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Last season ended on a sour note for Arsenal as they lost heavily to Chelsea in the Europa League final. In fact, the only good thing that happened for the Gunners all season was basically becoming finalists in Baku.
They came 5th in the Premier League, got kicked out of the FA Cup in the 4th Round, reached the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, and were runners-up in the Europa League. While these quasi-achievements may give an impression that the club is growing, Arsenal fans have not been pleased.
That Arsenal got as far as they did was, in essence, the handiwork of the best strike-partners in the Premier League today. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette had a hand in a grand total of 65 goals in all competitions. (Aubameyang: 30 goals, 7 assists)(Lacazette: 18 goals, 10 assists)
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In other words, there weren't many problems in the final third. The midfield, while weak at times, had a hand in feeding the forwards effectively to ensure that the goals kept coming in. The main problem, Gooners would tell you, was the defence.
Arsenal scored 73 goals in the Premier League, bested only by Liverpool and Manchester City. However, they conceded 51 goals, making them one of the leakiest defences in the top 10 positions on the table.
Major reinforcements are needed in Arsenal's defence, but after spending €80 million on Nicolas Pepe, it is unlikely that they can afford any top defenders. While recent transfer rumours have the Gunners linked with defenders like Kieran Tierney, there is a chance that Unai Emery might have to make do with what he has.
So let's take a look at Arsenal's best possible backline this season, based on their current squad.
Goalkeeper - Bernd Leno
The 27-year-old German joined the squad at North London just over a year ago, and his debut season has been, well, not bad.
Conceding 42 goals in 32 games in the Premier League, he managed 8 clean sheets. Though his stats put him at conceding over a goal per game on average, he did not make that many mistakes. In reality, the back-three or back-four - depending on Emery's tactics per game - should take most of the blame.
Either way, Bernd Leno has shown great composure and ability between the sticks, and Gooners can expect this to continue. He's likely to feature heavily this season, especially with Petr Cech's retirement. Thankfully for Emery, Leno is only 27 years old, which means he's just about to hit his peak as a goalkeeper.
While last season, Cech was left to feature in most of the Europa League games, it is likely that Leno would be in charge this time around.
Wing-backs - Sead Kolasinac and Hector Bellerin
On the left side of the defence is Sead Kolasinac. Two years ago, Arsenal signed the Bosnian on a free transfer when he left Schalke 04.
The 26-year old has been one of the better performers for Arsenal last season as he made 36 appearances for the Gunners. Averaging just over a tackle per game and one key pass per game, he finished the season with seven assists in all competitions.
While he is capable of making strong contributions in the defence, Kolasinac would need to work on his concentration and his attacking prowess. While he is capable of marauding down the left flank, he needs to cause more havoc in the opposition defence by making better passes and increasing his accuracy.
Notably, he took an average of one shot every two games, but none of it yielded any goal throughout the season.
His counterpart, Hector Bellerin, is well-known for his unbelievable pace. 24-year-old Bellerin has been one of Arsenal's most consistent defenders, especially throughout last season.
Making more defensive contributions than Kolasinac, he averaged more than one interception per game, nearly two clearances per game, and over one aerial duel won per game.
Alongside his defensive capabilities, the Spaniard contributed to eight goals for the Gunners. He has a keen sense of giving the final pass, and also averaged a good 84% pass accuracy in the Premier League.
While his capabilities are unquestionable, Hector Bellerin will need to build on his tackling and heading. However, he is still young and he has a lot of time to work on his abilities. This season, Emery will certainly keep him at right-back for every important game.
Centre-backs - Rob Holding and Sokratis Papastathopoulos
One of the main problems in the defence last year for the Gooners was in the form of Shkodran Mustafi. While there is a chance he could remain on in Unai Emery's starting lineup, most fans have gotten tired of the German's presence in the backline.
One unforgettable game in the minds of fans was only a few months ago against Crystal Palace. Arsenal lost 2-3 to Palace in a shocking turn of events, and all three conceded goals had to do with errors committed by Shkodran Mustafi, angering the Arsenal faithful.
He's not very liked right now, and he would need to win the fans' approval again.
Taking his place on this list is Rob Holding who is very capable of becoming a world-class defender in the future. The young Englishman made only 10 appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League, but he has been as consistent as possible. Notably, Holding has made nearly four clearances per game, and more than one interception and tackle per game on average.
Receiving only one yellow card, he has won over two aerial duels per game, keeping his passing accuracy rates at a solid 88%. While he can be groomed into becoming a ball-playing defender, capable of building an attack from the backline, more game time this season will help the 23-year-old mature faster.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos is the other centre-back that makes the list. While Holding is a young defender for the future, the experienced Greek has played for Borussia Dortmund in the past and has been a great help to Arsenal's backline.
Sokratis made 37 appearances for the Gunners throughout last season, starting 36 times. He notably featured in Arsenal's run to the final of the Europa League, and unlike Mustafi, has been a fan favourite.
The 31-year-old centre-back contributed to five goals last term for Arsenal, scoring three. Yet his real contributions have been in defence, where he made nearly two tackles, four clearances, and one interception per game. He has also won at least two aerial duels per game.
His most notable strengths are his passing, concentration, maturity, and ability to lead the defence. Last season, he averaged a pass accuracy rate of 90%, which is saying something.
Sokratis is set to lead the backline again this season, and Gooners will hope that it will lead to fewer goals conceded.
