Arsenal: The April Round-up

April was an odd month to be an Arsenal fan. Our form wasn’t terrible, we won three and drew three, but it was the month that officially ended our title race and saw the pressure on Wenger really ramp up. Banners, empty seats and pre-match protests showed the feelings of some supporters.

Now truth be told our title challenge was over a lot earlier. The back-to-back losses against Man Utd and Swansea, followed by the draw to Spurs took the fate of the title from our hands. It was always going to be a struggle from then.

Despite all this there were some things in April to get excited about. Most of these are good indicators for next season more than anything else, but nevertheless, here are some takeaway points from the month.

Alex Iwobi

First up has to be teenage sensation Alex Iwobi. The Nigerian international really burst into the team in style last month, starting all six of our Premier League games. Including his start against Everton in March, Iwobi has started seven games in a row, scored twice, with two assists to his name and an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.47. Not bad for a player in his breakthrough season.

With little to play for this year we’ve had the luxury of being able to give a young player a run in the first team and hopefully that investment will become more telling next season. What also sends a strong message is Wenger’s decision to choose Iwobi over Walcott. It highlights how the England international has become nothing more than a squad player, struggling to hold a permanent position on the wing or upfront.

Alexis Sanchez

With Iwobi bursting onto the scene and taking the left wing spot, Alexis Sanchez has been forced to the right wing and has flourished. The winger has had a very quiet season in his second Premier League campaign, prior to his goal against Tottenham, Sanchez hadn’t scored since October. He was looking good, playing well but the goals were not flowing. However, since the game at Goodison Park, the Chilean has gone seven games with five goals, two assists, and a WhoScored.com rating of 8.19, considerably higher than his season average of 7.52 before then.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the pacey winger has not had a break for three consecutive summers, with international commitments taking their toll. Things aren’t looking much better this year either as a special centenary Copa America is being held in the USA. A player of his quality and style needs a forced rest, but without a clear summer schedule that is looking increasingly unlikely. Hopefully he can start next season at full throttle, but the risk of burn out looms.

Mohamed Elneny

Arsene Wenger always says to give players at least six months before they settle in a new league, but the truth is fans judge a player much quicker than that. Elneny’s goal against Barcelona was lovely and his desire to get forward and shoot often is enjoyed by the fans. He’s always appeared for Arsenal in central midfield alongside another player. Initially it was Coquelin and more recently Aaron Ramsey.

The Egyptian’s story is a bit similar to that of Alex Iwobi. Given we have matches and little to play for; it is a good time for the players to accumulate first team minutes. Elneny has started our last seven Premier League games, with an average WhoScored.com rating of 7.01. What’s noticeable though is that the only two games he has fallen below a score of 7.00 recently were against West Ham and Crystal Palace. In both games we held the lead but failed to secure the points. In some part it’s down to the position he plays, but it also shows his early importance on the team’s performance.

The Bad

Olivier Giroud is the first player on the bad list for April. The striker has recently found himself back in the starting XI after four games as a substitute. However, in his last seven appearances he’s only mustered one assist. That takes the Frenchman to 15 Premier League games without a goal. Poor form for the player we consider our ‘main’ striker.

It’s also been a bad month for Calum Chambers. Not so much to do with poor performances, but more the lack of playing time. The young defender didn’t play a single minute in April and highlights his status as a reserve defender. Given our defence has been injury free recently some may not see this as a surprise, but with Elneny and Iwobi given game time to develop their status in the squad, it’s a small shame not seeing Chambers being given some minutes – at right back or centre back – to help further his game.

Finally, it’s been a very bad month for Arsene Wenger. Seeing Leicester City win the title on Monday night would have been bittersweet for all Arsenal fans. You can’t help but get caught up in the fairytale story, however,  there’s a strong overriding feeling that it should have been us that lifted the trophy this season, and many fans blame Wenger for that. Not just on twitter either; fan’s frustration has spread to the Emirates. The pressure is mounting on the boss, and although he looks set to be in charge next year, a poor start could lead to a very long season indeed.

RK

Update: The Arsenal website just published the players of the month for April. From first to third the votes were for Elneny, Sanchez and Iwobi. The above may help shine some light on why! See link below for the article:

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160504/elneny-is-vitality-player-of-the-month

 

 

Why Arsenal can still win the Premier League

With nine games to go, and an 11 point gap with Leicester (despite a game in hand), it’s a fair assumption that Arsenal’s title race is over for another season. But this post isn’t for the doom and gloom fans, this is for the optimists, the opportunists, the ones who took positives from Barcelona away. This is a head-in-the-clouds, why we can still win the league, destiny’s in our own hands post that may just rekindle your small flame of hope.

Mohamed Elneny – Arsenal’s newest midfielder

It’s rare for Arsene Wenger to publicly announce that we’re chasing a player, let alone that a deal is imminent. But he has broken his usual silence and misdirection several times when it comes to Mohamed Elneny. The FC Basel midfielder is set to be the first Egyptian to join Arsenal and will help strengthen the side after injuries to Coquelin, Cazorla and Wilshere.

Arsenal and the ‘even year’ curse!

Arsenal start 2016 top of the Premier League and as favourites to win the title, but it was only two years ago we were in a similar position. So why should the fans be optimistic this season? Or better still should they be optimistic at all? This post examines how Arsenal’s performance changes with calendar year and the odd pattern in recent years that doesn’t spell good news for the club’s title ambitions.

Arsenal’s Right Wing – Rambo v The Ox

One debate amongst Arsenal fans this season has been which player should start on the right wing. The injury to Ramsey in that emphatic victory against Bayern Munich brought Oxlade-Chamberlain into the starting line-up this weekend. Although most Arsenal fans would be happy to see Chamberlain get a start and have a chance, it has been clear that so far this season Ramsey is Wenger’s preferred choice. Given Chamberlain’s winning goal in the Community Shield and his naturally more exciting style of play many Arsenal fans were tipping this to be his season, but ten Premier League games in and it seems that he will be forced to play second fiddle.

Where are they now? – The young midfielders who left Arsenal

Arsenal have a reputation for producing some great young players. A reputation which Wenger has helped to build and maintain, and although many of these players leave the club before making a first team start they can be found littered across the globe at various levels of the footballing pyramid. Below is a look at a select few individuals which are starting to build careers for themselves in top European leagues after being released by the club.

Arsenal: The Financial Picture

Arsenal’s financial statements always make for good reading, more so than any other club in the Premier League. This is down to a combination of factors, but mainly the importance placed on financial results by Arsene Wenger, as well as the large cash reserve being built up at the club. The release of the financial statements just three weeks after the close of a lack lustre transfer window, was always going to raise questions from supporters of the North London side, but what are the key take away points from the annual report for the year ending 31 May 2015.

Arsene Wenger’s top 5 Arsenal signings

After confirmation of Petr Cech’s signing on Monday, there’s a real excitement amongst Arsenal fans for what this season could bring. World class players seem to be joining every year and there’s a strong sense that the team is able to sustain a genuine title challenge this coming season. With that in mind, I’ve looked back at what I consider to be Arsene Wenger’s top five signings, whether it is for the fee paid, what they achieved, their reputation, or the clubs they were bought from.

A great performance to break a big record! FA Cup Champions!

As the full time whistle blew, Arsenal fans celebrated not only back-to-back FA Cup wins but also becoming the most decorated team in the history of the cup. Our performance over Aston Villa was superb. We had the right tactics with the right players and stuck to the game plan. The opening goal took a while given the chances that had come before it but the team kept at it and once the deadlock was broken, you knew Arsenal were in control and had their destiny in their hands. Our attackers created plenty of chances and did well to make sure these counted, whilst defensively the team knew exactly what threat Villa posed and dealt with it in an efficient manner. Instead of going into detail about the overall game, I’ve taken a look at each players performance below: