The 2012/2013 season has ended and Arsenal finished in the 4th spot, a finish good enough for just UEFA Champions League via the play-offs. After the match yesterday,
the players were caught on camera celebrating as though they had just won the championship. A lot of fans cum critics didn’t find the sight funny and branded the
players shameless for brazenly celebrating ‘failure’. While top 4 finish isn’t simply good enough for a team of Arsenal’s class, weight and history, that is still not good enough reason to brand the season a failure. In the course of the season, I discovered Arsenal have learnt some lessons and I will like to share them with you all.

Goal Scoring Duty Is Now A Shared Responsibility.

One of the problems that shows up when a star player especially a striker exits the club, is the issue of who replaces his goals. In Arsenal’s case, when Van Persie left in the summer preceding the season, Arsenal were in a quandary as to how to replace the goals supplied by the 30 goals striker. In the 2011/2012 season, Van Persie was Arsenal’s only player with double figures in the Premier League but this season, the goals have been shared around. In the just ended season, we had four players with double figures in the Premier League alone; Theo Walcott (14), Santi Cazorla (12), Olivier Giroud (11), Lukas Podolski (11). If we are to win the league again, we need multiple goal outlets like we had in the unbeaten season and this season, we laid the foundation for it.

Discovered The Best Center-back Partnership.

A title winning side is built on solid defence (the last time we won the league, we also boast of the meanest backline) and a solid defence is built on understanding between the 2 center-backs. We started the season with 3 center-backs and all three had chances to play with one another but through it all, it was clear that Mertesacker/ Koscielny partnership was the best. In our last 10 games of the season and with both players playing together, Arsenal conceded only one goal per match and only conceded twice from open play. Ahead of next season, what we need is a capable back-up. Our first choice pairing is sorted already.

Wenger dared new things

One of the reasons why we haven’t won a trophy in donkey years has been Wenger’s rigidity and refusal to try new tricks but this season, he did. He jettisoned his late substitutions and wielded the axe on seemingly untouchables. It wasn’t a new thing that he dropped Szczesny, he had dropped goalkeepers in the past (Seaman and
Lehmann) but never has he dropped his captain when fully fit and for important games. But this season, Wenger dropped Vermaelen for the all important clash against Bayern and since then, he had found the first team hard to break into. The only start he had was when Mertesacker was suspended. This new trend means no player is untouchable. Hence, all the players would sit up and fight for their place in the team. Healthy competition for places means better performance and better results.

Arsenal can now play dirty

In the past, Arsenal have been renowned for playing football the beautiful way, scoring many goals but also generous at the back. This season, especially in the last 3 months, the Gunners have been miserly in defence. They score and lock up. This season, we saw Arsenal score early and maintain the lead and also keep clean sheets. If we want the title, we must be ready to grind out results and that we have learnt this season.

Walcott’s best season ever

For long, the English winger had been villified for offering much but delivering very little. But this season, he came to maturity. This season is still his best so far as a player and good to know he is doing his heroics with Arsenal. He notched 22 goals in all competition and 14 in the league to emerge as the club’s top scorer this season. All his goal scoring heroics he did from the wings. Hopefully, he will improve on the good form next season and help us challenge for titles.

Ramsey can be an asset

If there was one player Arsenal fans were keen to see his back, it was the Welshman but this season, the former Cardiff prodigy breathe new life into his Arsenal career. In the past, he was used as a square peg in a round hole, playing as a winger or in an attacking midfield position but this season, Wenger used him as an auxiliary defensive midfielder and the decision proved a masterstroke. Now, we know Ramsey can be a plus to the team

Left-back sorted

Arsenal started the new season with a problematic position and it was the left-back role. Gibbs was the first choice but was susceptible to injuries while his back-up Santos looked totally out of sorts. In the course of the season, Wenger brought in Spaniard Monreal who has proven to be more than a mere back-up. With Monreal and Gibbs, we can confidently say the left-back conundrum has been finally solved.

Arsenal can end the season well

In the past, we perfected the art of starting well but often fell flat in the latter stages of the season but this time even though we started poorly, we finished with an aplomb. All we need to win the title next season is to find a balance; start the season well and also maintain our newly found mental strength to end the season well.

With the above lessons, we can all see that the season hasn’t been an utter failure. Rather, it has been a learning curve and hopefully, we will put our wisdom to full use next season.

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Finally, the bird has come home to roast with Swansea naming the price for their much coveted captain Ashley Williams. For long, the Welshman who also doubles as club and country captain has been on the radar of some of the Premier League’s top teams; Arsenal and Liverpool but the Welsh club have often rejected insinuations that they were considering the sale of their captain but with the recent development which according to Skysports is that a 10 million Pounds fee has been slapped on his head, this means Swansea are finally ready to sell and interested clubs can now start making bids but wait a minute, before they do, is Williams really worth that
load of cash?

I know he is talented and had a decent season but certainly not a brilliant one because he didn’t win any individual award (player of the month), no nomination for the PFA awards and didn’t make it into the team of the season. On what grounds then is the fee justifiable?

Williams is currently 28 years old and by the time the new season would be starting, he would be 29 which means this will probably be his last big move and at that age, he is already at his peak and not likely to improve. He also doesn’t have a resell on value.

Talking about experience, Williams lacks it at the highest level. He has never played for a team vying for titles or in Europe. From Hednesford Town to Stockport City and then Swansea. Also, he is just in his second season in the EPL. I am not saying he is bad player, all I am saying is that he is not worth the cash demand. He is a short term solution and can’t be around for the long term owing to his age. By slapping a 10 million price tag on him, Swansea clearly don’t want to sell. They know most teams would buckle at that price for an old man and an European neophyte.

No team is in the position to determine how much Swansea demands for their player but teams especially Arsenal should be wise enough not to splash out unnecessarily. British players are over-priced and often times they fail to justify the tag; Carroll (35m), Chamberlain (15m), Downing (17m), Bent (18m).

I know we need to beef up our defence but I doubt if our search is over. It’s high time we turn our attention to more seasoned defenders and ones that will offer us long term services. My prime candidate is Marseille’s Nicholas N’Koulou.

All was well that ended well against Wigan except the late injury sustained by Mikel Arteta. In the twilight of the victory over the Lactics at the Emirates, one that pushed the Gunners to within a victory to finish in the top 4, Arteta pulled up with an injury suspected to be a calf complaint. The injury has now made him a heavy
doubt for the all important clash against Newcastle. A season defining match. Arteta has been an integral part of our team and his importance is underlined by the fact that he has started all the Premier league games he has been fit for and also completed 90 minutes in all of them provided he was fit.

In all, he has played 42 matches for Arsenal this season and has started all of them. The games he missed this season has been down to him been injured or rested. Now that he is almost out, Wenger must decipher a solution and find a replacement from his litany of versatile midfielders. Let’s consider those that could get the nod.

Aaron Ramsey – he has been Arteta’s partner in defensive midfield. Arsenal use double pivot in defensive midfield and while Arteta sits back protecting the defence, Ramsey has more licence to make forward runs. The Welshman has been one of the most vilified Arsenal players owing to his under-performance but he seems to have turned the corner and fans tend to like him now owing to his performance in defensive midfield.

It is a different thing to play as auxiliary defensive midfielder, it is a different kettle of fish to play the role of the main defensive midfielder. All season, he has only played the role once and it was in the 5-1 win over West Ham. Should Arsenal call on him to deputize for Arteta? The only problem in asking Ramsey to play the Arteta role is the fact that who acts as the auxiliary defensive midfielder? We don’t have too many defensive minded midfielders. There is Wilshere but he is not entirely fit and it will be risky to ask him to play a gruelling 90 minutes against highly physical Newcastle midfield. There is also Coquelin.

Coquelin – he is a natural defensive midfielder. He has been kept out of the side owing to Arteta’s impeccable form and Ramsey’s sudden surge of confidence but with Arteta out, it could just be his opportunity. Coquelin is a clean tackler and also decent with his passes. Should Wenger ignore him in his search for a fill-in, he might see his future away from the club and then force a summer move away.

Wilshere – the English starlet is an attacking midfielder but with a knack for tackles. Through out his Arsenal career, he has played majorly as an attacking midfielder or an auxiliary defensive midfielder but never as a defensive midfielder. The fact that he is also nursing an injury that will require surgery to correct
though a mild one means he is not the right candidate to replace Arteta. Using Wilshere as a defensive midfielder will be akin to risking the balance of the team and it might end up hurting us. The Newcastle match is not one where we experiment. If Wenger thinks Wilshere can play defensive midfield, he should wait for pre-season or Emirates Cup to try him out.

Vermaelen – the relegated Arsenal captain is an outside contender for the role. It is not a news that the Belgian is quite versatile as he can play center-back, left-back and defensive midfield. Against Wigan, he was brought in to replace Arteta but we cannot really judge him in that role based on the performance because before his entry, the Lactics had been dead and buried and the clock was already ticking away. Newcastle will be a different kettle of fish. I have no doubt that Vermaelen will thrive in that role because he tackles well and will have the opportunity to make runs forward. The only challenge I have with having him in that role is the fact that we will be having all our three centre-backs on the (Mertesacker, Vermaelen and Koscielny) field all at once and should one be injured, it will be serious but considering the fact that this is the last match of the season (expect the crazy play-off happens), the risk might just be worth it.

Whoever replaces Arteta, the demand is the same; 3 points with loads of goals to at least stand a chance of leapfrogging Chelsea. You have other options? Kindly share them in the comments.

Aaron Ramsey, a name that most divides opinion among the Gunner fan base. Ramsey spent his childhood years at Cardiff City, playing for the youth team before bursting into the first team at the age of 16. His debut in the championship was as a substitute to replace Paul Parry in the final minute of a game against Hull City which Cardiff City eventually lost 1-0. He went on to make a further 22 appearances for Cardiff in the following season. Come June 2008, Cardiff received multiple offers for the young midfielder but the persuasion of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger tilted his decision towards the Gunners and the move was finally completed on June 13th for a fee of £4.8 million. He soon made his Premier League & Champions League bows for the Gunners and worked his way into the first team. A season later, Ramsey was given with a new long-term contract. He was the heir apparent to Fabregas’ exalted throne.

Come Saturday 27th of February 2010, a day that Ramsey would certainly like to erase from his memory, an horrendous tackle from Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross left him in agony on the pitch and he was soon stretchered off and rushed to the hospital where it was revealed that he had broken his tibia & fibula. It was a sore sight for all gunners, to see a young player being stretchered off with a double fracture in his left leg. But his return was beckoning and he soon started training in October that year. Ramsey was loaned for a period of 1 month each to Nottingham Forest & Cardiff City to gain fitness and returned to the Emirates in February 2011.

Even with his match fitness returning, he still lacked the sharpness and desire to go all in into a tackle for which he was known. The tackle by Shawcross seemed to haunt him & this prompted manager Arsene Wenger to deploy him on the wings, but this was mainly due to the fact that Arsenal lacked any true quality wingers – it just seemed to patch up holes instead of fixing the real problem. Slowly the confidence seemed to creep its way back in as Ramsey put in some good performances down the wings.

Since the turn of January this year, he has started showing flashes of his truly brilliant self. With Jack Wilshere still having troubles with his ankle, Ramsey made the most of the opportunity of being allowed to play in his favoured position – a more central role. This has led to a significant change in his performance ( which many of us who truly believe in him expected anyway). Controlling & dictating midfield and drifting forward whenever the opportunity arises, Ramsey has certainly filled the void left by the ever-reliable Wilshere. This free role allows Ramsey, Cazorla & Arteta to interchange positions with the latter preferring to play in an anchoring role.

If he continues with his recent performance, Arsenal fans can look forward to a bright future with a midfield consisting of Wilshere, Ramsey & Cazorla that definitely holds the potential to unlock any defense.

Taha Shaikhnag

It was the last home game of the season and a vital one, very pivotal to our top 4 push. After Spurs won at the Britannia, we knew we had to beat Wigan and unfortunately, also seal their Premier League fate. Pundits believed the game against the Lactics would be a difficult one owing to the fact that they were battling the drop and will be buoyed by their surprised FA Cup conquest. Arsenal took the lead like they’ve been doing in recent weeks but were pegged back by a Maloney sublime free-kick before a flurry of three second half goals added gloss to the victory. Now, Arsenal have a leg in the top 4, all we need do is make sure we beat Newcastle but we might just snatch 3rd spot if we score enough goals and Chelsea fail to beat Everton in Moyes’ last game in charge of the Toffees.

Besides the three crucial points garnered, there were some salient points I noticed from the game and I will like to share them with you all. Come with me.

Choice of Szczesny

The battle for the number one spot at Arsenal have been fierce recently after Wenger did the unimaginable, dropping Szczesny in favour of the returning Fabianski but it became route one decision when the older Pole got injured and his younger compatriot stepped up the plate to re-assert himself in the team. But with his return to full fitness, Wenger had a dilemma on his hands and a big decision to make. If he had re-instated Fabianski back to the first team, it would have signified a loss of confidence in Szczesny and would have impacted on his long term future at Arsenal but if he had kept faith with him then, it would have meant Wenger still saw him as
the club’s number one and only wanted him to sit up and that was why he was benched. The latter happened.

Szczesny didn’t have a bad game, though he could be partly blamed for Wigan’s equalizer, Podolski sharing in the blame after he refused to jump high enough to obstruct the passage of the ball; his positioning was poor but he
also made a world class save when he saved at close range from Aruna Kone. That save proved decisive because the game was still a goal apiece then. If Wigan had taken the lead, it would had been difficult for Arsenal to win the game.

Improved performance from Podolski

For the third game running, Wenger kept faith with Podolski through the middle and the German striker showed huge signs of improvement. Not only did he grab two goals, his movement and link-up play was better. What could have been responsible for the remarkable improvement? Could it be the fact that Wigan were less defensive as they
needed to score to stand a chance of winning the game which meant they had to commit more men forward and couldn’t afford the luxury of bus parking. In the other games where Podolski didn’t really do well, there was committed defending.

Ramsey finally scores

The Welshman had been trying relentlessly to get on the scorers’ sheet for many games now but a combination of superb goalkeeping and poor marksmanship at key moments had always denied him but there was no denying the former Cardiff prodigy a well deserved goal has he capped a good performance with a well taken goal. After receiving a sublime pass from Cazorla, he ran all the way into the Lactics’ penalty area and curled in a superb finish. Now that he has scored, I fear for a celebrity’s life.

Arteta’s injury

The only blip from the game was an injury to the Spanish midfielder, the former Toffee picked up an injury suspected to be a hamstring one in the twilight of the game. The good thing is that we have just a match to go, I believe we have adequate options to at least cover for that one game; Coquelin, Ramsey, Vermaelen.

McCarthy fails auditioning

One of the players to watch in the game was Wigan’s 22 year old Irish defensive midfielder James Mc Carthy. After his scintillating performance against Manchester City in the FA Cup, pundits tipped him to boss the Arsenal midfield in the crucial Premier League game and with Arsenal and Tottenham been touted for a move for him, I was keen to see him prove his mettle. In a midfield battle, Mc Carthy surrendered to Ramsey and Rosicky’s leadership. I am not disputing the fact that he is talented but he isn’t an upgrade to what we currently have at Arsenal (Ramsey and Coquelin). Our target should be someone higher.