Arsenal: Sadly, problematic squad is Europa League level

Arsenal will finish outside the top four for the third successive season. It is a sad truth but this problematic squad is at the Europa League level.

As Arsenal fans, did we really expect not to be disappointed? It has become such a common occurrence over the last few years that if we dare to dream any bigger, we are mocked by rival fans. But when the final whistle blew yesterday and all but confirmed that Arsenal would be finishing outside the top four for the third season running, it should not have been a surprise. This team has a history of bottling it when the pressure is on.

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Is it a question of ability, mentality or a simple lack of effort? No one really knows. In fairness, you could contend a case for all three. But I would argue that it is an absence of quality on the pitch that is the problem, and a quick look at the standard of many of the players in the squad is proof as much.

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There are too many players who are simply not good enough and belong at a mid-table Premier League. Players have made individual mistakes that have cost games and yet will find themselves still in the team the following week because of a lack of alternative options.

Then there is the cohort of players who are stealing a living, offering one good performance in every seven or eight games but will continually be named in the matchday squad ever week. It is a vicious cycle. The players have been allowed to get away with whatever they like for so long without any repercussions that they don’t know what it is to be held accountable.

There has been progress this season, but you can put that down to the performances of three or four key players, rather than a collective growth and development of the whole squad. Where would Arsenal be without the goals of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or the performances of Bernd Leno in goal? In my opinion, only these three and Lucas Torreira should be guaranteed starters next season. And that is proof that the primary issue at the club is the standard of the squad.

There are plenty of players that need to be moved on this summer, but there are three in particular that I would like to highlight: Alex Iwobi, Granit Xhaka and Mesut Ozil.

In three years, Iwobi has never progressed to the next level that his talent suggests is possible. His goal and assist figures are an example of this. Compare them to even average Premier League wingers and he comes out worse.

Ozil, meanwhile, is the quintessential Arsenal player, and I do not mean that as a positive thing. Sure, he gave a great performance against Leicester City earlier this season, but other than that, he has done nothing to earn his £350,000-a-week wages.

Finally, Xhaka. Sunday’s game against Brighton showed everything wrong with Granit Xhaka. Individual mistakes, errant defending, a complete lack of positioning and nous, and now inconsistent distribution, which is what he is meant to be in the team to provide.

Right now, the sad truth is that Arsenal are playing at the level they deserve: the Europa League. The club has got a big summer coming up. If they want to take a step to the next level, sweeping changes must be made. And it all starts with the quality of the squad.