4 - Rosicky
3 - Arteta
2 - Koscielny
1 - RVP
4 - Rosicky
3 - Arteta
2 - Koscielny
1 - RVP
It's better to burn out, than to fade away.
1 - Fulop
Player of the Season - In fifth place is...
Mikel Arteta leads off our top five. The Spanish midfielder finished in fifth place with 4.1 per cent of the votes cast after a superb first season at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal.com reporter Rob Kelly gives his verdict on the 30-year-old.
“He is a player you don't like to lose because he is an organiser, a winner and has great qualities. He has a 90-minute focus on the pitch and what typifies him well is the goal he scored against Manchester City. He first won the ball back through complete focus on what the opponent will do and where he could lose the ball. He then finished the action and scored the goal. That is what I call a real midfielder, a guy who is always in the game.”
Of all the many astute signings Arsène Wenger has made in his 16 years at Arsenal, the capture of Mikel Arteta on transfer deadline day must rank as one of his best. Cool, calm and composed, the Spaniard so quickly became a mainstay of the team that it seemed scarcely credible that he had not been a Gunner for years.
Of all the statistics about Arteta this season - his 91 per cent pass rate, his 83.14 per cent tackle rate - perhaps the most telling was about his effect on the team. When Arsenal travelled to West Bromwich Albion for their final game of the season, they had not won a league match that Arteta had not played in. That illustrates just how essential the Spaniard had become in his first nine months at the Club.
The 30-year-old faced a major challenge upon joining Arsenal. Following the departure of the Gunners’ talismanic captain, Arteta was mistakenly labelled ‘Fabregas-lite’ by some observers. But that misunderstood the role the Spaniard would play: he had not been signed as a playmaker, more as a conduit between defence and attack. It was a role he had assumed in his early days at Barcelona, and he revisited it to brilliant effect in his first season under Wenger.
Mikel was always keen to emphasise that he was happy to play a more understated role if it was to the benefit of the side as a whole. “I just try to balance the team a little bit. I don't want to be the main man; we all know who the main man is and that’s Robin. The most important thing is the team, and once the team is doing well the highlights will come for the rest of the players because we are playing well. Everyone is part of a machine and we are all just trying to make the machine work as well as we can.”
That quote typifies Arteta’s selfless attitude, but he has also remained highly influential going forward, weighing in with six goals and three assists during an excellent debut season at Emirates Stadium. Of course, the most memorable of those goals was his late winner against Manchester City, but he also scored a sensational free kick against Aston Villa, a curling effort against West Brom, a long-range hit against Wigan and two strikes against Blackburn. Quite the highlights reel.
Mikel may not have been as eye-catching as some of his team-mates during his first season at Arsenal, but his technical excellence, experience and maturity made him one of the most important. And with a season under his belt in the red-and-white shirt, his influence will only grow over the coming years.
He has improved no doubt after a shocker of a first 18 months but the article above is a bit over the topPlayer of the Season - in fourth place is...
Laurent Koscielny is next on our list. The French defender finished fourth with 4.29 per cent of the votes after a brilliant campaign at the heart of the Gunners’ backline
Arsenal.com reporter Rob Kelly gives his verdict on the 26-year-old.
There were times during Laurent Koscielny’s first season at Arsenal when he was dismissed by some observers as simply not being cut out for English football. Forget the improving performances, his calming influence at the back, his sensational display against Barcelona - he just wasn’t good enough apparently.
Those critics are nowhere to be found these days. The 26-year-old enjoyed a sensational second campaign for Arsène Wenger’s side, fully justifying his manager's faith when he signed him from Lorient following a meteoric rise in French football.
“We found him in France of course, from a smaller team. But you could see that there was something special there,” Wenger said. “I believe that last year you could already see the potential, but he did not have that dominance in the duels that he has found this season. That makes him, I personally believe, one of the top-class central defenders in the Premier League.”
Not many would disagree with that assessment, least of all his team-mates, who have come to expect the level of excellence the classy defender delivers week in, week out.
“He has done amazingly this season and I don't understand why a lot of criticism was there in the first season,” Thomas Vermaelen said. “He is [good] all round. He is quick, strong and good with the ball. There are just a lot of things about defending that he is really good at and that is why I like him.”
Injuries to his fellow centre backs saw Laurent's defensive partnerships chop and change. Despite this, he was the epitome of consistency. His reassuring presence, composure on the ball and ability to spot danger helped his side through some of the more difficult times.
Not only that, Laurent had the confidence to go forward when the situation allowed and Arsenal fans will long remember his rampaging break from the back to win a penalty in the 3-2 FA Cup comeback victory against Aston Villa in January. He has also developed the knack of scoring goals when his side needs them most, claiming the openers against both Fulham and Milan.
But Laurent's most telling attacking contribution came in the final game - and the final half - of the campaign. With Arsenal locked at 2-2 against West Bromwich Albion in a game they had to win to secure Champions League football, Laurent was in the right place at the right time to convert the winner. It seemed fitting that Arsenal’s most improved player of the season scored their most important goal.
It is not only Arsenal fans who have noticed the huge strides Laurent has made. France coach Laurent Blanc - no mean defender himself - handed the 26-year-old his first cap in November in Les Bleus' 1-0 victory against the USA, and he has been selected for the national team’s squad for Euro 2012.
Not bad for a man initially deemed not good enough for English football.
Fourth?
Arsenal.com voters.
Agreed
Too high.
Top 6 maybe but 4th is a bit high
Boss-cielny.
Koscielny has been quite good this season, although he is still prone to lapses in concentration, ie Anfield. But one of our best defenders.
Originally Posted by Munchies
Those who said Kos wasn't good enough. Assholes!
Für eure Sicherheit
Yeah 1 good season. Wow.
Who'll bite...
Last edited by Marc Overmars; 29-05-2012 at 03:09 PM.
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