A review of Arsenal's title assault so far

Theo Walcott

Apps – 11 Goals – 1 Assists – 2Performance of the season – Fulham (A)

Never has a game been so evident of how much we miss Theo Walcott in some games and that game was against United. After missing the majority of the season so far we haven’t seen much of Theo. His return to fitness gives us the mouth-watering prospect of Walcott-Özil link up which we saw against Sunderland and Marseille, but haven’t seen since. Hopefully Theo can get back into the swing of things reasonably quickly and start getting on the score sheet again. To be top of the League without our top scorer from last year is quite impressive, so with the added goals of Theo hopefully we can start turning these 2-0 wins into 3 or 4-0 wins.

Lukasz Podolski

Apps – 4 Goals – 2 Assists – 0Performance of the season – Fulham (A)

Not sure there are many teams across world football that would be top of their league without their second highest goal scorer from the previous year for practically the whole season thus far. Podolski’s presence on social networking sites makes it feel like he has hardly been away, we see him in so many pictures we don’t really miss him that much.

After scoring 16 goals and grabbing 11 assists in his first season, Podolski managed to become a fan favourite without producing too many dazzling displays. I have spoken to a few people who are concerned that Podolski may disrupt the rhythm of the squad when he returns. I find it hard to offer any reassurances as to whether this will happen or not, simply because I’m not sure we’re a better team with Podolski in it.

Podolski would not make our strongest XI that is for certain now, but that is not to say he doesn’t have an important role to play when he returns in the upcoming weeks. There will be games where we need a clinical presence up top and Podolski is arguably our most clinical forward. Also depending on whether Wenger signs a striker or not, Podolski could be used up top to give Giroud a rest, maybe Podolski’s returning form could be the decisive factor into whether Wenger actually goes for a striker in January.

Serge Gnabry

Apps – 7 Goals – 1 Assists – 0Performance of the season – Swansea (A)

Serge Gnabry at the moment has reached that part of his development where he is miles too good for U21/youth level but not quite ready to hold down a regular first team spot. That is not to say that he is not ready at all because I firmly believe he is. His cameo appearance against United may not have meant much to some, but I saw belief in that performance, he scared Evra shitless and showed everybody how much potential he really does have. Wenger has used him sparingly thus far this season, which of course is to protect him.

His performances whilst sporadic have not escaped attention for his national team manager Joachim Low. As the season goes on we’re going to see more and more of Gnabry I’m sure, but mainly as an impact player. I very much doubt he will be sent out on loan as I’m pretty sure Wenger would like to have a more personal impact on his development.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Apps – 1 Goals – 0 Assists – 1Performance of the season – Aston Villa (H)

This was supposed to be The Ox’s season. It all started off so well for him personally, assisting Giroud for his goal but was then taken off at half time with his injury which has kept him out of the side until now. I have long said Alex is our brightest prospect at the club and out of all our British starlets has the most raw, natural talent.

My last statement is obviously debatable with Ramsey and Wilshere, but I stand by it. Hopefully Alex will be back in the new year and will get back to where he left off after that first half against Villa where he was mesmerizing.

Olivier Giroud

Apps – 21 Goals – 10 Assists – 5Performance of the season – Spurs (H)

Olivier Giroud is somebody who really does split the Arsenal fan base in half, most people I speak to either really love him or can’t stand him. Those of you who follow me on twitter will see I am constantly defending Giroud, however I will speak up when I feel Giroud is having a poor game. I can understand why many don’t fancy Giroud, he isn’t the striker we’ve become accustomed to in the Wenger era, he is no Henry, Bergkamp or Van Persie, but to the game we play he has a vital role.

I can respect any player who gives 110% week in week out. The man puts his body on the line for 50 games a season, I for one can hardly fathom how a striker in today’s modern game can get through the work Giroud does and not get injured (touches wood). He does so much dirty work that he barely gets any credit for, he may not have the quality of somebody like Van Persie but football is a team game and right now Giroud is doing a job, and a pretty good job as well for a team that is top of the table, I can live with that. Of course I am open to the idea of a signing another striker, but I would not see much point in signing somebody who is similar to Giroud (Dzeko, Benteke etc).

Anybody we sign must give us a different dimension, I think Wenger is working on the same level of thought as I am, after trying to sign Suarez in the Summer. I said at the start of the season Giroud will get 25 in all competitions, he is already on 10 so is already nearly half way there after just a third of the season. I am very much in the Giroud fan camp and value highly everything he gives for this club week in week out and long may it continue.

Yaya Sanogo

Apps – 2 Goals – 0 Assists – 0Performance of the season – Fenerbahce (H)

We haven’t seen much of the tall lad from France, in actual fact we’ve probably seen more minutes of YouTube clips than minutes on the pitch for Arsenal. Obviously the typical Arsenal tradition of coming to the club and missing half a season through injury has hit Yaya, so we’ll probably have to wait until next season to see the best from our new world class striker.

On the few substitute appearances Sanogo has made he has looked off the pace and a bit lethargic if I’m being brutally honest, but I won’t judge him on that, he is 20 years old, new country, new club he needs time. But if I was to stick my neck on the line and say whether I feel he has what it takes, I would be inclined to say ‘no’ purely based on what I have seen, although I do look forward to his recovery so I can see more of him in the new year, let’s hope Wenger has pulled off a masterstroke.

Nicklas Bendtner

Apps – 8 Goals – 1 Assists – 0Performance of the season – Hull (H)

I wrote this article just before the Hull game, so my piece on Bendtner has slightly changed obviously because of his goal. My overall opinion has not changed of the man himself, but that goal has changed my outlook slightly on his performance review. At the start of the season I bought into the idea that Bendtner was a changed man. His performance against West Brom really made me feel like he was ready to work hard, his head seemed in the right place and judging by the way he celebrated after we won that shootout, I felt as though he actually wanted to be at the club. In recent weeks he has looked lethargic and I wasn’t getting the same feeling about him when he came on as a substitute.

Now it would be completely unjust to judge a man off of a few substitute appearances and a start against Chelsea, but the least I expect of a player who comes off the bench is 100% effort. I don’t get that vibe off of Bendtner, the vibe that I am used to from watching Giroud week in week out. His goal against Hull was well taken and he did ok in a match that was over inside the first few minutes. Wenger’s persistence with him seems to me a ploy to put Bendtner in the shop window for January, his goal against Hull may have just added a few pounds to his price tag and may have caught the attention of some newly interested clubs.

In an ideal world I’d rather give Akpom a few games off of the bench, he has shown me that he is more deserving than Bendtner. Akpom may only be 18 years old but his performances in pre-season and the U21 league have convinced me that he is ready for 15 minutes here or there. Surely the development of Akpom is more important than getting a few more extra quid for Bendtner in January? Maybe I am wrong, maybe Wenger actually feels Bendtner has a role to play in this team and could fill the void of the second striker we’ve been yearning for. I seriously hope not, but I will still support him when he pulls on that Arsenal top, as long as he shows me he wants it.

Thank you for reading, I hope you have enjoyed. Feel free to leave any feedback or discuss any points with me on Twitter.