Arsenal have three of the very best this season

There have been so many plus points this season that it’s easy to lose track of them. All this positivity, by the way, when it is still within the realms of possibility that Arsenal end up in the Europa Conference League, or worse.

While that isn’t on the agenda and the international break takes centre stage with Arsenal sitting in the Premier League top four, naturally it is smiles all round.

For this Gunners team, across the campaign, they can also lay claim to have three of the very best this country has had to offer. Aaron Ramsdale suffered a late setback to rule him out of England’s friendly matches, but the original call-up saw Arsenal have four English players in the Three Lions’ squad, a number only matched by Manchester City.

It’s been a long time since that happened. November 2014, to be exact.

Arsenal have three of the very best this season with Ramsdale, Ben White and Bukayo Saka the finest Englishman in their fields

They’re not just four talented Englishman, either. Three of them have excelled in their fields, and it’s a tough case to argue against them being the best in their positions this season.

Jordan Pickford has had an inferior season to Ramsdale. So has Nick Pope, and so has Sam Johnstone.

Ramsdale’s incredible range of pass, calming presence at the back and razor shapr shot-stopping ability have all been superior to his England colleagues, and even if he hasn’t been faultless in 2022, based on this campaign alone there is no reason he shouldn’t be starting for his national team.

In central defence there is no argument: Benjamin White has been the outstanding English centre-back this season. He has all the tools to be an England regular, and on this form, he should be.

Harry Maguire isn’t quite as bad as everyone makes out, but he’s still dreadful. A liability with no turning circle, he’s been exposed to no end at Manchester United. John Stones, it must be said, has been excellent this season. The problem for him is that he only plays when someone is injured.

Tyrone Mings is not it, and while Conor Coady has had a strong season for Wolves, he isn’t of the technical standard for England. There are limitations to his game. Meanwhile, Fikayo Tomori should be in the conversation, yet misses out due to Premier League bias.

And then there is Bukayo Saka, who not only is one of Arsenal’s important players, he’s one of the division’s finest. If we’re looking for competition to rival him for the creme de la creme of English youngsters then it’s probably Phil Foden.

In the league he’s still averaging a goal involvement at a higher rate, though, and if you put Saka in this Manchester City team heaven knows what his output would look like. Heck, it would be wrong not to include Emile Smith Rowe in the conversation, either.

While there is no title or official way of determining it, one can quite confidently claim that Arsenal have had the best English goalkeeper, the best English centre-back, and the best English youngster this season.

For the Arsenal supporters around the world that is a most pleasant – unofficial, but not really, because it’s true – statement to make. Even those who aren’t English must find that pretty darn cool.