Mid-season report card part two: Who has impressed and who has left us stressed?

Mid-season report card part two: Who has impressed and who has left us stressed for Arsenal in the Premier League this season?

By Adam Le Roux

Who’s impressed you this season for Arsenal? In a season that has been anything but routine there have been very few players that have stood out so far in the Premier League, with the Gunners languishing in 11th position ahead of the weekend’s action.

Whether it is up front or at the back, there have been issues all over the field during the current campaign, with Mikel Arteta trying to steer the ship over the tumultuous seas.

And with just 15 matches left to play to try and salvage something from the season, there will be a number of players worrying about their future at the club when the summer transfer window comes about, having underperformed for much of 2020/21.

So, following on from yesterday’s offerings, we take a look at seven more stars and judge their season so far.

David Luiz: D

You can try as hard as you like, but it’s becoming increasingly harder to try to ignore the calamities that David Luiz produces on the football pitch in an Arsenal shirt.

Whether it’s his lax marking, or short attention span, the Brazilian always seems capable of letting the opposition back into the game with a poor error of judgement, much to the detriment of his teammates.

The clash with Wolves earlier in the month is a prime example of that, with the defender letting William Jose steal in behind him and get through on goal, before clumsily bringing the striker down to compound the misery.

A red card and suspension followed, leaving Arsenal a man light for the following three games - a spell we are still enduring - and allowed Nuno Espirito Santo’s men to turn the game around and put an end to the Gunners’ seven game unbeaten run in the league.

You may have your own views on whether the red card was deserved or not, but the fact of the matter is the striker shouldn’t have been given the space to be in that position in the first place, and the blame lies firmly on Luiz’s shoulders for that one.

Alexandre Lacazette: B+

This had the potential of being a much lower mark if we had done this earlier in the season, but a flurry of goals post-Christmas has seen the Frenchman earn the Gunners some valuable points of late.

The goals have been coming in fits and starts for the 29-year-old in the current campaign, with three strikes in the three opening games of the season leaving Arsenal fans dreaming of another fruitful return from the former Lyon man.

But no Premier League goal until after the festive period dashed any hopes of that happening, with his next strike coming from the spot in a 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Boxing Day.

The deciding goal in a 1-0 victory over Brighton just seconds after coming off the bench was another highlight just days later, before he capped off a marvellous week with a brace against West Brom.

Since then there has been a solitary goal against Southampton to cap off a 3-1 win, but Lacazette looks revitalised compared to the man we saw in the latter stages of 2021, and when he is on form he is a handful for anyone in the Premier League.

A lack of ammunition hasn’t helped his cause, but as top scorer with eight league goals this season, his contribution has been crucial when Arsenal have needed him most.

Bernd Leno: B

We all know what Leno can do between the sticks, and the dependable German has been just as solid as usual throughout the current campaign, save for the odd lapse in concentration here and there.

In truth, things may well have been even worse for Arsenal this season if there was someone of a lesser calibre than the 28-year-old between the sticks, with his saves keeping the Gunners competitive in too many matches to remember.

You only have to look at the Carabao Cup cameo from Alex Runarsson back in December to see how much things could have been different without Leno wearing the gloves, with the Icelandic stopper fumbling the ball all over the place in a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.

A red card against Wolves is the only blot on the former Bayer Leverkusen man’s record this season, but that is a night that all Arsenal fans want to forget in a hurry.

Eddie Nketiah: D

It’s often hard to say it against one of your own, but it looks as if Eddie Nketiah just doesn’t have that extra little something that will make him a top-quality Premier League striker.

Yes, he’s industrious and yes, he works his socks off, but the academy graduate just seems to be lacking a real presence in the final third to impose himself on matches at the highest level at the moment.

Maybe another loan move might be the best option for the England under-21 international, where he can rediscover that goalscoring touch and get the confidence flowing through his veins once again.

A rating of a D is certainly not through a lack of effort, but a lack of end product is harming his chances of nailing down a regular starting berth as it stands.

Granit Xhaka: B+

Whisper it quietly, but Granit Xhaka is starting to turn things around at the Emirates this season, and has been one of the Gunners’ standout performers since we started hanging our 2021 calendars on the wall.

It hasn’t always been the way for the Swiss star though, with a red card against Burnley back in December the nadir of a poor start to the season, in which he looked well below-par.

But that dismissal and the resultant suspension has only seemed to galvanise the former Borussia Monchengladbach man, and he looks like a new man as he takes to the field - one that will give his all for the red and white shirt.

Since his return to playing Xhaka has been all-action, whether it’s grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck as Arsenal come forward, or tracking back to make goal saving tackles at the other end - and it’s been so refreshing to see.

Gabriel: C

Another man who has seen red this season, Gabriel has been at the heart of the Arsenal defence for 15 of the 23 Premier League matches played so far, but has only kept three clean sheets in that time.

The Brazilian import hasn’t stood out as either good or bad in the Arsenal backline, but when you’re lining up next to David Luiz week in, week out, it’s hard to notice the performance of anyone else in the backline.

A month out with injury coincided with Arsenal’s best run of results this season, with the Gunners going seven matches without defeat from Boxing Day until February, before going down three more times on his return to the team.

In fact, Gabriel hasn’t been in a winning Arsenal team since a 1-0 victory over Manchester United back in November, and maybe he isn’t the answer to the problems at the back, with a fit Pablo Mari looking much the better prospect.

Hector Bellerin: B

There isn’t much to fault about Hector Bellerin’s performances this season, with the Spaniard putting in the hard yards on the right side of defence, as he motors up and down the flank to cause a danger at the other end of the pitch.

So often the understated member of the defensive line, the 25-year-old has been as dependable as ever for Arteta this season, as he quietly and maturely goes about his business.

He doesn’t get the plaudits that Kieran Tierney does in the other fullback position, but without Bellerin the side would fare much worse, with his pace and positional sense helping to keep things tight on his side of the defensive unit.

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