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Premier League football is back. Starting from June 17th, we’ll be blessed with a game at least every two days. For many, this will be a welcome return, while naysayers will suggest that lives are being put at risk for a non-essential cause.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world to its core, leaving no sector of industry untouched in its wake. Football, especially, has lost millions in revenue because of the outbreak. Regardless, the date has been finalised, and we will be witnessing the conclusion of a fascinating league campaign.
Where are Arsenal at the moment?
For Arsenal, the Premier League resumes with an away trip to reigning champions Manchester City. The period of lockdown perhaps came at the best time for the Gunners, as they were experiencing an awful campaign, which sees them sit 9th in the league.
Although new manager Mikel Arteta was implementing a few positive changes, many Arsenal fans were glad for a break from football. Fans were tired of seeing players embarrass the name of their club with poor performances week-in week-out.
The restart of football offers some of those players the chance to redeem not only their season, but potentially their Arsenal careers.
Here are 5 players who have a chance to revive their Arsenal careers when the EPL resumes.
#5 Shkodran Mustafi (CB)
Over the past few years, no player has looked more out of place at the Emirates than Shkodran Mustafi. Although he arrived in England with a World Cup-winning reputation, the German has failed to live up to even the lowest expectations.
His appearances in the starting XI this season have only reaffirmed the notion that he is not good enough to play for the club. However, these turbulent times have offered players a second chance. With many a club now stricken of capital to spend in the transfer window, current players at the club will now have the opportunity to save their future.
Since the days of Tony Adams & Sol Campbell, Arsenal has been crying out for a solid centre-back that fills the rest of the team with confidence. Mustafi’s rash tackling and erratic positioning have always made him stand out as a weak link in Arsenal’s forever porous defence.
However, with a shot at top 4 on the line, Arteta has no choice but to rely on the 28-year-old at a time where defensive quality is scarce in North London. Each of Arsenal’s sub-par CBs will have the chance to prove their worth to Arteta, but no one’s career is on the line more than Mustafi.
#4 Ainsley Maitland-Niles (CM)
For several years now, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been telling the world that he does not want to play as a right-back. Having been played in that position by three different managers, it looked as though the 22-year-old’s future was set in stone in the Arsenal defence.
The recurring injuries for Hector Bellerín have given Maitland-Niles extended amounts of playing time, but the youngster’s performances have shown he has no interest in developing a career at RB.
As soon as Bellerin recovered from injury, Maitland-Niles was dropped from the starting line-up, with Arteta even opting to start an out of place Sokratis in that position ahead of him. Then, Cedric Soares was purchased, further showing there would be no place at RB for the youngster.
When asked about the youngster in a press conference, Arteta said: “Ainsley needs put his head down and work hard.” This suggests the Spaniard was not happy with the player’s effort or attitude behind the scenes.
However, there may be signs of life for the youngster, as he was played in his preferred role of CM in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Emirates. As can be seen by the video above, Maitland-Niles partnered Matteo Guendouzi for the first half in Arsenal's 6-0 win over Charlton.
This suggests Arteta is willing to give the 22-year-old a chance to redeem himself, and revive an Arsenal playing career that has looked all but over.
#3 Granit Xhaka (CM)
The former Arsenal captain has experienced the most testing season of his career. When he was seen angrily responding to crowd abuse in a 2-2 home draw with Crystal Palace, many thought they would never see the Swiss international in an Arsenal shirt again. Things quickly to cool down a few months later, and the midfielder found himself back in the starting line-up.
However, things never felt right with the 27-year-old, and that was made evident when it took the desperate persuasion of Arteta to stop him from leaving in the January window. Even though time has passed, and tempers may have cooled, there is still an underlying feeling amongst the fans that the midfielder is not good enough for Arsenal.
As a graduate of Pep Guardiola, Arteta plans to play an expansive style of football that relies on controlled possession and relentless pressing. To implement that system, he needs a player at the base of the midfield who both covers space and dictates possession.
Xhaka is the type of player Arteta needs, but so far, his performances have not suggested he could excel in such a role. These next 10 games will decide whether the 27-year-old can be the man Arteta can build his midfield around.
#2 David Luiz (CB)
In recent weeks, it has come to light that David Luiz did not sign a 2-year deal at the Emirates- it was 1 year with the option of another. As of now, Arsenal has not exercised their right to extend his stay. Perhaps the club and Arteta are waiting to analyse the 33-year-old’s remaining games to view if he will be of any use next season.
Many were baffled by Arsenal’s decision to sign the defender, who was quite clearly past his best, for an £8m fee at the expense of other transfer targets. Looking back at it now, fans will argue that £8m was not value for money, with the club sitting 9th in the league after having conceded 36 goals in 28 games.
With the youthful William Saliba to come into the squad next season, Luiz’s place in the team is clearly under threat. This season, the Brazilian has been at the forefront of Arsenal’s defensive woes, but has made 25 PL appearances.
In the final quarter of the season, the veteran defender will have the chance to plead his case to Arsenal's manager and technical director.
#1 Mesut Ozil (CAM)
Has there been a bigger fall from grace in Premier League football than Mesut Ozil? The German arrived in England to much acclaim, and rightly so. At the time, he was one of the best players in the world with a creative record to match.
His arrival at the Emirates was meant to signify a new era for Arsenal- an era in which they would ‘compete with Bayern Munich. Fast forward several years, and things have only gone from bad to worse for the club, with Ozil labelled as the scapegoat for it all.
As the highest-paid player in the club’s history, the German often gets the brunt of the criticism for the club’s failure to compete for domestic titles. Recently, the superstar also gained much media coverage for his outspoken condemnation of alleged concentration camps in China. Arsenal failed to back him in this press storm, only fuelling the uncertainties around his future.
Before the lockdown was imposed, Ozil was showing minimal signs of his former glory days as Arteta looked to focus the team around him. The final 10 games of this season present the 31-year-old with the opportunity to save his dwindling Arsenal career.
The Arteta era is one where players will be judged on merit, not reputation. Ozil must improve his appalling stat of 4 league assists in the past 2 years if he is to stay on past this summer.
