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It has been a very underwhelming season for Arsenal and its fans. Currently 10th in the league, the Gunners have failed to impress despite having a busy summer transfer window. None of the players seems to be willing to fight for the badge, and Thierry Henry's famous quote, rings true, which said
"You need big shoulders to play for Arsenal; the canon is heavy"
As stated before, despite having an outstanding transfer window before the start of the season, bringing in much-needed reinforcements, the management has failed to get the best out of their new signings and the players are as much to be blamed. The Gunners are collectively performing poorly. Except for the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Granit Xhaka, and Alexandre Lacazette, none of the players can stand proud of their recent performances. However, a couple of them have been incredibly unreliable and we will be talking about them in this article.
#4 David Luiz
For all the experience he has accumulated after playing across Europe, the 32-year-old defender has not been of any help to a team who desperately needed their defence to be fixed. Of course, David Luiz was not a long-term solution, but because the Arsenal hierarchy could not get a deal done for French centre back Dayotchanculle Upamecano, the veteran defender was the temporary remedy they found to fix that defence line. However, it has not worked as planned.
Arsenal has kept a just 1 away clean sheet in the league this season, and that came when Luiz did not start. The fact that he has been miles better than his counterpart Sokratis Papastathopoulos and yet the club has struggled terribly at the back just goes to show the shaky level of defence are playing with.
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#3 Sokratis Papastathopoulos
The Greek defender has spent his prime years in the Bundesliga playing under Jürgen Klopp, but none of the fans can say that the 31-year-old's current season has been better than Shkodran Mustafi's last season.
His stint at Dortmund was decent, and his signing made sense because Arsenal had to shore up their backline. Sven Mislintat played a major role in bringing him to London, but this is probably the first time, his recommended signing has been below average in every game.
Right from positioning to composure with the ball, Sokratis' mistakes in every aspect of the game has often cost Arsenal goals and therefore, it was not difficult for stand-in manager Freddie Ljungberg to drop him in his first's game as Arsenal boss. If there is one thing David Luiz brings to the table, it's his ball-playing ability and aerial strength, whereas except for pace, Sokratis does not seem to have other defensive qualities in him and the English league has proved to be too good for the Greek international.
#2 Nicolas Pépé
The former Lille winger was brought to Arsenal with high hopes alongside a mega-price tag. Quite clearly, the 24-year-old has not lived up to the hype. Nicolas Pépé has not only struggled to get minutes, but he has not produced anything special in terms of goals and assists, except his 2 scintillating free-kicks against Vitória at home in the Europa League.
Why has it been so difficult for the Ivorian? Missing out on pre-season with Arsenal has majorly affected his fitness and confidence. Since the deal between Lille and Arsenal took significant time to materialise, he had to miss out on pre-season because he was on national duty.
“I would say that my start has been a bit negative. Based on my expectations of myself, I expected a bit more. I expect more and it is up to me to work hard and make the difference in each match. It is normal for people to criticise me as much as they are doing because I am not making the difference in each match. I understand them. It is certainly up to me to reverse this situation through hard work.
Pépé knows that though he has failed to impress the Gunners, his quality is undeniable and with the right mentality, he can come good. It's all about building confidence, which currently lacks, and therefore, Freddie Ljungberg has to start playing him more regularly, since despite showcasing lacklustre performances, he is Arsenal's best dribbler, creator and winger.
#1 Mesut Özil
It is now 3 seasons running, and the Gunners are still waiting for Mesut Özil to replicate his form in the 2015/16 season. Özil seems to be past his prime and looks as someone who has lost all his passion and will to play for Arsenal.
The German maestro is arguably the best passer of the ball in history, and his vision is second to none. Since joining the Premier League, he has set the competition ablaze with his vision and the ability to find a player anywhere on the pitch. However, the 31-year-old has been unable to consistently perform in the last 3 seasons with Arsenal, and somehow, he still convinces the majority of the fans to believe that he can still fix the issues at Arsenal.
Özil is the only Arsenal forward to not have registered 2+ goal contributions this season, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has 12 goals, Alexandre Lacazette sits at 5 goals and an assist, while Nicolas Pépé and Bukayo Saka have 7 and 4 goal contributions respectively. Special mention to Arsenal's best signing this season, Gabriel Martinelli, has scored 7 times this season. Özil's only goal contribution came against Brighton from a set piece.
He is the highest earner at the club, most-loved by the fans, most talented player in the squad right now, and yet the most inconsistent and unreliable out of the lot - sums up Mesut Özil's recent years with Arsenal.
