Welcome to Day Two of our ‘Players of the Season’ series of polls.
We started yesterday with Defensive Player of the Season (if you missed it you can still vote by visiting that post).
Today we move onto the midfield. Please don’t complain if you think players have been listed in the wrong category: all designations have been taken from the official Arsenal website.
Tomorrow we move on to Attacking Player of the Season. Then on Friday we’ll have Overall Player of the Season, Young Player and Most Improved Player.
Results will be published on Saturday.
Have fun.
RockyLives
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Saka ,he thinks and reacts faster
Smith Rowe has really impressed this season
He is our Kelvin debruyne and better still our future
If I were arsenal I would sign Arouar and buendia to add more creativity
Neves or bissouma in our CDM
Bukayo Saka
The best “midfielder” overall for the season was Saka. The most improved “midfielder was Smith-Rowe, closely followed by Elneny. Given an appropriate quick thinking and destructive partner, the best midfielder for the future will be Partey.
Love Dardai of Hertha Berlin’s comment about Guendouzi last season – he is going through his “football puberty”. Spoilt teenager?
PS
Thanks Rocky for highlighting in picture form the legendary God that was Liam Brady.
Saka without a doubt. Our most creative player (38 chances created) and I would say the one with the best football brain because he analyzes the situations so quickly and often makes the best decision (dribble or pass or play back…) and he is very good at defending too.
He would be followed by ESR for me as well given how well ESR has done when he was given a chance.
Now – since X-mas, Xhaka didn’t do much wrong and did a lot of things right so he should be mentioned as well and when El Neny played, he was reliable.
Ultimately, the biggest disappointment has been Partey because he is such a fantastic foobtaller (or at least was at Atletico) and his season has been poor. I am hoping that he will be fit and ready to roar next year because this year is clearly to forget.
Ceballos – a season to forget.
Odegaard – good games when called upon but why keep him when we have ESR (and potentially Willock?)?
Saka, ESR, Xhaka
So far for me it has been:
Tierney – Saka –
all players under 25…promising stuff 🙂
French news outlets are reporting that Arsenal will make a 25 Mln pounds bid for Buendia and that they may even make a 40-45 Mln EUR bid for both Buendia and Aarons…
Buendia would come in to replace…Willian whose contract may be terminated mutually. Willian keen to go back to Chelsea but may be persuaded by the MLS, notably Inter Miami. If we get Buendia and get rid of Willian, it would not be a bad piece of business.
Willian was just a shadow of himself. I really do not get it. I was so thrilled to sign him and then a big flop…but even then, he managed to deliver a few assists. The problem is that all his assists came in a few games (3 on Day 1…)
Out of topic.
There are a few additional questions I would like to find out from your opinions on our players. Admins and Mods might wish to use as polls or questionnaires in future posts during off season. Thanks.
(1) Who are our top 3 penalty takers in our current 1st team (e.g. successful conversion rate, technique, composure etc.) as observed inside stadiums/on tv?
(2) Who are our top 3 dead ball specialists in the attacking 3rd (for corners & free-kicks)?
(3) If we were to keep only one next season, either Willock or Maitland-Niles?
(4) If we were to keep only one next season, either Saliba or Mavropanos or promote one of Ballard/McGuinness/Medley as the 4th CB (alongside Gabriel, Holding and Mari)?
(5) Who is/are the next young player(s) to breakthrough to our 1st team? (e.g. Ballard, McGuinness, Medley, H.Clarke, M.Smith, Olayinka, John-Jules, Okonkwo, Hein, Rekik, J.López, Azeez, Cottrell, G.Lewis, Möller, Cirjan etc.)
Well noted JM. We will look into it. If you send us:
1. 1 post for questions 1 and 2
2. 1 post for questions 3 and 4 and make sure to also include Odegaard in the mix 😛
3. 1 post for question 5 and maybe add Iliev to the list?
Thanks in advance
RC78, it is alright. Either yourself or RockyLives (or Rasp/Peaches) could use and post my questions on behalf.
For (1), with what little I had seen from our 1st team players, my picks are Lacazette, Pépé and Maitland-Niles (in no particular order). If (3), we are keeping Willock instead of Maitland-Niles, we would lose one efficient penalty taker (other than him being a versatile player).
For (2), Luiz is gone and Ødegaard is returning to Real Madrid (if we are not able to sign him). Pépé, Saka, Willian are the usual cornerkick takers (if Willian should leave or use sparingly next season, that leaves us with 2); any of Xhaka, Pépé, Ødegaard, Willian and occasionally Aubameyang and Lacazette takes the freekicks in our attacking 3rd. I have not (yet) seen Partey, Smith Rowe, Tierney, Saka, Elneny etc take freekicks in similar situations.
For (1) and (2), I hope to see our team make improvements in the scoring chances with set-pieces while complementing our chances in open plays. I would like any new attacking signing(s) to be a good dead ball specialist as well.
For (3), I am still unsure to choose between keeping either Willock or Maitland-Niles. Should keeping both mean our club is not signing a new DM/CM?
Similar to (4), we would have quantity in the CB position if account for our squad CBs (Gabriel, Holding, Mari and occasionally Chambers), returning loanees (Saliba and Mavropanos), and promotion from U-23s (Ballard, McGuinness, Medley and others).
For (5), I am not acquainted with our youth teams matches, so would seek expertise and opinions from those among us who have.
JM, my 2 cents are below:
1) While Aubameyang had a disappointing season, he scored so many inch perfect penalties that is insane. I also liked how coolly AMN scored them. I’m less impressed by Laca pr Pepe, but they also did score them, but less unstoppable fashion.
2) I would pass this question, as none of the set piece takers seemed particularly convincing. Willian assisted from corner twice and his set piece goal was also convincing, so I would go with him if I must pick one.
3) Since we will have about 14 games next season I wouldn’t keep neither AMN nor Willock at the first team. We might consider Joe if we don’t sign anyone to support/compete ESR at attacking midfield, but if Buendia or Odegaard joins, then it would be plain crazy to keep Willock. Same applied to AMN: ti would onyl make sense to keep him if Bellerin (and Soares) leaves and we don’t sign a backup full-back, or if we sell Elneny, don’t sign Ceballos and Bissouma then he can be promoted to #3 DM/CM.
4) That’s the toughest question, It is such a tragedy that Arsenal will play 25% less games next season, so we really have to stick to 4 CBs (Chambers – who happens to be a great RCB – excluded). If we could keep 2 of them 3 I would go with Saliba and Mavro (and send Ballard on loan again). But if we can’t do that, then even if I still value Dinos as the best right footed defender Arsenal currently has I would look for loan opportunities and keep the one who has worse chances for a quality loan deal. But either case it is critical not to buy a new defender. Nobody. No Umtiti, no it is Koundé, no Tapsoba, hell, not even Koulibaly on a free.
5) I expect a CM to go through. While we could use a full back, Lopez is far from the first team quality and Norton-Cuffy is way too young. So my bet is on Azeez (maybe Cottrell), however if Hutchinson and/or Taylor-Hart continue their development trajectories, they might have a sniff at the bench of a cup game.
I know I am biased but Xhaka in the Premier League team of the Season!!!!😯😯😯😯😯
I think it’s a conspiracy from the rest of the Premier League, to try to get us to keep him forever!!
Zinedine Zidane should be new manager of Totteringham says pundit. Only if he is still suffering from concussion after that headbutt!
Come on Villarreal!!!
come emery
come on emery
Haha – Fred, who would have thought we’d be cheering for Unai again!
Ent lol
Also hoping to see coquilen do his famous celebration
That would be nice.
Hopefully he’ll come off the subs bench and score Fred.
BT are showing the game live on You Tube if anyone is interested.
Get in Unai
Not such a straight forward win for the favourites.😁
Bloody typical – we’re the only team that Unai LOSES a final with.
Still, well done to Villareal – but what a boring game: three shots on target between both sides in the whole match…
Dracula prevails over the Norwegian PE teacher! Well done, Unai!! Now for City to win on Saturday and it’ll be the perfect Super Cup!!
Yes, Rocky you are technically correct, but VR has another trophy, and a CL spot.
Wait, wait, what do we have?
A coach who takes no risks, it has been shown everywhere, in every kind of metric, but we are 3rd since x-mas having not played anyone but the chavs on the road, in the top 6….
This guy should get 6 more months tops to turn this team into something fans actually want to watch…
Have my doubts ksE, Edu and Diet pep can get the plug and play types into his system to get us a top 4.
Sue,
Would be more satisfied seeing a coach come in within 6 months and win a big trophy than puP buy another one.
And even better Andy Goldstein on Talkshite…..speechless!
Aaron.. who knows you may get your wish!
Diet Pep – 🤣🤣 brilliant!!!
Andy Goldstein, the classic glory hunter, he has absolutely nothing of any interest or value to add to any conversation on football.
I can’t stand him.
Guess we are enemies Saturday sue cause I want chelsea to win, I despise mancity and prep
What a penalty by coquilen
Somewhat galling, as Rocky commented, that the only team Unai couldn’t organise and motivate was us! Or worse couldn’t motivate themselves. But to be honest, I wouldn’t have wanted to beat the Chelski in that manner anyway! (Unless it was Hazard who missed the last penalty!😉!)
Fred
Never enemies!
But you may be in the minority!
#anythingbut”championsofeuropeyou’llneversaythat’again.
Great interview with Rashford after game. Mature and thoughtful, but you need more than three players to usurp Manshitty……and a new manager……….Conti?………and what an “attractive’ team you will then become.
The ghosts of Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are still hanging around arent they folks.
Totteringham….Pochettina….Conti…..ZZ.?
Manure…Conti…Potchettina….ZZ?
Real Madrid…Conti…..Pocheteena….Solchjear?
PSG……Conti….Allegri….Solchjeer?
Sorry all, (esp RC), got carried away by spelling.
Arsenal…..Mikel Arteta…..thank you very much.
PS
And don’t give me £80m Maguire would have made all the difference!! Anymore than he will make the difference for England!
Brilliant, Sue.
Both, irritatingly, were best players on pitch against us, IMO.
Interesting reflecting on Mikel’s comments on those “inside” ( and outside) trying to break the Club, and Unai’s thoughts on his experience. “Willian was Mikel’s Pepe”. A player brought to the Club on an apparent high, either in the case of Pepe, for a ridiculous fee, or Willian for ridiculous contract/salary. Neither settled, or warranted expectations or cost. Hopefully this was another case of Robert Pires with Pepe and he will blossom net year. The buds are there!
And what of those doing the damage inside? Mesut, Sokratis, Mustafi and Kolasinac come to mind for both Unai and Mikel, but has the canker been scraped completely clear? Apart from the obvious melanoma at the head, I hope we will be going forward now. Patrick pleading for that growth to be cut out and Arsenal’s true DNA to be renewed. COYG #KroenkeOut
“next”…obviously!
New Post
Saka is a good player for arsenal to build the future on