Leno was pretty good last season before he got injured. He made a couple of errors but which goalie doesn't? For the most part he kept us from slipping into the relegation zone. Martinez has been at the club for 10 years and has finally developed enough to challenge for the #1 spot. Leno's injury gave him a solid run of games. Ideally Martinez would stay, but then again, he wants regular game time.
I agree. Arteta has a clear vision and is building a team around that plan. That's refreshing after spending a year or so under Emery's brand of "the plan is to have no plan" football. The cup win was sensational and so were some results towards the end (beating Liverpool, City, and Chelsea in the final few games), but let's not forget the terrible performances during defeats to Aston Villa and Brighton.
The bright side has been Arteta's player development skills. I'll list a few examples of this:
- Xhaka: His redemption arc was almost like watching the second half of a sports movie. He's finally the player we thought we were buying. I still believe the club will not reach CL places until we replace him with someone better. He's a bit too slow for my liking (in terms of turning defence into attack specifically). This column highlights his limitations pretty well.
- Ceballos: It's a shame he probably isn't going to return. He is one of the few players who complements Xhaka well in midfield. Was totally lost under Emery, but under Arteta he turned into a solid first team player.
- Aubameyang: Surprisingly enough, Emery had managed to kill his goals. Arteta didn't have to develop Aubameyang as a player, but he went on a phenomenal scoring streak under the new manager.
- Mustafi: Went from looking like a clown to a decent mid-table club defender. I'll take that as a big win.
- Luiz: Still very error-prone, but he did produce some top-class performances in the FA Cup semi and final.
- Pepe: His transfer fee was a total joke but he is definitely a lovely player to watch. Looked like a bumbling fool under Emery, but Arteta has done well to help him develop. The attack is well-balanced with Auba on the left and Pepe on the right -- both are absolutely deadly on the counter.
There are a few more examples of players growing in stature under Arteta such as Tierney, Maitland-Niles, etc but those probably can't
just be attributed to the coach.
Anyone who thinks that this Arsenal team can make it to the top 4 is probably deluded. Our midfield is still quite weak and player recruitment has been abysmal in the past few years. We're definitely in for a top 6 finish this year, but top 4 is still one step too far. The question to ask is: Who is Arsenal going to dislodge to make it to the top 4? I'm in the mood to do some bullet points today, so here's why top 4 isn't going to happen.
- Liverpool: Small squad but extremely well-drilled. They more or less sealed the league in January and have looked almost invincible for two years now. Definitely not finishing outside top 4. Even though we've beaten them in the last two matches, I'll be surprised if we manage one point in against them in the league.
- Manchester City: The Caf loves to hate on Pep but there's no way he's going to let City drop outside the top 4. Even in such a "bad" season, they managed over 100 goals and conceded only two more than Liverpool. If they get Messi, I'd like to see if they can set a new record for most goals scored.
- Manchester United: A lot of people here keep saying United are not top 4 material but I disagree. The squad is definitely top 4 level. One or two more smart additions such as Bruno Fernandes, along with some good squad players, would make United good enough for top 3. I feel the full-backs are a lot weaker than other prem sides, especially since the role of full-backs has evolved a lot in recent years and the bench strength is terrible. I was watching the Europa League semi-final and it reminded me of Arsenal circa 2008 or 09 (van Persie off, Bendtner on
). There's a lot of time till October and I think United will sign just enough to build on the good work done last season.
- Chelsea: I've always been very impressed with the recruitment department of Chelsea. It looks like they clearly know which areas to strengthen and are getting the right players for each position. I can only hope that Chilwell is the new Drinkwater, Havertz turns into the Ozil of 2021, and Silva suddenly turns into Silvestre (from his Arsenal days ). I'm pretty sure they'll get a new goalie this window, and I don't see them dropping out of top 4. With these signings, they better close the gap with City and Liverpool, or else Lampard's going to get sacked.
