IT'S overstating the situation to say that Arsenal’s results are meaningless for the remainder of the season. At the very least, the Gunners need to try to secure Europa League qualification – as unappealing a target as that seems, the club needs the revenue and the carrot of European competition when it comes to attracting players.
Indeed, there is still a very outside chance of making the top four, but with that chance wedged somewhere between ‘slim’ and ‘none’, the Europa League takes on extra importance. There is still plenty to play for. However, the atmosphere around Arsenal’s results is certainly more forgiving at the moment. Fans are not especially energised by the bid for 6th place and there is a cautious optimism around what Mikel Arteta has done so far.
It became very difficult to evaluate individual players under Unai Emery, as the seams of the team gradually unstitched themselves. Most of the players were fire-fighting in the fug of Emery’s confusing, constantly shifting demands. Arteta has quickly erected some scaffolding around his players and clarified their roles.
Ainsley Maitland Niles apprecition tweet.
Has arguably been our most consistent and most improved player since Arteta arrived. Bellerin will find it difficult to get back in the squad. pic.twitter.com/q4m91nTKQv
— TheArseneView (@TheArseneView) January 21, 2020
In other words, Arsenal are now in a better position to make judgements about individuals as the club start to build a squad for the new coach’s specifications. Many players can consider the next four months as a sort of trial for their futures. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is among the players who has visibly improved under the tutelage of Arteta.
Playing in an inverted full-back role has suited a player who developed as a central midfielder before re-purposing as a right-back. AMN has a very good opportunity to show that the club need not buy another right-back to provide support and competition to Hector Bellerin. During Wenger’s final seasons Bellerin was almost never rotated due to a dearth of other options in the squad.
Full-back is a very demanding position and some measure of rotation is required, especially as Bellerin suffered a bad knee injury last year from which he is still recovering. Maitland-Niles has a good opportunity to demonstrate that he can provide that support and push Hector for his jersey too. There is a similar opportunity at left-back for Bukayo Saka.
Saka was groomed as a left-winger but has performed admirably at left-back in recent weeks. A fortnight or so ago, the Gunners were heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germainleft-back Layvin Kurzawa – a link that many found underwhelming. That trail seems to have gone cold and I wonder if Arsenal decided to wait and see what Saka could do with a run of games in the position.
It seems like a low-risk gamble to give him minutes there and see if he can provide support and competition for Kieran Tierney. If he can, the club may decide they can cash in on Sead Kolasinac in the summer, if Saka comes up short as a full-back, they can always re-assess in the summer and maybe return Saka to his favoured left-wing berth.
Arteta on Saka: "I think he could (have a future at left-back) because he’s willing to learn, he is applying himself big time. He is someone that's has never played (that position) before but he’s really trying to do it as well as possible" #Arsenal pic.twitter.com/wa2mfpXA7f
— Gurjit (@GurjitAFC) January 20, 2020
Ashley Cole broke into Arsenal’s first-team as a matter of expediency due to Silvinho’s passport issues, while Bellerin graduated earlier than expected due to Mathieu Debuchy’s injury problems, Saka managing something similar is not without precedent. If Saka can demonstrate consistency, it might mean that Arsenal can focus their resources on positions of greater need come the summer.
It’s not only Arsenal’s academy graduates who have an opportunity to prove themselves, however. Granit Xhaka has slowly begun to rehabilitate his reputation with the Gunners and time will tell whether that is a short-term fillip or another issue the club do not need to try to fix in the summer. Likewise, Mesut Özil earned commendation for his improved work-rate under Arteta.
Few, myself included, expected to see Özil raise his physical standards so acutely. Recently, with his increased intensity becoming more de rigueur, his output has found itself the subject of scrutiny. He has only produced six shots on goal this season and though he was always more celebrated for his creative talents anyway, he has registered a solitary assist – in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool.
Mesut is meeting Arteta’s demands for increased work-rate, but his output in the final third has not increased. The coach may decide that it’s time to move on from the 31-year old with a more permanent replacement in the summer. That decision might be expedited if other problem positions no longer present themselves as problems.
There again, four months is plenty of time for Mesut to rediscover his creative touch. Arsenal are playing with a serious structure now and in that context, it will be easier for the club to make decisions on the quality of individuals as they plan for the summer.
