Arsenal: Grading The Squad For 2017/18

With the Premier League season done and dusted, we look back at the campaign for Arsenal and how they fared in what turned out to be the last season for Arsene Wenger as manager of the North London side.

It's fair to say that Arsenal failed to hit the heights, they so often did previously, under the Frenchman this season. No silverware, either in England or in Europe, drew the curtains on the longest serving manager's career in England.

An unprecedented 6th place finish in the league, a humiliating exit in the 3rd round of the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest, a thumping in the EFL Cup final at the hands of Manchester City and the inability to put away a 10-man Atletico Madrid side at home, even the most ardent of Arsenal supporters cannot shy away from accepting the reality, which reflects Arsenal's dismal campaign this season.

Without further ado, let's look at how the men in the Red and White for Arsenal fared this season:

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Grade D

Close your eyes and seek divine intervention...

Shkodran Mustafi: After personally covering most of the Arsenal matches this season, I'm pretty sure I sound like a broken record but how do we not address that inept defensive unit of Arsenal Football Club. Someone should, considering Wenger hasn't. And won't.

The days of Sol Campbell and Tony Adams and Martin Keown have been replaced by the dark nights of Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Rob Holding.

The German has had one of his worst seasons since moving to the Emirates and is largely culpable for the hideous defensive displays at the back for Arsenal.

He has been indecisive with runners in behind him as well as with crosses whipped into the box and has failed to register even a single error-free display this campaign. Honestly, if there were a grade below D, Mustafi would be getting it.

Alex Iwobi: The Nigerian has been one of the most promising youngsters to make the move up into the first team for the Gunners. He has steadfastly made a place for himself in the Arsenal squad and the manager has repeatedly put his faith in the teenager and has reaped its rewards.

Arsenal haven't been able to count on Iwobi

This season though, Alex Iwobi has been as non-influential as he has ever been, including the time he spent with the junior teams, or in his grandma's back-yard.

Iwobi needed to put some work into his finishing toward the end of the last season and he would've been a big asset for the Gunners.

However, he hasn't just managed to degrade his finishing skills but has also looked far from his composed usual self on the ball for his side. He hasn't been involved in nearly as many goals as he ought to have been and has scored even fewer. A deserved D grade for the forward.

David Ospina: Arsenal have failed to address their goal-keeping woes for some time now. Ever since their invincible season in 2004, when Jens Lehman was the man with the gloves, Arsenal have lacked rigidity at the back and a lot of that is down to the fact that they have never had a reliable goal-keeper behind the back-line.

The Gunners have experimented for way too long now, with Szczesny and Ospina both failing to do the business for them. The Colombian had another forgettable campaign in North London, despite only featuring in cup competitions and has leaked goals against CSKA Moscow in both legs and against a 10-man Atletico side, which resulted in Arsenal exiting the competition at the semi-final stage.

Grade C

Arsenal went down to Atletico in the Europa League semi-final

Hector Bellerin: The right-back burst onto the scene three seasons ago and has slowly made a name as one of the most consistent right-backs in the game at the moment. This lead to talk of Barcelona wanting to resign the Spaniard last summer.

Bellerin stayed but failed to cement his position as the best right-back in the country. Far from it, the right-back has gone missing too often and has looked out of place in so many big games, resembling a headless chicken rather than the rampaging fullback like his former self.

Laurent Koscielny: The captain is among the lowest rated players in his side, which should never really be the case. But this is sadly the case.

The Frenchman is one of the most loved players at the Emirates and epitomises all the values that the club endorses. However, he has failed terribly to provide either the leadership or the defensive stability, like he has in seasons gone by, and was stretchered off in his last appearance and is set to miss action for the next 6 months.

Arsenal have failed to pick up a single point on the road this calendar year and the defence has to take the bulk of the blame for that.

Jack Wilshere: The Englishman has been surplus to requirement in the league for the manager but has been a prominent figure in their run to the semi-final of the Europa League.

Wilshere has failed to cement his place in the side.

While Wilshere deserves credit, along with Giroud, for stewarding relatively inexperienced side in the group stages of the Europa League, he failed to come up with the goods when the big boys came to town. He was also terribly ineffective against Atletico in both legs and therefore deserves a C grade.

Calum Chambers: The first thing on the to-do list for anyone who comes into the job, soon to be vacated by Arsene Wenger, undoubtedly has to be addressing their defensive frailties. Arsenal have become a team that lacks defensive cohesiveness and purpose. The back-line seems out of its depth anytime it is asked to do its job.

Calum Chambers is also party to that particular crime. He has failed to make any sort of impression since moving from the Saints and doesn't possess the quality to be the focal point of any Premier League defence, let alone at Arsenal.

Granit Xhaka: The Swiss international has been in the eye of the storm for Arsenal for some time no. He has been terribly inconsistent for the Gunners ever since his move, and he seemed to take that into the latest campaign as well.

We've become accustomed to seeing the Swiss get a card in most of the matches he is a part of, so we reckon he should get used to receiving such abysmal grades for his performances.

Peter Cech: When the Czech Republic international made the switch from West to North London, the Arsenal fans hoped that he would continue his superlative form of the years gone by. Unfortunately though, nothing could be further from the truth.

Cech has been culpable for numerous individual mistakes this season and has, in the process, leaked 52 goals in the Premier League this season. He has also failed to keep a clean sheet in an away game in 2018. Far from the reassuring Petr Cech that Arsenal needed.

Grade B

A partnership to work on?

Alexandre Lacazette: One of the most talked about transfers before a certain Gabonese moved to London was of the Frenchman. Arsenal fans had been calling for the management to sign the striker ever since they were linked with him a few seasons ago. They finally got their wish and the former Lyon man hasn't disappointed.

Far from his most prolific season, understandingly since it takes time to get acclimatised to the rugged nature of the Premier League, the striker has still managed to put up a decent showing in his first season at the Emirates with 17 goals and 5 assists. Plenty to look forward to in the next season.

Mesut Ozil: Yes. Shockingly, such have been the standards of the FA Cup holders this campaign that even a far from his best Mesut Ozil receives more than a decent B grade.

The German has experienced his least effective campaign in his last three years at Arsenal. He has recorded the lowest number of assists (14) and scored just 5 goals (compared to 12 last season). He is also languishing in 10th place on the assists charts this season, behind his team-mate Henrik Mkhitaryan.

However, when Mesut Ozil does turn up for the Gunners, there are few better sites in world football at the moment. Like how he humiliated CSKA Moscow in the Europa League quarter-finals.

The World Cup winner has put in some very telling performances in the red and white for Arsenal, despite his tendency to go missing in a number of matches through the season.

Sead Kolasinac: Another new entrant into the Arsenal side has been the Bosnian and has done more than a decent job. He has provided that grit which has been missing for far too long, and hasn't been afraid to either fly into a tackle or let fly from distance.

He has also been an asset going forward for the Gunners, assisting and scoring with the lethal left foot of his. A decent start to life in London results in him getting this particular grade.

Danny Welbeck: 5 goals in 12 appearances, including a come-from-behind brace against Southampton only recently, in the league is hardly the best that the Englishman can muster up. But given his lack of presence in the side, owing to injuries, it was far from a disappointing campaign in the league.

Welbeck has come up with some crucial goals this season.

In Europe too, the striker has found the back of the net on three occasions, helping his side advance to the semi-finals of the competition.

Mohammed Elneny: One of the best performers for Arsenal this season has been the Egyptian. Ozil, Ramsey and Wilshere have all been out with injuries at various stages in the season and the midfielder has adeptly slotted in their absence and has put up spirited performances for the Gunners.

His good performances have resulted in him enjoying much more game time at the club and he has also recently signed an extension with the club. We reckon his consistency had something to do with it.

Henrik Mkhitaryan: The Armenian was part of one of the transfer sagas of the season as Alexis and Henrik switched allegiances and sides. Mkhi, much like his compatriot, had a decent start to life, but unlike his teammate - despite the odd disappointing appearance - carried on with his form for the Gunners.

During his limited time in England, he has managed to create a number of chances for Arsenal and has also managed to score three and assist six other goals. Considering he is only just settling into life in London, we can expect him to come good for the Gunners next season.

Grade A

The two were instrumental in the FA Cup success last year

Aaron Ramsey: The Welshman hasn't had the most prolific campaign in an Arsenal shirt but he has not disappointed every time he has walked onto the pitch.

His ability to read the game and make those trademark runs at the right time to get on the end of things has been pivotal in his rise as a top quality midfielder.

The Welshman has been one of the most paradoxical players in modern football, so full of potential and exploiting it to the limit on one night, and then utterly ineffective when you'd least expect it.

But he has shown time and again, and multiple times in the two-legged quarter-final tie against the Russians alone, why he is considered among one of the very best in the art of the box-to-box midfielder.

He is currently the leading goal-scoring box-to-box midfielder in world football 8 ahead of his nearest rival Arturo Vidal. He has been involved in 22 goals in 28 appearances for Arsenal this season, scoring as many as he created.

Ramsey has been the best performer for the Gunners in Europe this season, despite Ozil's antics at home and Welbeck's heroics. Kudos to the Welshman who is slowly, but surely, improving his credit on the streets of the footballing world.

Nacho Monreal: The Spaniard is slowly growing into one of the most reliable men in an Arsenal shirt these days. After a timid start to life in England, when he arrived along with Santi Cazorla from Spain, he has grown into one of the favourites of the home crowd - regularly putting in sturdy performances and chipping in with important goals in Cup finals and the like.

Another terrific season for the left-back, he is the only one who has looked calm and composed in the chaotic Arsenal back-in that has leaked more goals this year (51) than in any of the previous 5 campaigns.

That should give you a measure of just how significant Nacho Monreal has been to a side that cannot seem to stop leaking goals.

The Spaniard has also been vital upfront for the Gunners showing his offensive traits by regularly coming up with important goals for his side when they need them the most. The left back has scored 6 goals this campaign in all competitions and has also assisted another two.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: The Gabon international had a blistering start to life in England as he scored on his debut, after being set up by his former Dortmund team-mate, against Everton. Things slowed down after that and the striker found himself in the cross-hairs.

Arsenal fans were starting to doubt his ability to get goals in the toughest league in the world. Arsene Wenger asked the fans to keep the faith and he was absolutely right to. Auba has relocated his golden goal-scoring touch once again and has found the net 10 times in just 14 appearances. he has also teed up his team-mates 4 times in that time.

Staggering turn around for the forward!

Grading the Manager: Arsene Wenger - C

Disappointing end to a glorious career

One of the worst seasons at the helm will also, unfortunately, be his last. Arsene Wenger is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers to have graced the game. Everyone at Arsenal wanted to give him the perfect sendoff - by qualifying for the Champions League and landing the Europa League.

None of those came to fruition. In fact, Arsenal experienced their worst ever campaign under the Frenchman in his 22 year tenure. A 6th place finish in the league is hardly the stuff of champions. No FA Cup or EFL Cup adds to the pain as well. So we reckon a C grade is best merited for Arsenal's manager this season.

Not the best way to sign off for one of the most revolutionary figures in our game.

Note: Players who don't feature in the article didn't get enough minutes this season to be eligible.