With another 4th place trophy in the bag and an FA Cup final looming, I would like to welcome you to the unofficial Arsenal awards ceremony.
Player of the Season: Aaron Ramsey
Honourable Mentions: Per Mertersacker, Laurent Koscielny, Bacary Sagna, and Santi Cazorla
Despite a serious injury that kept him out for three months the Welsh international is my player of year. With outstanding individual performances against Liverpool, Dortmund and Napoli he also contributed nine goals and nine assists in 22 premier league starts and 14 goals in all competitions. Every season Arsenal fans hear Arsene Wenger banging on about his team having character and this season Aaron Ramsey has shown that more so than anyone after taking massive criticism from fans in previous seasons.
Testimony to Ramsey’s performances was the dramatic drop in the team’s performance level when he was injured. It quickly became clear the Gunners had no one else who could match his energy, dynamism and goal scoring prowess.
Goal of the Season: Jack Wilshere Vs Norwich
Honourable Mentions: Mesut Ozil v Napoli, Tomas Rosicky v Sunderland, Olivier Giroud v West Ham, Aaron Ramsey v Norwich
There have been so many amazing Arsenal goals this season which haven’t even got a mention, however this Wilshere goal stands out from the rest. If you wanted to show someone a goal which displayed how Arsenal and Arsene Wenger wants his team to play football you would show them this goal. The goal starts in the Arsenal half and finishes with some short sharp incisive passing between Cazorla, Wilshere and Giroud around the outside of a crowded penalty box before Wilshere exquisitely side foots a volley with his weaker foot into the bottom corner of the goal.
Save of the Season: Wojciech Szczesny vs Crystal Palace (Mile Jedinak)
Honourable Mentions: Lukasz Fabianski vs Liverpool (Luis Suarez), Szczesny vs Cardiff (Fraizer Campbell)
Arsenal fans have been lucky enough to witness two goalkeepers on top of their game. Fabianski has had some outstanding games in the cup competitions and has been a master at saving penalties, most notably against both Bayern and Wigan. However the save Szczesny made in a tight London derby against at the time managerless Crystal Palace was pure brilliance. Jedinak had hit the ball with real power and purpose and as the ball whizzed through a crowd of players. The Arsenal number one made a phenomenal reaction save at a crucial moment in the game when Palace were applying increasingly more pressure after an Arteta sending off.
Best Team Performance: Napoli (home)
Honourable Mentions: Dortmund (away), Tottenham FA Cup (home) Liverpool BPL (home)
Arsenal’s impressive start to their Champions’ League “group of death” continued as Mesut Ozil inspired them to victory over Rafael Benitez’s Napoli. However, at the start of the game when you saw the line-up of Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini starting together and Ramsey on the right with Rosicky on the left even the most optimistic Arsenal fans must have wondered how they were so emphatic. Some journalists and fans claimed it was the best football Arsenal had played since the Invincibles and this was no exaggeration. Arsenal were unstoppable on the night.
Disappointment of the Season: Heavy defeats away from home against title contenders.
Honourable Mentions: Szczesny getting sent off against Bayern Munich
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted himself that heavy away defeats at the hands of title rivals derailed his side’s Premier League challenge. The Gunners suffered big losses at Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton, letting in 20 of the 41 league goals they have conceded this season. The defeats almost seemed uncharacteristic because of the manner in which Arsenal had been defending this season. “We were perhaps too cautious. We paid a heavy price for it.” Being Wenger’s explanation. The amusing thing is; you would have thought they would have learnt their lesson after the first thrashing vs Liverpool.
Alternative Awards
1) Chant of the Season: “Tim Sherwood’s a Gooner”
Honourable Mentions: “She wore a yellow ribbon”, “Na Na Na Giroud”
2) Funniest Moment: Theo Walcott’s 2-0 Gesture to the Spurs fans
Honourable Mentions: Mertersacker – Yaya Sanogo vine, Szczesny gesture after sending off vs Bayern, Nicklas Bendtner’s Return, Carl Jenkinson’s slow throw in vs Newcastle
3) Heart in Mouth Award: Szczesny passing to Gonzalo Higuian in front of goal
Honourable mentions: Wigan Penalty Shootout, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on Suarez penalty appeal,
4) Best Individual Skill: Ozil’s Chewing gum trick
Honourable Mentions: Ramsey Solo goal v Norwich, Cazorla vs Chelsea (League Cup)
5) Worst Hair Cut: Bacary Sagna
Honourable Mentions: Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Bendtner
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