Arsenal Player ratings for the season by Konstantin Mitov
Well, all the excitement of a new manager is dead with Mikel Arteta coming in. But I’d like to give my season ratings of the players who played at least a part time roll in the squad.
Cech – 3/10. For the experience he has, the amount of mistakes he made is shocking.
Ospina – 4/10 Not good enough for Arsenal, although he didn’t play regularly. Overall the GK verdict is get a new one as soon as possible.
Koscielny – 4/10. I’m sorry, but the amount of mistakes he made and the lack of leadership qualities for a captain earn the Boss a 4/10
Mustafi – 1/10 I don’t even want to talk about this.
Bellerin – 3/10. Didn’t care for much of the season and made a ton of mistakes. I’d give him another season under a new manager.
Monreal – 7/10. The one defender that can come our with any sort of pride our of the side. He also scored a few nice goals.
Kolasinac – 6/10 I don’t know why he was dropped after a good start, but I’ll be happy to see him under a new manager.
Chambers – 5/10. Good end to the season, but not enough play time and a lot of rotations didn’t help him.
Granit Xhaka – 3/10. I am sorry, but after 2 seasons, the Swiss hasn’t shown anything to prove he is a decent DM, let alone a Santi replacement.
Maitland-Niles – 7/10. The best of the young players by a mile! Played at different positions I’m very optimistic about this guy and I can’t wait to see what happens with him!
Jack Wilshere – 4/10. The whole love for Jack should not blindside the issue that he is not good enough. I fully agree with Southgate’s decision not to take him to the WC.
Mohammed Elneny – 6/10. I love the spirit and work rate of this guy. He is a good utility person to have in the squad.
Aaron Ramsey – 9/10. My player of the season. Ramsey was one of the few people who did his job in his position and stepped up when he was needed. He was really let down by a bad team overall.
Mesut Ozil – 5/10 he had a good start to the season, but against big teams, he was missing again. After his contract he’s been dead useless. Under a new manager though, I’d give him another chance.
Danny Welbeck – 5/10. Had glimpses of a really good player, but there is always something missing.
Henrick Mikhitaryan – 6/10. I thought Mikhi had a hit or miss half season. He was either amazing or average, but it’s just his first year.
Alex Iwobi – 3/10. I think there is quality in Alex and he’s one of very few who drive with the ball. But his end product was so poor and his confidence is very low, but under a new manager he could excel.
Alexander Lacazzete – 8/10. This guy would’ve been on 20 goals if Arsene didn’t rotate him with Giroud and then put him on the bench instead of playing with Auba. I think he’ll be key next year.
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang – 9/10. I think this guy is a steal. I feel so confused what we did to bring him in. The guy sits where he needs to in the box and netted 10 goals despite our poor performances and he’s the quickest Arsenal player to get them. Very promising for next season.
I could’ve missed someone, but for the overall team performance of the season, I’ll give them 3/10. The away performances, the Europa league missed chance against 10 man Atletico and the league cup capitulation is unacceptable. I’d give one if it wasn’t for the home form.
The manager gets 2/10, but at least he is gone.
Now the board. I was really happy with Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat and we finally sacked Wenger, but and it’s a major but! We don’t have a replacement manager lined up.
This is honestly pathetic and we’re getting Arteta. The real issue is that we only got rid of Arsene due to the empty seats, but appointing Mikel misses a major point, which is the fact that the fans are divided and angry and this appointment will not excite anyone.
Also the fact he signed Auba and Mikhi, when our obvious problems lie in defense, show exactly the problem. This was throwing dust in our eyes, to make up for the fact we screwed up with the Alexis transfer.
The poor handling of the contracts with players like Wilshere free to leave and Ramsey in the last year of their contracts, don’t help either. So in the end the board gets 3/10 for Auba and sacking Wenger only. And it will get 3-4 more if we don’t sign Arteta and get a man like Ancelotti or Enrique who are available.
That’s it for me, what are your ratings? Share them in the comments!
Konstantin
Aubameyang and Lacazette are our best players.
Thumbs up to Mkhitaryan, Monreal and Kolsanic for being more consistent than most of our players also
That’s about it really
Everyone else has been average to poor with a few good or very good performances here and there.
That’s NOT good enough
I like u Konstantin.
No time for niceties
Agree with your ratings .
We need a rebuild .
And a manager qualified to do it .
What we will get …
Emmett from Lego movie and a Greek 30 yr old defender on a decline .
Good times
i really do not think our defenders is the actual problem, our defense needs to be properly organised, we need a proper defensive coach, also a Keeper. The individual defensive errors was quite numerous this season and contributed to quite a lot lost points away from home.
Anyway i think a coach will be announce soon, because we would expect to have various things in place before the World cup.
Nice summary on our players season, OZIL more like a 2 though.
In which world does Xhaka get a 3 and welbeck 5, I don’t even av a problem with the other ratings but for welbeck, as in that black English guy of Ghanaian descent and xhaka 3?
Tell me, is it cos he can’t replace cazorla dat made him got such a low rating
Granted he did actually get more tackles then anyone in our team, only mustafi and Cech were worse this season, for the pedigree of player he was meant to be Xhaka is and has always been trash, mustafi has had a bad season but Xhaka is literally garbage truck juice, like I miss Francis Coquelin terribly. I don’t see how Welbeck has been poor, definitely better than iwobi or anyone else on the wing (bar myhkitarian) this season. Not saying we don’t need a winger but definitely a 5/10 at least
In the first half of the season, yes Xhaka was pathetic – lost possession easily, often too lazy to track back, couldn’t nail a single long pass, couldn’t pass forward.
But that all changed since January, the guy was absolutely superb. He did everything expected for his position. He would initiate attacks from the deep with brilliant forward passes, he would sniff out opposition attacks – i’ve seen him countless times covering for our shaky defense with brilliant tackles! Oh and his positioning has been really outstanding of late.
I think people that still criticize him are just clouded by his poor performances in the 1st half of the season. I for one am glad he rediscovered his form. I hope next season he picks up where he left
He was never superb. Dnt be confused by an improvement to being trash. He was decent at best. Constant mistakes leading upto goals which our attack could never make up
Welbwck should be sold before world cup. He refused to pass his balls to lacazate to kick because he eyes the 9 position. This caused us matches. Watch carefully replays.
Sell ozil
Sell the world’s most talented bottler .
350 K a week
For him to be ‘ill’ for our away games and not to turn up in the biggest games
That’s three new players wages .
Tired of him
After reading this article everybody would like to buy Ramsey, not Ozil!
FACTS
Which club is gonna buy him, since no club wanted him in the last two transfer windows
Only Arsenal were fool enough to give him a 350K per week salary
I bet we could afford both Mahrez and Martial wages from Ozil.
£175k a week each?
Our wings would be much deadlier with pace and directness being added, look how Auba does wonderful from the left… Not surprising though as he went to BvB as a Winger ^.^
Could cause a few CBs to suffer from Anxiety when coming to face us 😛
How to defend against Auba, Laca, Mkhi and Martial+Mahrez?
We need Mahrez more than Martial, because Mahrez is a left-footed right winger, almost like a poor man’s Salah
No one at Arsenal has that strong left foot and excellent first touches in the right wing
Whereas in the left side, we already have several players that can play there, such as Welbeck, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Nelson and Mkhitaryan
I hope Real and Barca will read your fine article and buy Ramsey asap. He can replace Iniesta and Modric…. hahahah ha ha hahahah hahahhaaa
Different player that’s like
Comparing cazorla and Ramsey
Ramsey could play behind the strikers
No, he likes more infront.
Better he misses 3 chances and then scores and better be in a way of our strikers shots, then having somebody else who would feed more our strikers who are better there then Ramsey.
Why on earth is xhaka 3 when he was miles ahead of Ramsey and wilshere. If he was worst how come he was in our starting eleven. Bro you need to shut your moutg
Xhakas trash I’m starting Elneny with Ramsey over Xhaka wym?
Nice to have an article not related to the Arteta ? the ratings are spot on.
Wenger was a problem because he had his favourite players no matter what
And no mater who takes over I hope the kick some as* and play in form players and young players like AMN who would start in from of Xhaka every day
My problem with Ramsey is that he bombs forward recklessly at times and neglects to track back when the ball is lost, opening up the defense. This seems to be a major issue with Arsenal midfielders in general this season.
I hate to point this out but Rambo best few months came alongside Arteta, that short period of time when he was rocking the EPL…
He was getting forward and being a real threat in attack but he was also bombing back and making tackles, he was averaging the most tackles per game for a period of time during this part, I think.
If not the most then one of the players in AFC with the better def stats.
9.5/10 for Konstantin. your brutal honesty and unmistakable, deep love for AFC. No hypocrisy
I feel sorry for Bellerin, even K has recognised how bad Mustafi has been and if K watched any Arsenal games then he would see Mustafi being the most vocal of our def and Bellerin listens… Yes he got wrong side for that goal a short while ago but the real issue was poor leadership in def. Bellerin is young still do not forget! He hasn’t had well trained CBs in defending to lead him, he has had a def that has leaked more goals than we could have guessed at the start… even knowing how bad it was.
Poor coaching and poor CB leader not being blamed…?
I do feel he is moaning about the consequence of the teams defending as a whole when moaning about Bellerin.
He could be taught how to cross the ball better.
He could be taught positioning better while defending.
He could be taught how to be a bit more solid in a challenge.
Get those 3 things sorted out and he could become the ideal RB for us, AFC is a team though and we need to give the team instructions on how to defend… more than “you win the ball back somehow and then retain possession”.
I am surprised that JustArsenal are posting his articles when he openly said he would not watch Arsenal, how the F*** can he really judge the players when he hasn’t watched them consistently.
Moans about inconsistency then shows inconsistency himself… Special K.
The year Ramsey is our standout performer is the year we finish nowhere. He is distinctly average. 9/10 is a bit of a joke rating in my opinion.
We had no standout performer in my book.
Kolasinac, Laca, AMN deserve a mention for showing promiss but nothing more.
The only standout performer was Alexis Sanchez for half of the season
He managed to score seven Premier League goals in nineteen appearances for Arsenal, despite he is slower and suffered from bad transfer handling by Arsenal
You are obviously joking, Sanchez is currently showing exactly why we did extremely well to offload him and get Micki.
I have to assume the one mark out of ten given to Mustafi was for him being able to spell his own name correctly on the exam sheet. No other possible reason to give him ANY marks at all
Probably an unpopular opinion but I think that there was talent on our defense but it was not handled correctly. Look at Bellerin – He was always up the pitch and leaving space for the counter, then Arsenal are losing despite having 70% possession. Then, and this man is super fast, he lets people dribble at him while he backs up. No pressure applied, like he is afraid of getting beaten and not having the pace to recover. Defense was always on the back foot like this. Also, Xhaka is definitely not worth what we paid but he was left to fend for himself on the double pivot way too often. Ramsey was up the pitch with both wingbacks. Xhaka is there by himself and forced to leave space. Ramsey is a great player but not as a partner with Xhaka. He needs to be box to box in a 4-3-3 leaving a good holding midfielder. You cannot run a double pivot with him.
That’s right, Wenger’s 4-2-3-1 was very vulnerable to counter-attacks for several seasons
4-3-3 or 4-1-3-2 would give our creative midfielders (Ozil, Wilshere, Ramsey, Xhaka) more protection, by having a DM (Elneny) behind them
Rather broadly speaking , Konstantins marks are about right, with on or two major hiccups. I like Ramsey, but would never rave about him. A seven would be on the generous side but I could live with that mark. Nine is ridiculous and should be reserved for the De Bruynes of this world (or 9.5 for Salah). I thought Auba best for his half season with Laca just behind, AUBA should get 7.5 (WHICH IS A GOOD MARK) and Laca a 7, also good. AM-N most promising newcomer with a 6.5, same as Monreal . I would scarcely give a single mark between the whole rest of the defence, unless, (which I don’t) I liked clowns! One other exception to this is Chambers for his late season form. I exclude Mavropanos from marking as he has looked promising but hardly started, though I believe he may be a regular next season. I could play better than Mustafi as at least I am useless , whereas Mustafi is worse than useless!
Auba and miki were best players by a long way for the short time they were playing … Laca was decent on return … Ozil had a brief string of games that reminded us he is world class .. The rest were average or lower and not worth talking about … Only question is how many can be turfed out in the summer … A minimum of 5 for me
Xhaka was victim of wenger arrogant
How can a verry good cm, was force to be dm
Will see next season, are he still playing as dm or hes best position as cm
My scores are very different-
Please note I’ve attempted to score them in ability and positive team contribution (not screwed scores by there cost, experience or other irrelevant influencers)-
Czech – 6
Still a good goalie. But end of shelf life.
Ospina – 6
But believe would become 7-8 with play time. Hard to boss your players around at back when you barely play
Bellerine – 6
Consistent. But under-whelming. Bad crosser, and no skills in attacking third
Mustafi – 7
I know others disagree. But he’s been the captain of our defence – and without be MUCH worse I promise you.
Kos – 6
Has passion, but with injury and age he’s not as effective. Sell or will injury backup next season only
Monreal – 8 (almost 9)
Superb season. Don’t know how he does it.
Holding – 7
Had a dip. But seems to have bounced back. Could become great
Xaka- 7
Big improvement. Still has faults but he’s more disciplined, less stupid yellow/red cards. Great long passing. And only player willing no to ‘belt one’ from more than 5 yards out.
Wiltshire – 6
Love his skill, commitment. But for reasons I don’t fully understand rarely results in goal mouth opportunities
Ozil – 5
I’m not sure he makes 1st team. Sometimes great, but almost always a luxury. I’d sell – and take the cash – and re-invest
Niles – 6
That’s a good score for 1st season. Makes mistakes but never gets down. Killer speed, confidence. I expect to become regular starter next season. Very bright future!
Kalosinac – 6
Not done much wrong. Perhaps my score is little harsh. But I prefer him on bench if everyone fit. Could he become defensive mid-fielder?
Mktarian – 8
I think he is superb. And a surprising and adequate replacement for Sanchez who was over-rated (did nothing good in FA cup)
Ramsey – 8
Always commited. Always hungry. Gets goals, critical tackles, link up play etc. Ozil – should look and learn
La-car-cassette (sorry) – 7
Good. Eye for goal. Good work rate etc. Promising and bright future.
PEA – 9
Outstanding! This guy could get the gold boot next season. Everything you pray for in a forward. Killer instincts the likes of which we not seen for A VERY LONG TIME! (If Ever?)
Team tactics (manager) – 4
I believe we have good players. But often not the tactical smarts to win matches.
What you think?
Whilst I don’t agree with all your scores they are fairer than the anti-Arsenal writer of the article. Yes Mustafi made some serious errors but he also saved our poor arses numerous times with last ditch tackles.
Based on these ridiculous marks, for the so called “defenders,” such as Messi , Ronaldo and Salah would be getting 20+ out of ten. You must be a relative of Mustafi to mark him as you have done!
You gave 10 players 5/10 or below. These scores are ridiculous.
I’m surprised your articles make it on to the site.
9/10 for Ramsey?! Are you blind…
Yes he can run forever and at least he shows determination (Ozil could take a leaf) but Ramsey is the most over-rated wasteful player next to Iwobi. He can only pass sideways and backwards and for the amount he does actually score he’ll sky 5 balls over the stadium before he gets one on target. He’s the most frustrating player to watch, he basically optimizes Arsenal in the past 10 years!
IF we actually had a competition-winning squad, Aaron would be on the bench. For some reason he was Wenger’s favorite, rain or shine, good performance or poor – he’d choose him over a player who deserved a chance or proved their worth. I’m so glad Wenger’s gone so deserving players will get picked on form and not favoriteism – au revoir Iwobi…
Sell Rambo, get 35-40 mil for him – buy Isco.
Monreal, Auba, and Laca were players of the season hands down. AMN and Miki are exciting and Kolasinac, Holding, Elneny and Chambers should get a chance next season. The rest of the squad can go…
Oh, and bring back L Perez, he was decent until he did something to upset Wenger and fell out of the favoritism pecking-order.
how on earth is Ramsey over rated? believe it or not he has been the only active consistent player for arsenal for year, the past cups won by arsenal was due to immense contributions, so at least appreciate the fact that he has been loyal and active, even after a very horrible injury, Ramsey to me is on of the top five players in Arsenal…. COYG
Disagree – loyal and active don’t equate to being ‘Arsenal quality’.
The entire squad needs and overhaul and if rival clubs are going to pay in excess of 40 mil for Ramsey, I say bite their hands off and get somebody world class. We want to be a world class club again – yes?
No?
Maybe…
Because right now we’re not, we’re 6th, fighting off the likes of Burnley…