplayer of the season (so far) keeper has got to do better than that. He hasn’t yet for me. Has he saved a pen? Come close? But I love the bloke. Great signing, and for me England’s #1.
Bukayo Saka. Football happiness personified!
There are good problems and there are bad problems. Trying to pick a “player of the season…so far”, when there are a plethora of choices is very, very good problem. It’s too close for me between Saka and Smith Rowe, and Martinelli may be the pick at the end of the season, and what about Tomiyasu? He’s been an absolute stud for us. Just a tiny bit better than Santos or Squillaci.
My vote is for one Aaron Ramsdale. Been relegated twice, come from lower leagues and is playing like a future David Seaman. He’s the pick of the lot for me but by the narrowest of margins.
I’ve got to agree, Aaron has saved the season and given us the platform to grow in confidence. Without him I doubt we’d get all the fun of the last 3 games and no doubt Mikel would be on his way out
Agree about Ramsdale, he’s been great and the whole team looks so much better than when Leno was in goal. It’s 3 relegations for Aaron(well 2.5)he was on loan at Chesterfield for half a season when they went out of the EFL..
For me its got to be Ramsdale, since he’s come in he’s made such a massive difference to the defence. Makes the amazing saves but is also dominates his box really well, coming for crosses and commanding the defence. Distribution is fantastic too. We haven’t had a goalie with as complete a skill set as him since probably Lehmann? Add in the maturity and mentality and the fact he’s only 23 – what a signing he’s been!
Definitely honourable mentions for Smith-Rowe, Saka, Tomiyasu and I think Gabriel deserves a shout too he’s been great this season.
Ramsdale and/or Gabriel. Our attack has started to click only recently, which is why I discount our forward players. But before that, apart from a few hiccups, our defense has been mostly solid. And these two have been at the heart of it.
Spot on! His influence continues to grow. There is literally no big striker that makes me nervous. Gabriel puts them all in his back pocket. Can’t wait for another shot at Chelsea with Gabriel battling Lukaku, honestly. When was the last time we’ve said that?
I was about to say nobody mentioned Gabriel! Thanks for saving us, Zed. Talk about under the radar. That lad has been immense in both phases, a leader at the back and scoring goals too. I love watching him destroy the confidence of every CF who tries to bully him. You can just see it. The first few challenges are full blooded, then they just stop trying. Nor does anyone seem to be able to run past him. It’s amazing. You can’t ask for more from a CB and he’s only 23. Obvious captain material too. He gets my vote. Lots of good choices though.
Thats a good shout, Doctor.
Most improved – Emile (scoring goals is the most difficult thing to do);
biggest contributor to team improvement – Aaron (huge confidence lift for his back 4);
walks into Pool and City’s first eleven (Gabriel).
Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães
He is irreplaceable
Tomiyasu for me. If he is out if that defence. Our defence is the most improved part of our game this year and Tomiyasu is the key. We could easily be playing 3 at the back and you still think it’s a 433. His consistency at the back defensively is next to none. Take him out and we begin conceding them goals more often.
Tim
ESR has to be player of the year with Ramsdale second. We have been talking about this for 2 years, in order for us to be successful someone has to score and ESR is our leading scorer. I don’t care how it happens but we can’t win without someone putting the ball in the back of the net. ESR has certainly out performed my expectations and I still suspect he will hit a long dry spell at some point. However because of ESR thankfully its looks like my prediction that we will not have a single double digit league goal scorer is going to be wrong. If he can score 3 more goals this year he will be the first Arsenal academy grad in about 25 years to scores in double digits. The law of probability said that it had to happen at some point and Joe Willock almost made it last year but I admit that I certainly did not expect ESR to be the one to do it.
Its interesting to me there has been very little is said about Arteta’s for his ability to develop youth players. Arsene was often praised for his ability to improve players and develop younger players but he tried harder then any manager in the world for more then 20 years but he never had a single academy player score more then 10 league goals or create 10 league assists in a season. If ESR scores 3 more this season Arteta will have done it in less then 3 years with the club. Most academy players have been trained by an army of coaches starting in their early teens and with a rare exception I don’t a manager can’t really change who they are. I don’t believe Arteta has some special talent for developing youth and i don’t beleive he is a lot better then Arsene. I think the biggest factor in Arteta’s success to date is he has gotten the benefit of the law of probability.working in his favor.
So many to choose from – what an absolute blessing of young talent we are witnessing! My favorite of the lot remains Saka, though I consider Tomi the under-the-radar super signing of the summer.
Just revisited your old post about Ødegaard from last January (suggested as a related article). Those concerns seem so very distant now, with ESR, Saka, Martinelli & Ø each bringing their own unique flavor to our attack, the perfect encapsulation of the way forward (har har) being the last goal against Leeds. Long may this continue to develop!
Slightly off topic, I want to big up Martinelli’s second goal against Leeds.
When you collect a ball like that on a fast break, and keeper’s rushing at you, it’s a more difficult finish than you’d think. You’ve got a split second. Takes touch, technique and composure. Many times the striker puts it wide. Dont want to kick a guy when he’s down, but the way Auba had been finish of late, there’s a possibility that he’d have muffed that. But we can never know for sure, can we? It was different but in many ways similar to Martinelli’s box to box goal against Chelsea (when Kante famously slipped).
Youngsters showing composure. You’ve got to love it.
On that score, I think I’ve raved enough about Saka. Pepe’s got a good shot on him, and a decent goal involvements record given his minutes, but he slows down the pace on the right, unlike Saka… whose gift is fast play allied with good movement and good decision making. Saka’s emergence, considering his age, profile and influence (not his position) reminds me of that of Ashley Cole. The young man will be coveted and pursued by richer clubs than Arsenal. Gunners beware.
Be interesting to see how Mikel rests and rotates players over the next week and a half. This the season to lose points if hat isnt managed well.
i completely disagree with you, claude. ask any striker. that’s the easiest goal-scoring chance that a striker can hope for…even moreso than a penalty kick. the pass you receive has beaten the defense and you’re right outside the penalty box with a half-step on a would-be defender and only the keeper to beat. that’s wet dream stuff, brother. it’s like a lay up in basketball. in fact, it’s like a lay up in warmups for a basketball game. i’ve never missed a chance like that and they were all easy. auba needed a chance like that to get the monkey off his back and his name back on the scoresheet. he would have buried it too.
when you look at two of the martinelli goals, one assisted by lacazette and the other by xhaka, they’re very similar. the thing that makes them similar is the movement from laca. he drops off into midfield and one fo the central defenders goes with him. martinelli recognizes the central defender has abandoned the space and makes a run to receive the ball in that space.
understand, that space doesn’t just miraculously happen to appear for martinelli. it’s because of a selfless run made into midfield by lacazette. he knows he’s unlikely to score or get an assist when he drops off but he’s doing what the team needs to create chances and score goals. auba, on the other hand, stays high and looks to score himself. laca drops off to try and pull a defender out of position. if the defender doesn’t follow him, he can receive the ball behind and turn in the space just in front of the defense but behind the midfield and that is a problem. it’s why he is always encouraging players to make runs to space ahead of him and is willing to drop off and assume their defensive duties if the transition happens.
another level is that if the defender goes with laca, he has the ability to roll a central defender which leads to either a collapse of the defense or drawing a foul from the defender. these are skills laca learned at lyon that he and his predecessor, karim benzema, do exceptionally well as traditionally trained center forwards, however auba is not a lyon product and doesn’t readily display this understanding. benzema was the big shot at lyon but had no problem conceding that role to cristiano. however, most strikers aren’t built that way and only care to score themselves.
Seasons greetings, Josh. Good stuff, brother. On both comments.
Excellent description of Laca’s unselfish link play that knits everything. But if he’s smart, he leaves in the summer if he can find a salary match — which he should, on a free. It’ll suit both club and player, for obvious reasons. I frankly cant see why he’d want to extend.
On the Martinelli 1v1, over many years of watching and reporting, I’ve seen an awful lot of strikers miss those. I defer to your experience, but you’re making its eem easier than it is. Give the young man more credit. He waited, in a split sec, for the keeper to commit. Not every striker in that situation has the presence of mind to do that. Perhaps you were an exceptionally gifted one? 🙂
There are similarish situations where an attacker has sprung a trap and a counter leaves him alone to carry/dribble/break a long way (which was different from Martinelli’s). Those present a different degree of complexity for keeper and striker, and the latter can almost have too much time to think about it sometimes.
oh and while Thierry had a good all-round game, he was not a classic 9, nor did he hold it up much. He killed teams with movement and individual skill. The closest thing to him in the game today (though not in stature) is Kylian Mbappe. Henry often drifted wide to get the ball, and early in his career, he had a partner who was a master at putting his foot on the ball, slowing things a tick and bringing other in — Dennis Bergkamp. Bergy could be classic 10 or classic 9 on his day. He was special. All that said, Aubameyang is more than a speed merchant… he was faster than Thierry, Wright and others to significant goalscoring milestones. Tim’s shown the effect of xG on our goalscoring struggles. Auba’s rank out of form, yes, but that’s had an effect.
right on, claudeivan. a player with his experience and skill set on a free transfer…he will find a salary match. he’s already said he’s leaving arsenal in the summer on a free…and that’s arsenal’s fault.
i give martinelli fully credit for the finish. i just think it’s the easiest to score. the difficult part is getting into that position. it clearly suits him and i think he’d be disappointed to ever miss that.
as for henry, i never said he was a classic #9. my point is that he’s more complete, hence more unplayable, than many of who’ve come after him, including aubameyang. i understand the speed, decent finish, and even the stature similarities between auba and henry. however, henry could play with his back to goal. in fact, we’ve seen the great man score a goal facing away from it with a central defender literally on his back. more importantly, he had a strong desire to be selfless and create for others.
great comments, boys. my belief is that the team plays better when everyone is contributing. however, i agreed with jack higher up the thread that ramsdale is that dude. he’s not at fault for any goal arsenal have conceded, his long balls are better than leno’s (my only leno complaint), he’s made all of the saves he was supposed to make and has even made saves he wasn’t supposed to make. i don’t know that he’s gotten arsenal 12 points but i think it’s safe to say that arsenal would not be in 4th place if it weren’t for him.
as for the attack, they are more explosive and for the reason i’ve stated for years; they have a blasting cap called alexandre lacazette. he’s been the key and has been grossly misused and undervalued. everyone wants aubameyang to be like henry because he’s the closest thing to henry since henry but, guess what…..he’s not henry! fans need to stop hoping for him to become henry. it was the same with theo…not henry. sure, they’re fast, can get behind defenses, and score but that’s all. henry did so much more which is why he has a statue outside of the emirates.
someone did an analysis comparing auba’s numbers this season with lacazette’s in the west ham game and highlighted that auba averaged 21 touches where laca had 48 in the west ham game alone. after the leeds game, arteta described his value perfectly when he said that laca has an exceptional understanding of space and makes everyone around him better. he ‘s like an enzyme in biology or a catalyst in chemistry. martinelli and emile’s goals haven’t happened in a vacuum. i think arteta now knows who his best #9 is. it took him two years but…better late than never. we’ll see how things proceed.
I’ll add another vote for Ramsdale. And for the record, I was completely AGAINST signing him, and especially for that kind of money. Glad he’s proving me wrong. Honorable mention goes to ESR, Saka, and Gabriel. P.S. Will there be another post for the most underwhelming player of the season (so far)? For me, it has to be White. Not impressed by him at all, and that challenge in the game against Leeds that led to penalty, and cost us another clean sheet was just as dumb as they come (cough, Xhaka, cough). Hopefully, he improves his game, justifies his price tag, and proves me wrong just like Ramsdale is doing.
i have a really hard time with this, but here we go:
1. tomiyasu (i know the athletic just wrote about this but i’ve been saying for weeks how i love his two-footedness)
2. saka
3. gabriel
4. smith rowe
5. ramsdale
honestly these 5 are all separated by extremely fine margins such that you could reorder them and i wouldn’t really argue. then we drop down a tier to players who have had very positive impacts but less so than the top group: sambi, tavares, lacazette, tierney, odegaard (not ordered).
for me, partey and white have been okay but we need more. xhaka i would like to not have to watch any more, he just does the most bafflingly dumb stuff. amn and pepe i would like to see a little more of, auba i feel has been hard done by with this exclusion from the team, the other defensive backups are fine as backups, same with elneny and nketiah.
Tomi for me too. Guy just drops in out of no where and then we start winning games.
BTW there is a suhsi chain called Tomo sushi which coincidentally matches him very well; Real actual sushi, consistently good quality and an affordable price.
Sorry typo, it is Tomi sushi.
Nice game against a pretty bad opponent. Pepe… hahaha…. two nutmegs in the space of 8 minutes. Have a seat, son.
I’m not sold on Nketiah or Balogun. The knock on Nketiah is he’s not a very physical striker and Balogun is barely any bigger. We need someone who can knock CB’s around a bit, be a focal point up top that our fantastic attacking midfielders (and I include Martinelli in that description) can play off. Nketiah is doing us a favor, after the hat-trick today guaranteed a team that is desperate for a striker (Leeds?) will come in with a decent offer in January.
Saka – I feel his efforts have almost been overlooked because we’ve been so spoilt; we kind of unfairly expect him to be so good; hitting those 7,8 & 9 out of 10 performances continuously for nearly 3 years now. And still a kid. Simply a phenomenal player. I love ESR though, how can I not?
If we were looking for a fox-in-the-box type striker, like Michael Owen or Aguero, I’d say Eddie is a pretty good example. But I’m not sure that’s what we’re after, so it will be a tough decision on him. Balogun definitely needs more minutes somewhere.
As far as player of the year so far, I’m on the Ramsdale wagon. I was doubtful about the signing, but he’s 100% proved me wrong so far. Made a huge difference, and he’s young and English.
I still have my doubts about Arteta tactically, but as far as having a good young core, feeling very positive about the team. How many other teams have two young #10 options the quality of ESR and Odegaard? Maybe City, that’s it.
Great to see Eddie score three, although even better was Pepe being an absolute agent of mayhem … did he create 4 out of 5 goals? Felt sorry for their left back.
Loved ESR’s snap volley from the edge of the area that drew a good save.
And Patino on the scoresheet.
I remain a White backer although he clearly can improve defensively, I thought he was at fault for their goal. I have confidence that he’s smart enough and he will. The comparison with Stones is decent. He’s not at Stones’ level yet though, and is less physically imposing. If at any point over the last 4 years or so I’d been offered Stones at Arsenal, I’d have bitten your hand off.
Player of the season? Ramsdale so far. (Very) honourable mentions to ESR, Tomi, Gabriel.
Dark horse of the season? I have a feeling Odegaard is just getting warmed up. This is the first time in his life that he’s got full backing of a club and a manager, and psychologically it can take a little while to properly realise that this is your moment, that the shackles are off, that there’s no longer any need for patience, questioning, or self-doubt. It’s no longer about proving himself, now he can go out and do what he was born to do. Let’s see what that is.
With you on Stones. He was a standout as a teenager. Quick, strong and under-rated defender.
Ben has to work on his defensive game. At fault for the single goal conceded in back to back games.
White has done his part. He’s been part of a really nice, cohesive back 4 and his presence has helped greatly with our ability to break the press, an area of notable struggle last season. I think there’s a lot more to come from him.
Odegaard has been the key, in my mind, to Lacazette’s performances. Odegaard presses for Lacazette a lot of the time, allowing Lacazette to conserve energy and in a way, be more cerebral in his positioning. Notice how against Leeds, Laca pulled the CB all the way into midfield with the man-to-man marking, comfortable knowing that Odegaard had the position up top covered. Likewise, Odegaard shows for passes from the DM’s and CB’s and Lacazette doesn’t have to drop as deep. It’s a nice synergy.
Spot on.
He’s the glue guy.
Agree on Odegaard. He’s started to look very comfortable in the middle and I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that we’re playing a more settled starting eleven now. His passing reflects a confidence and a better understanding of how team mates are moving around him that comes with familiarity. I’m hoping to see a lot more caviar passes like the one he provided for Smith-Rowe’s cameo goal against Leeds. Whisper it quietly: the new Cesc?
I thought our up turn after the turn of the New Year was as much down to Odegaard as anyone. He missed the Villareal tie and we struggled mightily to create without him in that one. I’m a big fan. Astute signing by the club. I do agree that he needs a nurturing environment perhaps more than other players to really flourish and Real Madrid was never going to be that for him.
Tomiyasu
Speaking of player of the (almost) half season,
good to see that Arsenal player William Saliba has been named in the LIGUE 1 team. Not bad a for a kid perpetually on work experience, no? 🙂
Messi and Neymar, interestingly, are not in the XI.
Nketiah is a player i fall in and out of live with. i really don’t know where I stand with his going or staying.
He and Pepe looked sharp, but Im not going to get too excited about beating Sunderland, a lower league team. They did look decent when attacking, and Ben White was caught ball watching for the goal, for which they carved us open way too easily. They had a good attacking spell after that, but the gulf in class told eventually.
After Eddie’s, the performance I most liked was Nuno’s. Has to watch his habit of losing the ball in dangerous areas and being caught out of position, but what a baller.
Pepe has noticeably speeded up his combination play. That’s because in Cedric he had a willing runner on the overlap, and the Saka-benched-me effect.
A satisfying read as always, supplemented by great comments from the regulars on this blog. A Merry Christmas to you all!
One regular contributor notable by his absence…
Merry Christmas Devlin, wherever you are.