PITA’s Arsenal Player of the Month – December 2022

Lionel Messi completed football’s ultimate fairytale, we stuffed our faces with an obscene amount of food, and Mikel Arteta’s showtime Gunners returned to action; wasn’t December great?!

The unprecedented winter World Cup threatened to halt Arsenal’s unwavering momentum, but the Premier League leaders were unrelenting in Christmas’ immediate aftermath. Victories over West Ham and Brighton & Hove Albion were secured as our lead at the top was extended to close out the year.

Dreams of a title bid are slowly evolving into reality.

Now, I know what you’re thinking; how could we possibly hand out a Player of the Month for December? I mean, there were just two competitive games, right?

Well, the show must go on and we refuse to skip a month due to inactivity. Those two games at the end of the year are more than enough to crown the final Player of the Month victor of 2022.

PITA’s Arsenal Player of the Month – December 2022

I’m sure you have an idea of who might’ve prevailed on this occasion.

3. Eddie Nketiah (Average rating – 7.25)

https://twitter.com/EddieNketiah9/status/1609294635691642881

Can somebody tell me what a Gabriel Jesus is? PLEASE! The Brazilian’s injury was supposed to derail Arsenal’s season, blah, blah, blah. Eddie Nketiah can play.

Admittedly, the English forward had disappointed in his few appearances before Jesus’ setback, but he proved his competence at the backend of last season when surrounded by superior talent.

Nketiah looks like a man on a mission in shunning the naysayers, and he scored in both of Arsenal’s victories to close out the calendar year. While his strike against Brighton was a typical poacher’s effort, his finish on Boxing Day was right out of the top drawer.

The Gunners will be just fine with Eddie leading the line.

2. Thomas Partey & Bukayo Saka (Average rating – 7.75)

We’ve got a tie for second place as both Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey registered an average rating of 7.75 for their two December outings.

The former hasn’t missed a beat since impressing in Qatar, while Ghanaian fans will undoubtedly be lamenting Partey’s club form after underwhelming at the World Cup.

The midfielder’s importance to Arteta’s side was on full display at Brighton as he played a crucial role in Saka’s opener before his withdrawal with 20 minutes remaining set the stage for a chaotic finale.

As for Saka, the young English wide man is starting to become more ruthless in the final third. The Hale End graduate coolly struck twice to round out 2022 as he continued to terrorise opposing full-backs with his ability in one-vs-one situations.

1. Martin Odegaard (Average rating – 8.5)

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1609951653029089283

A first-time winner, ladies and gentlemen!

Gooners would make a strong case for Odegaard closing out 2022 as the most in-form player in the Premier League. The Norwegian playmaker has been playing at an incredibly high level as of late, and neither West Ham nor Brighton could get close to him – even Declan Rice struggled to contain Odegaard’s majesty.

The skipper is in a rampant mood after missing out on the World Cup. He registered three assists in Arsenal’s last two games of the year and scored his seventh goal of the Premier League season.

Odegaard was the Gunners’ Man of the Match in each of their December outings and the rightful winner of our Player of the Month award.