%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
3 standout Arsenal players from the 2021/2022 season
By Krish Ajmani
1. Bukayo Saka
Who else could make the top of this list? He is Arsenal’s ‘starboy’ for a reason. His 2021/2022 campaign shows exactly why fans were incensed that he did not get the Young Player of the Season award.
In his first full season as a right-winger, Saka posted 11 goals and seven assists. As with every attacking player, there is a large asterisk. The lack of a striker who can score and better contribute to attacking play. Yet when Arsenal needed the young wingers to step up, they did.
Amongst an exciting group of players on the front line, Saka deserves the most credit. He almost single-handedly ensured that the absence of a clinical striker was not felt. Almost hitting double digits for both goals and assists in the toughest league in world football in his first season at that position is mind-boggling. Even some of the most exciting young talents in the world have not produced those kinds of numbers in supposedly inferior leagues.
The grace and intelligence the Englishman has is on display every time he gets the ball. No defender (apart from perhaps Virgil van Dijk) can keep him quiet. Other teams have thus resorted to other strategies. They double and triple-team him and kick him out of the game. Every Arsenal fan will be covering their eyes but peeking through their fingers every time he goes down.
The training and medical staff, however, has done well to take care of him not just when he goes down during games but also by strengthening his muscles and conditioning to make sure he can last whatever kicking he is inevitably going to get.
This Arsenal team is good but not yet great. Once the right pieces are added to the front line, opposing defenders should be very afraid indeed.