Arsenal was extremely improved this season, but they couldn’t quite beat Manchester City to the Premier League title. The hope is that they’ll be better next season after a successful blockbuster summer transfer window. Several top stars are linked with a move to the Emirates; Joao Cancelo, Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, Marc Guehi, and Mousa Diaby are some of them.
In this piece, I’d like to avoid discussing who joins, but I’d like to ask you if Arteta gets his top targets: which of the current stars are likely to make it to the Boss’ starting XI in the next campaign?
Aaron Ramsdale will remain in goal; I doubt a top keeper will be signed. The Englishman has sometimes been criticised for his concentration in games, but he can be coached to be even better.
William Saliba (if he signs a new contract), Gabriel Magalhaes, and Oleksandr Zinchenko could comfortably keep their spots in defence. As for the right back, there may be a fight over who takes it. Tomiyasu and White may each have a claim on it; other than the two, there’s talk of Cancelo joining. He could also be an option there.
At midfield, Odegaard may be the only one who is safe. Granit Xhaka is tipped to leave, and Thomas Partey may find himself on the bench if Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice join.
In attack, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are guaranteed starters. The two need the summer break; come next season, they’ll be ready to go. Weeks ago, there was talk of Arteta getting a “super striker,” a physical striker. Jesus’ position in the starting 11 is doubtful if one is signed.
Thus, of the Arsenal squad Arteta had at his disposal this season, I see Ramsdale, Zinchenko, Gabriel, Saliba, Odegaard, Martinelli, and Saka starting.
Which current players do you think will remain untouchable next seeason?
Darren N
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Agree with most of that, White over Tomi at RB as he’s better offensively. Squad depth will so key next season though, so we perhaps need to temper the whole guaranteed starter thing. Trossard needs to be pushing Martinelli, Saka needs to be properly challenged by any incoming signing (I hope Diaby), if we sign a top RB then Saliba has to feel pressure from White.
For us to move forward as a team, Arteta needs to be ruthless. No one should be a guaranteed starter or become untouchable, I know we cannot chop and change oftenly. For example if Saka is awful then he needs to replaced by someone playing better
I agree about no guaranteed starters. For 2 years now we’ve seen them fade and still play despite a drop in form. Dropping 2 or 3 should not disrupt a team of quality professionals who practice and play together in the same system.
Why was an in form Trossard immediately dropped when Jesus was healthy? Why is Saka continuously overplayed?
ESR can’t get a start as a 10 or sub appearances? Tierney rarely starts and only playing now because Zinchenko is injured.
We have had options, they just are not rotated and used. Tomiyasu earlier in season, Tierney, Zinchenko as CM, Nelson, ESR, Trossard on the wings or striker.
Man management has to improve as well as more depth. Doesn’t matter much if Arteta continues play 12 or 13 players into the red every year.
We each have our own ideas about who should play, who should stay, who should go etc etc. Only Arteta would ever be able to tell us why he does what he does (obviously).
For example, why he doesn’t play ESR (personally I think that ESR may not be showing enough in training). Apparently, Reiss Nelson is a notoriously poor trainer !
I have nothing against Tierney other than he is a very ordinary full back. Neither excellent or poor.
Apparently his distribution figures are not great.
We will never be privy to Arteta’s plans, so we’ll have to keep guessing.
@Evgunner.MA claims to be playing/picking up players based on form.so as @Durand correctly pointed out,why did Trossard get benched for a returning Jesus?the guy was on fire(1 goal/ 7 assists in 7 games).not only that,we were winning games and the team was also playing well.what about Saka?
That’s why I find it difficult to believe MA’s claim!!
Siamois, yes I take your point. There is some inconsistency with what Arteta says but I think most managers talk themselves into corners. In fact people generally do that.
He believes in Saka, Jesus, Zinchenko, Martinelli and Odegaard and that’s all there is to it. So he will kept playing them.
I too was very much wanting Trossard to be given a proper run. Unfortunately, I think Arteta missed the boat by not starting him, and now some people are moaning about the same Trossard because he didn’t have a particularly good game against Brighton. Personally I think he is a more intelligent player than Jesus (although at the same time I’m not suggesting that Jesus is thick).
Looks like we agree on that. you’re right,Trossard playing well gets benched then recalled and people expect him to perform at the highest level.some fans do not realize the impact it can have on a player’s confidence…
Siamois, I’m getting deja vu now, Didn’t we have a discussion about confidence being lost when a player is not getting picked ? And didn’t I say to you that when a player gets his chance he has to prove to the manager that the manager is wrong to leave him out ? I guess it depends on how strong minded the player is. Humans are fragile.
Newcastle are doing a job on Brighton. Caicedo having a poor game at RB.
Yes we already had this discussion my friend!!😂
Spot on Durand, man management as well as more depth is highly required for the team to move forward. Arteta has to be ruthless too, for me Elneny, Holding, Viera, Nketia and all the players on loan maybe except for Bologun don’t improve us
The suggestion that Zinchenko should continue to start in defence is difficult to comprehend, as he is very poor defensively and has been exposed on numerous occasions by opposition sides at the lower end of the League.The assertion that Tierney is a very ordinary fullback is another myth as many highly regarded ex players and Managers including Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalgleish consider him to be “excellent”.Earlier this season the Manager of the Danish international side voiced the opinion that Tierney was one of the best in Europe and with respect to any subscriber to JA, these guys know what they are talking about and have all the credentials to prove it.With regard to the question posed in the article headline, my answer is that not one player should be considered “untouchable” .If they don’t play well consistently they should not be selected.Unfortunately Arteta has not adopted this mantra for one reason or another and as a consequence a number of our better players have been burned out physically and, even more importantly mentally.
Yes Scottish managers those two. Tierney is imo ordinary when compared to some of the outstanding full backs playing today. Having said that, I do feel he would be very well suited to Newcastle.
Cancelo, Trippier, Shaw (don’t laugh), Walker (grudgingly).
If he were “ordinary” no other top Club would be interested in him, but they are.?Could it just be that you have got it wrong on this occasion EG.?Personally I think Trippier is distinctly ropey defensively but I certainly rate Shaw who is the best English left back in the EPL.
Grandad, I’ve got many things wrong in my lifetime, so it wouldn’t be a first. Honestly I have nothing against the lad (Tierney), nothing at all, it just sometimes seems to me like he’s a bit of a quiet outsider. It’s just a feeling I get when I see him with the other lads. That of course has nothing to do with my suggestion that he is an ordinary player. Ordinary is not bad you know. Most of us are ordinary aren’t we ?
It is true that KT is a better defender but we are a better team with Zinchenko in it.his qualities outweigh his defensive weaknesses.anyway,Such is an inverted full-back,meaning that our defense becomes back 3 and it is on Gabriel mostly to have his back.in the last 2 months Liverpool have gone on a winning run,since Klopp started using ATT as an inverted RB/midfielder(he has several goals/assists since).anyway Konaté was asked if he had to run/work more because of it.he said that it was true that he more work to do because ATT but didn’t ming.my point being that our system takes into account Zinch defensive vulnerability and plans accordingly.
I think the idea of “a guaranteed (untouchable) starter ” is unhelpful to any would be successful team.
The point is that ALL players need to EARN their place, on a regular basis, each time they play .
NOT A SINGLE PLAYER , SHOULD EVER BE “GUARANTEED “A PLACE, THEREFORE!
I really wish that was the case!!