Top 10 Arsenal Players 2012/13
Welcome to the first post in Andy's top 10. This week 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 a 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, both goals showing 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.
