SMR end-of-season review 2014-2015: The Forwards

In the final end-of-season review post, it’s time to assess how the forwards did for Arsenal in 2014-2015. As with the rest of these posts, each player will get a review, a one-word summary and a rating.
9. Lukas Podolski
The German’s thunderous left foot wasn’t seen much in 2014-2015 as he was shipped off to Inter Milan on loan in January. Podolski is an incredibly frustrating player as he can rip the net out the ground with the power in his left foot, but he can drift through games and you’ll forget he’s playing. That ability to disappear may ultimately mean he leaves the club permanently, but he did offer a few reminders of his finishing in the Champions League with a vital winner at Anderlecht and a thunderous strike at Galatasaray.
One-word summary: #OnLoan #Aha
Rating: 4/10
12. Olivier Giroud
Despite a good goal-scoring season, Olivier Giroud continues to divide opinion among some Arsenal supporters. Most seem to be behind the Frenchman now, but he can be an easy target for criticism if things start going badly. Giroud also has the ability that when things go badly for him, he can look like a pub player, as happened in the game at home to Monaco. But that was just a blip in an otherwise excellent season. He recovered quicker than expected from his freak injury against Everton and contributed vital goals, including the header away to Manchester City. He also went on a superb scoring-run as the season headed towards spring time. He has been helped by other taking some of the goal scoring burden off him in the last season, and he’s played better without as much pressure on him. Arsenal now have different options in the squad if Giroud does have one of his off-days.
One-word summary: Sexy-and-he-knows-it
Rating: 7/10
14. Theo Walcott
Due to a combination of injury recovery and the good form of others in the squad, Theo Walcott had to be patient in 2014-2015. The season overall didn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know about Walcott; he’s lightning quick, needs confidence to play well and he’d prefer to play as a central striker. When he did get his chance to play during the season, there were quite a few anonymous performances, but after getting the confidence of a deflected cross going in against Manchester United, Walcott looked transformed as he banged in an excellent hat-trick against West Brom and opened the scoring in the FA Cup final.
One-word summary: Patient
Rating: 5/10
17. Alexis Sanchez
I can’t remember a new arrival into the Premier League having such an impact in their first season. Alexis Sanchez came with a good reputation, but as he was always over-shadowed by Messi et al at Barcelona, it was difficult to know quite what to expect. It turned out that the Premier League was very much to his liking. His all-action displays carried the team in the first part of the season before they contributed to the winning run in the second half of the season as others around him picked up the slack. His attitude and effort around the pitch have been an inspiration to others, and a nightmare to opposing teams. He’d already had a great season, but Alexis saved his best for last with that serving rocket he unleashed at Wembley in the FA Cup final. What a player.
One-word summary: Awesome
Rating: 9/10
22. Yaya Sanogo
Well, he scored a goal. Not just in Emirates Cup either, an actual first-team Champions League goal. Apart from that, we didn’t see much from Yaya Sanogo as he went for a rather uneventful loan spell to Crystal Palace in January. The effort is always there from him when he plays, but still has a lot to do to convince people he has a future at Arsenal.
One-word summary: Limited
Rating: 3/10
23. Danny Welbeck
It’s hard to know how to rate Danny Welbeck’s first season at Arsenal because a glance at the stats shows less than 10 goals, which isn’t great for a £16 million forward, but my overall feeling when watching him play has been positive. He’s quick, works hard for the team and always looks to contribute and get involved in the play. I think goals will come as the rest of his game is developing well. It was also good to have a different option to Olivier Giroud up front.
Gains an extra half mark for scoring the winner at Old Trafford.
One-word summary: Encouraging
Rating: 6.5/10
28. Joel Campbell
Despite a good World Cup, Joel Campbell didn’t get much of an opportunity in the Arsenal first-team after a going out on a series of loan spells to become eligible to play. When he did get some minutes, there were a few good touches, but nothing to really set a game on fire despite quite a lot of hype over him in the past. He then went on a rather unspectacular loan spell in the second half of the season, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he heads off permanently in the summer.
One-word summary: Anti-climatic
Rating: 3/10

SMR end-of-season review 2014-2015: The Midfielders

In the penultimate post reviewing the 2014-2015 season, I’m going to assess the performance of Arsenal’s midfielders. As with the previous ones, there’ll be a short review of each player’s season and a one-word summary.
7. Tomas Rosicky
It was a frustrating season for Tomas Rosicky as he didn’t get as much game time as he wanted, or deserved. Despite being one of the oldest players in the squad, he still brings energy to any game with his driving runs forward and turn of pace to change the tempo of an attack. During the random start to the season, Rosicky was unlucky to not play more often as Arsene Wenger seemed determined to shoe-horn Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere into the same starting XI, despite both not quite being at their best. When he did get an opportunity, Rosicky made telling contributions with goals against QPR and Everton, and a sublime performance away to Brighton in the FA Cup.
I’m pleased he’s got another year at the club, and hopefully Arsene Wenger won’t be so reluctant to use him because of the different dynamic Rosicky can still bring to any Arsenal performance.
One-word summary: Persistent
Rating: 6/10
8. Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta’s season was ruined by injury, and the form of Francis Coquelin in his position means that it is likely Arsenal will go through another season with the club captain operating mostly from the bench. People shouldn’t be so quick to write Arteta off though as he remains a steadying influence on the rest of the team. This was typified by the Anderlecht capitulation at home in the Champions League. Arsenal were playing ok and were 3-0 up when Arteta went down injured. Anderlecht scored with the Spaniard on the ground and went on to draw 3-3 as Arsenal’s midfield disappeared when Arteta left the field. He will still be a quality player to have in the squad next season.
One-word summary: Respected
Rating: 5/10
10. Jack Wilshere
Another midfielder whose season was disrupted by injury. As with everyone in the early part of the season, there were glimpses of Wilshere’s undoubted ability without any consistency. The brilliant performance and goal at home to Manchester City was mixed in with pretty drab performances like Anderlecht away. Apart from his finishing, Wilshere was playing well in the game he had his ankle mangled in against Manchester United, so to see him on the side lines again was incredibly frustrating. His return was excellent though. Given how settled the side looked around April, Wilshere made some energetic cameos off the bench force his way into the starting XI before scoring that thunderous, net-busting, goal against West Brom.
Forget the newspaper rumours about Manchester City, there’s no way Arsene Wenger would let a home-grown player with this amount of talent leave.
One-word summary: THRIKER
Rating: 6/10
11. Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil typifies the two halves of Arsenal’s season. He looked off the pace after the World Cup before getting injured at the beginning of October. Ozil also wasn’t helped by playing out on the left as Arsene Wenger tried to get all of his attacking midfielders in the team. The time off the pitch injured did allow Ozil to bulk up and look refreshed when he returned in January. Several gorgeous and instrumental performances followed including a goal and an assist at home to Aston Villa, a spirited showing in the attempted fightback in Monaco, the glorious free-kick against Liverpool and *that* flick against Hull City. He almost saved his best for the FA Cup final as he strolled around Wembley in complete control of the game. He seems to have got to the grips with the Premier League and is a joy to watch play.
One-word summary: Silky
Rating: 7.5/10
15. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
2014-2015 was the first season that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was able to hold down a regular starting place for a sustained period of time before injury (what else?) disrupted his progress. The Ox was one of the positives to emerge from the early season performances with some excellent displays. Before his last injury of the season, Oxlade-Chamberlain was superb at Old Trafford in the FA Cup as he bagged an assist and forced Louis van Gaal to substitute left-back Luke Shaw at half-time after he was rinsed by the Ox. He’ll still only be 21 at the start of the next season, so there’s plenty of time for further progress as he’s got all the attributes to be a phenomenal player for the club.
One-word summary: Maturing
Rating: 7/10
16. Aaron Ramsey
It was a strange season for Aaron Ramsey as it’ll probably go down as a disappointing one, but there were still some brilliant moments. He didn’t quite hit the goal scoring heights of the previous campaign, but it’s telling how high his standards have now become that he reached double figures from midfield and it’s still a disappointing campaign. Ramsey had moments where the old tendencies of giving the ball away and shooting wildly wide returned, but generally he was a driving force in the Arsenal midfield. Even when playing badly, he has a knack of making something happen or emerging on the scene at the right time to make a pass or have a shot. Overall, Ramsey is unrecognisable from the player he was two years ago. Oh, and there was that goal at Galatasaray. Phwoar.
One-word summary: Bearded
Rating: 7/10
19. Santi Cazorla
2014-2015 was the Spaniard’s best season for the club. Without Mesut Ozil for a lot of the first half of the season, Cazorla was able to be the attacking hub of the team again, which helped him regain his mojo after a slightly slow start to the season and the terrible World Cup efforts from Spain. The dominant showing at home to Newcastle, which was topped off by a glorious chipped goal and Paneka penalty, was a particular highlight in that period of the season. When Ozil returned, Cazorla remained central, but dropped deeper and showed what a sensational footballer he is. He would have been the obvious man to drop out when the German returned from injury, but Cazorla made himself un-droppable with consistent, brilliant performances. I believe that his display away to Manchester City was the best all-round performance from any midfielder in the Premier League in 2014-2015.
One-word summary: Majestic
Rating: 8/10
20. Mathieu Flamini
Flamini is now nothing more than cover in central midfield. He’s clearly a respected and popular member of the squad, and he did a good job in the previous season after signing on a free transfer, but I don’t think it was a coincidence that some of Arsenal’s worst performances in 2014-2015 had Mathieu Flamini at the base of the midfield. He did provide one of my funniest moments of the season though by coming on to play on the right wing against West Ham and scoring a tap-in a minute after arriving into the game. You can never question him for commitment or effort on the pitch, but he’s now the third-choice holding player in the squad.
One-word summary: Usurped
Rating: 4/10
24. Abou Diaby
The case of Abou Diaby makes me very sad. He could have been majestic in Arsenal’s midfield for many years, but some bad tackles and his body letting him down has meant his career at Arsenal could be at an end. He did get more game time in 2014-2015 than in the previous season, but it was only by a matter of minutes and still totalled less than 70 minutes. It’s unlikely he’ll play in the Arsenal first team again, but that isn’t a reflection on his character and commitment to try and play again.
One-word summary: Saddening
Rating: 2/10
34. Francis Coquelin
The story of the season. I’d almost forgotten he was at the club until he suddenly appeared at left-back in the Capital One Cup against Southampton. A loan move to Charlton seemed like the final step towards a permanent move away from the club in January before injuries to overs intervened, and suddenly the Coq was in the squad for a Premier League game. When he got his chance, he took it with interception after interception, tackle after tackle and disciplined displays that took pressure off the rest of the team. Like Cazorla, his performances made it impossible to drop him from the starting XI. Whether Coquelin can maintain his high standards into next season will be interesting to see, but he thoroughly deserves his chance to continue to patrol the midfield after a stellar second half of the season.
One-word summary: Immense
Rating: 8/10

SMR end-of-season review 2014-2015: The Defenders

Continuing the review of the Arsenal squad’s performances in the 2014-2015, it’s the defenders. Each player will receive a rating and a one-word summary of the season.
2. Mathieu Debuchy
The Frenchman has been incredibly unlucky in his first season at the club as a couple of nasty injuries limited his involvement. The signs were promising that Debuchy was going to be a solid replacement for Bacary Sagna, but ankle and shoulder injuries now mean he faces a real fight to be the first-choice right-back following the emergence of others in his position this season. He’s strong defensively and filled in well when needed at centre-back, so he’s still got a lot to offer the club.
One-word summary: Unlucky
Rating: 6/10
3. Kieran Gibbs
Gibbs hasn’t had a bad season, but the impressive performances of Nacho Monreal have seen the Englishman drop out of the starting XI more often than expected. He remains a very solid full-back and the competition with the Spaniard should be good for his development. The controlled volley at Anderlecht was a particular highlight.
One-word summary: Challenged
Rating: 6/10
4. Per Mertesacker:
Regular readers / listeners will know that I love Per Mertesacker. He had a difficult start to the season following the World Cup and without Laurent Koscielny alongside him, the BFG looked a bit vulnerable. Mertesacker was written off by many as being past it, but he came back strong in the second half of the season as he reached the impressive levels he played at for most of the previous season. The return of Koscielny helped, but Mertesacker’s leadership stood out as Arsenal went on an excellent run of form in the league and retained the FA Cup. Although it was off his shoulder, the cup final goal was just a beautiful moment.
One-word summary: Hero
Rating: 7/10
5. Gabriel
Many expected him to displace Per Mertesacker as soon as he arrived in January, but the German’s good form has meant Gabriel has mainly been on the bench since his arrival. That doesn’t mean he won’t have a big part to play for Arsenal in the future as the signs were very encouraging in the games he played in. It sounds an obvious thing to say, but Gabriel looks like he loves defending by being quick across the ground and tenacious in the tackle. It is great to have that quality in the squad having been light in central defence, and Arsene Wenger can now tailor the centre of the defensive to deal with different styles of attackers.
One-word summary: Encouraging
Rating: 6/10
6. Laurent Koscielny:
It’s no coincidence that Arsenal’s form picked up when Laurent Koscielny’s achilles calmed down. That sort of injury does pose some concerns for the future, but given Koscielny was available for the majority of the second half of the season, it seems to be under control. The partnership with Per Mertesacker was re-established and was excellent. He also seems to have dropped his tendency to dive in and concede needless penalties every now and again.
One-word summary: Boss
Rating: 8/10
18. Nacho Monreal
Arguably Arsenal’s most-improved player this season. Like a lot of the team, Monreal went through a tough spell in the first-half of the season as he was asked to fill-in in an unfamiliar central defensive role. His efforts in there were admirable, and stood him in good stead as he was picked for most of the big matches at left-back ahead of Kieran Gibbs. While not known as much for being an attacking full-back, the composure with which he slotted the ball in at Old Trafford in the FA Cup showed the confidence he’s gained during the season.
One-word summary: Improved
Rating: 7/10
21. Calum Chambers
Mainly due to injuries to others, and a lack of cover at centre-back, we saw a lot of Calum Chambers in the first half of the season. There were times in latter appearances where his inexperience showed, but it’s easy to forget how impressive his earlier performances were, particularly when playing at centre-back. He’ll continue to develop and will be stronger for some of the games he’s struggled in.
One-word summary: Future
Rating: 6/10
39. Hector Bellerin
Bellerin went through a few chastening experiences in the first half of the season, with his Champions League debut at Borussia Dortmund and the defeat at Stoke particularly challenging ones. But he has taken his chance given to him following Debuchy’s second bad injury. His pace has been well documented, but his defensive position improved quickly as the season went on meaning he didn’t have to rely on it as much. Bellerin’s composure on the ball isn’t a surprise given his football upbringing included Barcelona and Arsenal, but he’s also got an eye for a goal with two excellent finishes against Aston Villa and Liverpool at the Emirates. It’s exciting to see how much further he can develop after a breakthrough season.
One-word summary: Rapid
Rating: 7/10

SMR end-of-season review 2014-2015: The Goalkeepers

In the first of the end-of-season review posts, I’m going to assess Arsenal’s goalkeepers. Each player will get a rating and a one-word summary for the season (I’m giving myself license to use a hyphen if necessary!).
1. Wojciech Szczesny
Having started the season as the number one, and the Premier League’s golden glove holder, it was hoped that 2014-2015 would be the season that Wojciech Szczesny really kicked on and dispelled doubts over his place in the team. He wasn’t helped by a changing back four in front of him, but the Pole looked edgy in the first half of the season. His ability as a shot stopper has never been in question, but his commanding of the penalty area, decision making and distribution did come into focus during the campaign.
He was much more commanding in the FA Cup final after he’d been dropped from league duties following the smoking debacle at Southampton. A big season awaits, especially if top level competition is signed.
One-word summary: Ousted
Rating: 5/10
13. David Ospina
Signed following the departure of Lukasz Fabianski, David Ospina was barely seen in the first half of the season because of injury problems. When he did establish himself in the first team, Arsenal’s form picked up as Ospina brought a much-needed calmness between the sticks. He was helped by Mertesacker and Koscielny’s partnership settling down, but Ospina did well when called upon. I’m still not convinced that he is the top-level goalkeeper that many suggest Arsenal need, and a few flaps at shots near the end of the season reinforced that, but his record in the second half of the season was good. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Ospina should a new goalkeeper arrive, especially as the Colombian will get back to pre-season late because of the Copa America, so could find himself as the third-choice goalkeeper, which would seem a bit harsh.
One-word summary: ooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOSPINAaaaa
Rating: 6/10
26. Emiliano Martinez
Due to injuries, Emiliano Martinez saw some Premier League and Champions League action in the first half of the season, and he looked much-improved compared to the goalkeeper seen in the Capital One Cup two seasons previously (he was the man in goal in the crazy 7-5 win at Reading). He then went to Rotherham late in the season as an emergency loan signing for the Championship side, where he also impressed. Martinez is still young for a goalkeeper, so another loan spell could follow next season, especially if a new keeper arrives.
One-word summary: Developing
Rating: 5/10

End-of-season awards extravaganza

Listen to ‘End-of-season awards extravaganza’ on audioBoom
Sam Limbert is joined by James Bale to hand out the prestigious SMR Awards for the 2014-2015 season!
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes!

Alan Partridge summarises my emotions - FA Cup Final special

listen to ‘Alan Partridge summarises my emotions – FA Cup Final special’ on audioBoom

Basking in the glow of FA Cup glory, Sam Limbert is joined by James Bale and Rob Starr to talk about Arsenal’s comprehensive 4-0 win over Aston Villa.
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes!

Post-FA Cup Victory: Blessed Team, Blessed Performance

You can grab the silverware-celebrating pod from iTunes, the raw RSS feed or our archive.

Arsenal are full value for the win as they fully eclipse Aston Villa with an offensive and defensive masterclass that sees them clinch their second — SECOND, PEOPLE — FA Cup in two years. We’re pretty ecstatic about all this, frankly, and we’re even more pleased to be able to relive the whole glorious day at Wembley with the Arsenal match day commentator Dan Roebuck, who’ll discuss starting lineup surprises, the unsung-success of Wenger’s tactics and the trophy mileage we can hope to get out of this current squad of players. We’ll also present the best, the worst, and the filthiest of 2014/15 based on listener reviews, as well as unveil the Arsenal Review USA Podcast Sunday Fantasy League winner.

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/5s64m-56676e?from=wp&skin=9&postId=5662574&download=0&share=1&fonts=Helvetica&auto=0

Another May gone, another season past: sadly this is the last podcast of what has truly been a memorable campaign for Arsenal. Seriously, a second successive FA Cup is a big flippin’ deal as far as we’re concerned, and we’re genuinely happy to have been able to discuss and share all the talking points with everyone who listened and everyone who was gracious enough to come on the podcast and give us his/her time throughout the season.


Keep your heads screwed on tightly during silly season and we’ll see you again in August!


Thanks for listening,


– Joel & Kyle

Post-FA Cup Victory: Blessed Team, Blessed Performance

You can grab the silverware-celebrating pod from iTunes, the raw RSS feed or our archive.

Arsenal are full value for the win as they fully eclipse Aston Villa with an offensive and defensive masterclass that sees them clinch their second — SECOND, PEOPLE — FA Cup in two years. We’re pretty ecstatic about all this, frankly, and we’re even more pleased to be able to relive the whole glorious day at Wembley with the Arsenal match day commentator Dan Roebuck, who’ll discuss starting lineup surprises, the unsung-success of Wenger’s tactics and the trophy mileage we can hope to get out of this current squad of players. We’ll also present the best, the worst, and the filthiest of 2014/15 based on listener reviews, as well as unveil the Arsenal Review USA Podcast Sunday Fantasy League winner.



Another May gone, another season past: sadly this is the last podcast of what has truly been a memorable campaign for Arsenal. Seriously, a second successive FA Cup is a big flippin' deal as far as we’re concerned, and we’re genuinely happy to have been able to discuss and share all the talking points with everyone who listened and everyone who was gracious enough to come on the podcast and give us his/her time throughout the season.


Keep your heads screwed on tightly during silly season and we’ll see you again in August!


Thanks for listening,


- Joel & Kyle