The Cup Final

The Premier League season has now come to an end with Arsenal winning 3-2 at home against Watford and moving up the table to finish 8th. It’s been a season to forget with the club’s worst league performance since the 1970’s but Arsenal can at least end the season on a high should they win the FA Cup Final and secure a trophy. Despite the poor campaign, there have been some bright spots with the likes of Aubameyang, Leno and Saka and they’ll be hoping to play a big part in the final alongside the returning Hector Bellerín.

With the Premier League season now over, Arsenal have released their shortlist for Player of the Season. The nominees are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bernd Leno and Bukayo Saka. Aubameyang has been typically consistent this season scoring 27 times in 43 games, 22 of those in the Premier League. The forward has played off the left wing for the majority of the season in order to accommodate the likes of Lacazette and Nketiah whilst maintaining a high level of production. What has been most impressive to see from Aubameyang this season, is his defensive work rate. We all know that Aubameyang is going to score goals but until this season we haven’t often seen him tracking back on the edge of his own box to block a cross or make a tackle. This was particularly noticeable during Saka’s stint at left back since the 18 year old was not natural in that position so Aubameyang often tracked back to help out. Aubameyang’s all-around performances this year have been superb and Arsenal need to try and keep him. Bern Leno has been a standout performer in almost every game he’s played in this season. With the defence struggling throughout the year, Leno has been called on frequently, producing game saving performances which we haven’t seen from an Arsenal goalkeeper in some time. Leno has an impressive 77.6% save percentage in the 30 Premier League game he played this season, only behind Martinez and Lloris. Staggeringly, despite how impressive Leno has been, his replacement Emi Martinez has now made Arteta’s job very difficult when deciding who will be Arsenal’s number 1 come next season. 18 year old Bukayo Saka has had an incredible breakthrough season at Arsenal, starring in the Europa League before establishing himself in the Premier League side. Saka has made 38 appearances in his debut campaign, recording 4 goals and 11 assists from a variety of positions. He has enjoyed spells at left back, both left and right wing, as well as a couple of performances in central midfield and he has impressed wherever he has played. His drive and technical quality for someone so young is incredibly exciting and it’s a huge relief that he has signed a long term contract so we get to watch him in an Arsenal shirt over the coming years.

On Tuesday, Mikel Arteta provided his team news update ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup Final against Chelsea. It has been confirmed that Skhodran Mustafi will miss the final having undergone a small procedure on his right hamstring – an injury picked up against Manchester City in the Semi Final. The early timeline for Mustafi’s return is in early October, ruling him out for the at least the first month of next season. Bernd Leno is close to returning to full training following his ligament sprain on June 20th. After what looked like a horrific injury, Leno’s recovery has been remarkable and now he has an outside chance of making the squad for the final. Regardless of Leno’s status, there’s no question that Emi Martinez deserves to play the game based on his recent form but Leno’s return to the squad will be a lift should he be needed to step in. Finally, Hector Bellerín has been cleared to play following a tight calf. His absence from the team was only precautionary and having him rested and ready to play is a boost for the weekend whether he starts or comes off the bench.

(Credit: John Walton/PA Images)

As far as Arteta’s team selection for the final, it’ll be interesting to see how he’ll cope with the centre back situation. David Luiz and Kieran Tierney look certain to play but the question mark is where they’ll play and who’s alongside them. With the injury to Mustafi, a shaky performance from Rob Holding against Watford, and Kolasinac and Sokratis’ lack of ball playing ability, there is no obvious player to slot into the back 3. With the back 3 being Arteta’s favoured system post lockdown and Chelsea recently switching to the same system, it is likely that Arteta will look to stick with it, with Rob Holding the most probable man to come in. This also poses the question of who will play at left wing-back should Arteta go with a back 3. Unless there is a surprise with Kolasinac playing at left centre back, Tierney should line up on the left side of the back 3. This then leaves Saka, Maitland-Niles and Kolasinac as the possible options, assuming Bellerín is chosen on the right. Maitland-Niles got the nod in the game against Manchester City and did a good defensive job against Riyad Mahrez throughout the game with his athleticism helping him to keep up with the tricky winger. However, going forward his final ball was poor. Maitland-Niles had 2 or 3 good opportunities to put the ball into a dangerous area in situation where it looked like Arsenal could score, yet he squandered each opportunity. One man who usually delivers in those areas is Bukayo Saka. The youngster has registered 11 assists in all competitions this year, playing a number of games at left back. When Saka crosses the ball into the box you often get the sense Arsenal could score, however, where Maitland-Niles has the advantage is that he is slightly better defensively and has more experience, particularly against top opposition having matched up against Chelsea a number of times when they have played a back 3. The most natural player in that position is Sead Kolasinac, with his overlapping runs being a constant source of danger under Unai Emery. But with Kolasinac’s biggest weakness being passing, a skill that is so vital to the way Arsenal play, it is hard to justify him a place in the team. My prediction for how Arsenal will line up is this:

Now all eyes turn to the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, a repeat of the 2017 final and last year’s Europa League Final. Mikel Arteta is looking for his first piece of silverware as a manager and with his emphasis on culture, picking up a trophy in his first season would go a long way to improving that. But perhaps the bigger prize should Arsenal win is entrance into the Europa League, securing them tens of millions of pounds which could help them improve the team in the transfer window. Hopefully we get a repeat of the 2017 final and Arsenal can lift the trophy a record 14th time.

Adam Perry – 31/07/2020