Arsenal Half-Term Report

Lacklustre, lazy, lethargic. No, not me after Christmas lunch (alright, that’s true also) but Arsenal’s performance on Boxing Day against Southampton at St Mary’s. Then, despite an ultimately straightforward 2-0 win against Bournemouth on Monday, we nonetheless played similarly at times, and I thought that the reality check of those two games might be a good precursor to my midseason review, especially as we have now reached the nineteen game mark.

I say reality check, not because we’re in a worrying situation, in fact we’re far from that, but because after the Manchester City game you could have been forgiven for actually feeling a little bit confident about our prospects for the rest of the season, perhaps even expectant. What the last week has shown us is that whilst we are clearly a side with the potential to win the whole thing this season, it is by no means certain that we’re going to stroll through the next five months to the title (as some might have been beginning to hope).

That being said, we are top of the league going into 2016, and we can look back with relative fondness at what has gone before, and ahead with only minor trepidation to what could be in store.

Best Player

If Mesut Özil’s eyes don’t give it away, his football does; he is not human, he is a sentient robot sent from the future with consequent complete awareness of where his teammates will be at all times, and an unerringly accurate left foot. Though many (Nacho Monreal, Petr Cech, maybe even Laurent Koscielny) could be mentioned here, there is only one clear winner of the award for our star player so far this season. There are simply no words to do justice to the elegance and class with which Mesut moves the ball around the pitch, and I frequently this season have barely been able to believe some of the passes that he has pulled off.

Sixteen assists (thirteen from open play) in just nineteen games is frankly absolutely ludicrous, and with some better finishing from our strikers at times, our playmaker would have broken that frequently talked about record of twenty in one season, in just half the time that it took a certain Thierry Henry.

I’d love to commit more time to a full piece on the particularly apt comparisons drawn between Mesut and another club legend in Dennis Bergkamp, but for now, suffice to say that his career in North London is charting a rather familiar course, from underutilised European star, to expensive transfer gamble, right through initial struggles and all the way to bona fide superstar.

Mesut can’t match Dennis’ achievements at the club just yet, nor has he displayed his full talents for long enough to truly bring himself in line with Bergkamp’s eleven seasons at Highbury, but all the evidence is there that he is well on his way.

Worst Player

I actually find it fairly difficult to single out one individual as our worst performer so far this season. Though many have had some forgettable matches and moments, there has rarely been a player who I don’t think has looked on par with those around him on a consistent basis.

I suppose, in terms of expectation and potential, you might say that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has had the most disappointing season of our squad, but that is more of a reflection on the level that Arsenal fans know he can achieve than any particular unhappiness with the Ox himself.

At just 22, there is so much more to come from our talented young winger/future central midfielder. During his time at Arsenal, the Ox has demonstrated time and time again that he is one of the most exciting young players in the division, and has rightly been given the chance to represent the national side on numerous occasions.

Thinking back to that evening when he dominated the midfield at just 18 against AC Milan, everyone could see that the club had something special on their hands, and it is just such a shame that injuries have somewhat derailed his career since. Seemingly every time the Ox looks as though he is going to have his ‘breakout’ year, he is struck down by another injury, and it is never easy to work your way back into the starting lineup after a long layoff.

Oxlade hasn’t really taken the chances presented to him so far this season, but with a bit of time, and a run of games, he will.

Predicted Finish

I am really loath to stick my neck out and make a proper prediction at this stage, considering just how crazy the league has been so far, but I’ll be pessimistic and say that while we’ll push City right to the end, we’ll just miss out on the title and have to settle for second this season. Happy to be proven wrong though!

January Signings

There is again little point in me predicting who we’re going to bring in in January, as Arsene is traditionally a firm believer that players are overpriced midseason, while world class talent is rarely available at any price. Mohamed Elneny, the 23 year old Egyptian midfielder, is likely on his way in from Basel, and I have no problem with that, as from the little that I know of him, he’s a useful squad player who is comfortable across the midfield, and who could eventually develop into something more. Ideally a top class forward such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would be an upgrade on Theo Walcott as our first choice striker and alternative to Olivier Giroud up front, but such players are more likely to be pursued in the summer, and Aubameyang himself might well be out of our reach anyway.

Overall Rating

8/10. It’s been a strange season so far, and it will probably continue to be so, but Arsenal can be proud of what they’ve achieved at this stage. With big teams such as Chelsea and Manchester United floundering, it is both creditable that we’ve been able to maintain at least some level of consistency, and our best chance to get our hands on the Premier League trophy for a long time. There is room for improvement certainly, but that may come when players return from injury (if indeed they ever do). Ultimately, for Arsenal, the grade that really matters is the one that they receive in five months’ time.

Of course, feel free to disagree with me entirely on any of these categories in the comments!