The Arsenal 2014/15 season review

By East Lower

A bit belated, but here’s a whistle-stop season review. It was going to be a general look at the season, but ended up being more about the players. That’s just the way I roll.

Defence

Just five Premier League goals fewer conceded this season compared to last, but our defensive stability seems a world better.

I can’t remember who mentioned it, but I was struck how the biggest margin of defeat across all competitions was two goals. Not bad at all, even if some of them were bitterly disappointing. Here’s looking at you, Monaco at home.

Per Mertesacker was written off at various points because of his World Cup exploits but I think he has been excellent. A calm and assured leader, positionally sound, just a top man. Plus he made my six-year-old very happy by waving at him at the parade.

Gabriel will have benefited from half a season of bedding in. He looks a promising act, with a bit of a cynical edge, and maybe that’s no bad thing. Laurent Koscielny was excellent.

Calum Chambers had very good start but fizzled out a bit as he struggled for game time with the emergence of Hector Bellerin, and it’ll be interesting whether he’s a right back or centre back next season.

Who will be happiest?

Nacho Monreal, who usurped Kieran Gibbs as first choice at left-back after a baptism of fire at centre-back, went on to have an excellent season. He has a nice attacking edge and is solid at the back.

But the carriage clock and year’s worth of luncheon vouchers go to Bellerin, who came from nowhere at the ripe old age of 19. His rawness has been mitigated by great technique, calmness, speed and persistence. His reward? Arsenal’s first-choice right back and an FA Cup winner’s medal. Not bad, by Hector.

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Midfield

Oh my, where to start? Let’s begin with an outstanding season from Santi Cazorla, who is not only annoyingly good at football but also seems annoyingly happy. None of this Seasonal Affective Disorder for our Santi, and I bet he doesn’t get the Sunday blues in front of Antiques Roadshow.

Mesut Ozil blossomed after three months out injured and silenced some of those doubters, whether he was on the wing or in the middle. He’s been outstanding. Some of the shimmies, flicks and ghosting runs he made as the season came to its head took the breath away. Keep it up, Mesut. Ja, Ja and thrice Ja.

Aaron Ramsey – also pock-marked with annoying setbacks – finished very strongly, and Jack Wilshere also reminded us he’s not going to settle for a spot on the bench right at the very end.

With the defensive solidity of Francis Coquelin, our midfield has really started to shine, with creative options all over the centre of the field. We can certainly improve in certain scenarios – such as when teams park the bus – but there’s plenty to be positive about.

Who will be happiest?

Ha, you thought I’d forgotten him, didn’t you. Well I hadn’t. Coquelin is the footballing story of the year with bells on. Skulking back into the Emirates as a last resort, he went about transforming our season and his reputation. In fact, much of why our defence seems to settled is down to him. He got an unlikely opportunity but seized it, and is now in the enviable position of being one of the first names on the team sheet. What a season.

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Attack

Who held Arsenal together in the autumnal sluggishness? Alexis. Who carried on working twice as hard as everyone else even when we thought his legs were about to fall off? Alexis. Who scored 25 goals in his maiden season? Tap-ins, curlers, raspers, headers, free-kicks? Alexis.

He might not have the ball retention of some of our midfielders but that is not his game. The Chilean maestro is a rare footballer indeed and getting him was an absolute coup. To finish the season with one of the best FA Cup goals of all time seemed a rather nice way to sum it all up. An absolute genius.

Olivier Giroud went on to have a fine season, scoring 19 goals despite missing three months of the season, with a particularly rich vein of form between February and April.

Danny Welbeck showed bags of promise, worked his socks off and has the flexibility to play across the forward line, while Theo Walcott – finished the season explosively.

Who knows what might have been if Walcott and Welbeck had stayed fit all season. You still feel there’s room to add to our collection here – I wonder if Wenger thinks the same.

Who will be happiest?

Alexis, without a doubt. He bedded into a new league and new culture in about 14 seconds before going on to prove he’s one of the best players in the league.

Overall

The first half of the season was not always easy on the eye, and we were too far behind too soon, but there’s no denying that something clicked after Christmas. We learned to win big games, we became more resilient, and Coquelin gave us much better balance.

It just came together and there are so many reasons to be excited. The squad is united, the deadwood is nowhere to be seen, there is far more strength in depth. Third is progress, and the FA Cup was simply magnificent.

Winning the FA Cup is no easy feat and we’ve done it twice in a row, breaking records as we’ve done so. We also played as well as we played all season in the final. That sea of yellow, the wall of noise, the pressing and waves of attacking, the fluid passing – none of it will not be forgotten for a while.

How can you ever say that a season in which you won a big trophy is not a success? It turned into an excellent, memorable season.

Played you rip-roaring yellows. And reds.