Pain in the Arsenal: Writers’ 2021/22 season predictions

Nikesh Teckwani

Twitter: @nteckwani24

Final Premier League position: 5th

After back to back seasons of finishing in 8th place, anything outside of the top six will be unacceptable for Arteta this season. Arsenal should benefit from having a less congested fixture list without any European football this season, which I think will ultimately give us an edge over the likes of Tottenham (enjoy the Conference League Spurs fans) and Leicester.

How far in FA Cup: 4th round

With the likes of Pepe, Partey, Aubameyang, and of course Elneny all departing for AFCON in January, I think it’s safe to assume that will be our toughest portion of the season. Unfortunately that’s when the FA Cup season really begins, so I’m predicting an early exit here. But maybe I’m overthinking it, and this is of course very dependent on who we are matched up against in the early rounds.

How far in Carabao Cup: Winners

With other big clubs having European games on their plate, I think this could be the year we finally end our League Cup drought (we’ve lost our past three finals), and, of course, this is contingent on us avoiding Man City.

Player of the Year: Nicolas Pepe

He ended last season in superb form, scoring nine goals in his final 13 league starts. As Pepe (hopefully) gets more consistent playing time, I expect him to be our most productive forward in terms of overall output. He even showed he was capable of producing from the left-hand side as well on multiple occasions, and his versatility is another reason he should be absolutely nailed onto the starting XI. Get him the ball in and around the penalty area and he will do the rest; he’s an elite finisher on the verge of superstardom.

Breakout star: Emile Smith Rowe

You could argue he already burst onto the scene during the second half of last season, but I expect even bigger things to come from Arsenal’s new No. 10. There’s just something special about this kid, and when he and Saka are on the pitch together you just feel so much more confident in our ability to threaten the opposition and create chances.

Hot take:  By season’s end, Bernd Leno will no longer be our number one keeper

Now into the final two years of his contract, I just don’t see Leno staying beyond this season. A new keeper will be signed in the next couple of weeks, perhaps only as a backup initially but let’s face it: the future of goalkeeping is all about distribution and building out from the back, which has never been Leno’s strength. He’s been a very good shot stopper at times, but as Arsenal have become more of a possession-based team again under Arteta, the quality of the German’s performances has dipped.

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