Top 10 Arsenal Players 2012/13 by a Gooner

Welcome to the first post in Andy’s top 10. Here, we look at Arsenal‘s top 10 players of the 2012/13 season.

10. Olivier Giroud

Giroud began life in the Premier League somewhat slowly, and his lacklustre finishing at times began to irritate us Gooners. Whilst his finishing only improved slightly, Arsenal fans began to see that he was more than just a ‘target man’, and that despite his size (and stunning looks), his ability to bring the ball down and control it instantly brought something new to the team.

A return of 17 goals from 47 appearances isn’t bad considering it was his first season in a new, much harder league. He also notched 10 assists, which shows his ability to bring others into play. He was never going to replace Van Persie in terms of goals scored, but he’s done quite well and he’ll want to kick on next season.

Best moment – a brace against Brighton and Hove Albion, as both goals showed off two different sides to his game.

9. Lukas Podolski

Arsenal’s number 9 comes in at…number 9! Lukas Podolski, another Summer signing, had an injury hit first season at The Emirates, but thankfully his attitude never wavered. Having been deployed out wide on the left for large sways of the season, Cazorla took over that role with aplomb when Podolski’s troublesome ankle played up.

However, he recovered in time to be shifted into a central role when Giroud was suspended for the 3 of the final 4 games. His ability to pick men out in the box was praised by Wenger, and it allowed him to collect 10 assists. He also scored 15 goals in 39 appearances, but he rarely completed 90 minutes, much to the frustration of many.

Best moment – a hat-trick of assists and a thunderous drive saw Arsenal come from behind to beat West Ham 5-1 at The Emirates.

8. Jack Wilshere/Tomas Rosicky

I can see two major questions being asked here – firstly, how can you have two players in one spot? And secondly, how can our darling Jack be so far down on your list? Well, I’ll start with the second of those two questions – it’s because he wasn’t actually that good this season, and he certainly wasn’t consistent.

That’s no fault of his own; it was always going to be tough for him to slip seamlessly back into a side that had changed drastically over the year and a half he’d been injured. He was enigmatic, and whilst he showed his class, our best performances came with him out of the side… coincidentally, his place was taken by Tomas Rosicky.

As with the 2011/12 season, Rosicky was used sparingly until the latter months of the season, but when he came in, it was clear to see that he hadn’t lost any of the spark that saw him win the hearts of many the previous year. His experience is vital, and his intelligence can be seen by the way he lost Jonny Evans to set up Theo Walcott for his goal against Manchester United. Wilshere now faces a crucial season, and whilst he’s got the ability to do it, it’ll be tough for him to replace Rosicky in the starting line up.

Best moment – For Wilshere, it has to be his Man of the Match performance against Swansea, where a commanding performance in the middle of the park was capped off with a late winner. Rosicky’s best moment has to be the game against West Brom at The Hawthorns, where an early goal-line clearance was followed by a brace which ultimately won us the game. After a red card for Mertesacker, Rosicky also used his experience to good effect in leading the team to victory.

7. Kieran Gibbs

Kieran Gibbs has always shown potential – even from a young age, playing as a winger, it was clear that Gibbs could make a name for himself. Injuries got in the way of that somewhat, affecting both his match fitness and his confidence. It is to his credit then, that he hasn’t allowed injuries to derail his career, and he now finds himself able to hold down a first team slot at left back.

Quick and always willing to go forward, one could argue that he’s the closest we’ve come to replacing ‘Cashley’. He added defensive steel to his game, and this aggressive nature has helped him. It’s also clear that the signing of Nacho Monreal from Malaga has motivated him to work harder, and one can only hope that the competition for places is healthy and can lead both on to greater things.

Best moment – Whilst it’s tempting to say his volley against Swansea in the F.A. Cup, it seems too obvious. For me, it would be his performance against Southampton, early in the season where he looked set to claim two assists…but he didn’t, because they were both for own goals.

6. Aaron Ramsey

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player divide opinion so much as Aaron Ramsey. You only have to look at where I’ve placed him in this ranking to see what I think of him (although reading what’s to come would also be nice!).

He continued the 2012/13 season where he left off – either on the wing, or on the bench. Wenger always maintained that he wanted Ramsey to play out wide to learn something new, but with a view to move him back into the middle…once again (in my eyes), Wenger was proven right. Tasked with filling in for the injured Arteta as a deep lying midfielder, Ramsey excelled, and even managed to keep Wilshere out of the side.

Whilst his attacking shortcomings may lead to criticism, there are others who can score and create. Very few can run as hard as Ramsey, or tackle as well. He added stability to the team, and looks as though he could become the player he could have been before the injury.

Best moment – his partnership with Arteta towards the end of the season meant that Arsenal became more balanced, but also meant that we could keep possession more easily. I’m going to say that this really came into fruition during the 2nd leg of the Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.

5. Laurent Koscielny

This is another controversial one; not because Koscielny doesn’t deserve to be in the Top 10. It’s just that many others would have put him higher up on their list. Yes, he came 2nd in the official Arsenal poll, but let’s just rewind a little bit. He was awful for the first few months of the season. He was the leader in a defence that conceded 4 against Reading – he even got one of their goals!

Our defensive solidity was praised at the beginning of the season, when he wasn’t there. But maybe I’m being harsh, and maybe TV5 was at fault for some of Koscielny’s shortcomings? Either way, his return to form saw Arsenal clinch 4th spot, and his watertight partnership with Mertesacker was arguably the main reason for that. Let’s hope that Wenger sticks with it for the start of next season.

Best moment – His match-winning performance and a well taken goal against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena. He grew in confidence from there, and it started an unbeaten run that saw us secure Champions League football.

4. Theo Walcott

Theo’s season was perhaps overshadowed by the whole Sing Da Ting debacle. Whilst his performances on the pitch are linked with the dealings off it, Theo had an excellent season. Starting off on the bench (perhaps as a response to him not signing on), he publicly pleaded for the opportunity to play through the middle. It seemed as though Wenger’s persistence with Giroud would mean that Theo’s chances would be limited, but soon enough Walcott’s chances came.

He subsequently signed da ting, and even though the goals seemed to dry up after that, he still remained a constant threat to defences throughout the season, ending as our top scorer for the season with 21 goals in 43 games, his assist tally also came up to an impressive 11. I don’t personally like Theo up front on his own – his pace makes him incredibly valuable to have out wide, although maybe a striking role would suit him in a 4-4-2 with either Giroud, Podolski or who knows, maybe Higuain?

Best moment – Probably his hat-trick against Newcastle, where he showed off all the abilities he possesses to play up front. He certainly did the hallowed number 14 shirt proud (other notable goals include the ones against Chelsea and Liverpool).

3. Per Mertesacker

And now we’re into the Top 3. Head and shoulders above the rest (no pun intended…okay, maybe a little bit…) into 3rd place is our very own BFG, Per Mertesacker. The way in which he not only overcame a fairly average first season in the league, but also recovered from a fairly serious injury has been marvellous. His reading of the play is second to none, and it’s no surprise that whilst Vermaelen and Koscileny both got shifted around, he remained strong and became a leader at the back.

He has gotten stronger, but he may want to work on it more. As I’ve mentioned above, his unbeaten streak with Koscielny is what I think clinched us Champions League football, and it’s now clear why Wenger decided to buy this particular Big German little under two years ago now. Oh, and he always scores against Tottenham…

Best moment – Putting Arsenal level against Tottenham at The Emirates on their way to yet another 5-2 victory isn’t a bad way to mark your first goal in North London.

2. Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta had yet another stellar season at Arsenal, despite playing in a totally new position. It was almost inevitable that Song’s departure, coupled with the rediscovered beauty of the deep lying playmaker (a renaissance fittingly led by Pirlo at Euro 2012) that Mikel Arteta would have to fill the defensive void left by Alex Song. And he did it fantastically, showcasing his vision, ability to play a pass as well as his excellent leadership skills.

His tenacity in the tackle was needed more than ever, and he seemed to revel when given the captaincy, following Vermaelen’s dropping. People cooed over how Carrick won Manchester United the title, but Arteta beats him in terms of passes completed, touches of the ball and passes attempted. Panic buy? Jog on…

Best moment – Captaining the side through their resurgence that culminated in the securing of Champions League football yet again…once more, this can be pinpointed to the victory over Bayern Munich.

1. Santi Cazorla

What more can be said about our Iberian magician that hasn’t already been said down the pub, in the newspaper, or by any number of Arsenal bloggers. Whatever people say about Arsenal’s season on the whole, most (if not all) people will say that a positive was definitely the signing of Santiago Cazorla off cash stripped Malaga. He had quite a reputation to fill, having been the only non Barcelona/Real Madrid player named in the official Team of the Season, but he came to Arsenal and settled like a duck to water.

He rarely gives the ball away, and under the strict instruction of Pellegrini and Del Bosque, always works tirelessly to win it back. His skill has dazzled fans and opponents, and there’s an end product too – he made 96 key passes in 38 league appearances, and in all competitions scored 12 times (he had 11 assists). He played 30 accurate through balls, more than Manchester United (25). His versatility was key, and he was able to deliver whether in the middle, on the left, on the right or even as a 2nd striker. More of the same please Santi!

Best moment – It could be his 4 assists in the match against Wigan late on in the season, but I’m going to say his excellent performance acting as a 2nd striker against Liverpool at Anfield. Gave us a glimpse of what was to come, him and Diaby ran the show.