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In one of the closest Premier League seasons ever, Arsenal have been anything but predictable.
The Gunners are 10th in the league, having slightly recovered from their atrocious start to the season.
They are currently seven points off the top four after 19 games and will have the difficult task of climbing the table if they want to achieve European football next season.
Five key games
Fulham (Away)
Arsenal kicked off their season with a trip to Craven Cottage, the Gunners filled the fans with hope straight away with a convincing 3-0 win over the newly promoted side. Forwards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette both scored for Mikel Arteta’s side but new signing Gabriel stole the headlines with a solid display as well as a debut goal.
Manchester United (Away)
After three consecutive losses in the league, Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford at the start of November to take on Manchester United. The Gunners went into the game the underdogs with United cruising in the Champions League against the likes of RB Leipzig and Paris Saint Germain. Arsenal put in a fantastic defensive display against the Red Devils and Aubameyang ended his goalscoring drought, scoring a penalty late on to win the game for Arsenal 1-0.
Tottenham (Away)
North London derbies are arguably always the biggest games of the season for both teams involved and this season was no different. The Gunners were winless in three, performing with a lack of tenacity and in 14th place coming into the game.
This contrasted wildly to their rivals who were top of the league and performing better than ever. Arsenal dominated possession throughout the game however their lack of quality in the final third let them down again. Spurs cruised to a 2-0 win with Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane both scoring to bury Arsenal, showing the gulf in class between the clubs coming to Christmas.
Burnley (Home)
One game that epitomises Arsenal’s beginning to the season is the game at Turf Moor a week after the loss to Spurs. The Burnley defence frustrated the Gunners throughout the game but everything changed in the 68th minute. Granit Xhaka was shown a straight red card after VAR decided the Swiss international showed violent conduct after he grabbed Ashley Westwood by the throat. It went from bad to worse for Arteta’s men when shortly after the red, Aubameyang flicked a corner on into the far corner of the net. Frustratingly for the striker it was in the wrong net as his own goal gave Burnley a 1-0 win.
Chelsea (Home)
It’s not all been doom and gloom for Arsenal this season, they have now earned 13 points out of the last 15 available. The turning point in their season came against Chelsea at home as Bukayo Saka continued to shine in a 3-1 victory in North London. Arsenal eased past Chelsea with goals from Saka, Lacazette and notably a rocket of a free-kick from Xhaka burying the Blues and kickstarting the Gunners’ fantastic recent form.
Top players
Kieran Tierney has become an essential part of Arsenal’s system this season, the left back is undoubtably the first name on the teamsheet at the moment with the Scotsman consistently proving his £25 million transfer in 2019 was a bargain.
Tierney has linked up fantastically with youngster Bukayo Saka down the left wing this season. Saka is another player who appears to be immune to squad rotation right now, with the winger playing on both the left, right and even in the number 10 role this season. Saka’s versatility has proved to be priceless as the 19-year-old has featured in 17 of the 19 league games so far. With five goal contributions to his name, Saka will look to build on these numbers in the second half of the season.
Another product of Arsenal’s illustrious academy who has played a huge part this season is Emile Smith Rowe. Although the 20-year-old has only played five games this season, the attacking midfielder already looks like the perfect replacement for the recently sold Mesut Ozil. Smith Rowe has three assists to his name and has played exceptionally in his last five league games picking up high praise from everyone who watches him.
Winning Arsenal’s Player of the Month award in his first three months of the club was a huge achievement for Gabriel who was a shining light in Arsenal’s leaky defence at the beginning of the season. Frustratingly for Arsenal fans, the Brazilian became a victim to Covid-19 over Christmas when he tested positive for the virus and the defender hasn’t featured since. However, the defender is now available for future selection after fully recovering.
Underperformers
Club captain Aubameyang has been notably poor this season, the forward has only scored five goals in 17 games this season; a disappointing statistic for Arsenal’s star striker. Although he has been played down the middle and on the left, the 31-year-old just can’t seem to find the position that suits him best. Arsenal fans will be encouraged by his most recent performance however when he scored two against Newcastle on Monday night.
Another forward who has been poor all season is Willian, who signed in August on a three-year deal after his contract expired at London rivals Chelsea. The winger had a fantastic start to his season as he earned two assists in a fantastic debut performance against Fulham. Sadly for Arsenal fans, this performance was a one off for the Brazilian with the winger’s form dipping immediately after that game. Willian has picked up only one more assist since his debut and has only started 11 league games since.
Nicolas Pepe is another winger who has struggled to feature this season. Despite playing for Arsenal for over a season now, the Ivorian is yet to really hit his best form in an Arsenal shirt. The 25-year-old has only started four games this season and has two goals and a red card in 12 appearances this year. The winger will hope he can prove himself in the weeks to come as he looks to get back into the starting 11.
What next?
Arsenal will look to continue their good form of late and are dreaming of a European spot when the league finishes, but their poor run at the beginning of the season may have already put this out of reach. The transfer window may help them achieve this goal as there is still time for Mikel Arteta to bring in a star player who could help them achieve the heights of European football.
The Gunners also have a round of 32 tie against Benfica in the Europa League upcoming which may well prove their only chance of Champions League football next season after six wins out of six in the group stages.
The FA Cup is also still a possibility for Arsenal as they look to retain the trophy once more, their journey continuing when they face Southampton at the weekend in a tough fixture away from home.
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