%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)
Those October blues, eh?
This was a month of peaks and troughs for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. The continued absence of Martin Odegaard brought a sense of stodginess and stagnation to the Gunners' play, with the club's unbeaten start to their Champions League league phase campaign, for example, failing to inspire.
A 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth proved to be a low moment, although it seems as if Arsenal won't be the last to succumb to Andoni Iraola's Cherries on the south coast. Manchester City have since fallen at the Vitality.
Despite the autumnal indifference, there were several in red and white who refused to shy away from the challenge of playing without their creative talisman. There were a couple of standout performers well worthy of noting thanks to their efforts last month, and we're doing so here with our October 2024 Player of the Month award.
Three starts out of six was enough to qualify, and let's see who's prevailed this time around!
3. Thomas Partey (Average rating - 7.4)
What a contract year does to a man. This was the best month of football Partey has produced in God knows how long.
The Ghanaian produced efficient and robust performances in the middle of the park against PSG and Shakhtar Donestk in the Champions League, and was responsible for shutting out Luis Diaz during the Gunners' 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
Partey's proving to be a versatile and more than handy asset for Arteta once again, with the midfielder keen to extend his stay in north London.
2. Declan Rice (Average rating - 7.5)
Rice has endured a sluggish start to the season and failed to consistently reach the levels reached in year one, but the Englishman was more than fine in October.
Rice has perhaps not been dominant, but he proved effective in mopping up the loose ball alongside Partey in Arsenal's Champions League wins. His best performance of the season arrived against Liverpool, but Mohamed Salah's late equaliser dampened the mood surrounding the midfielder's encouraging display which reminded us all of his all-encompassing brilliance when he's purring.
Partey's re-emergence means he hasn't established himself at the base of midfield where many believe his future to lie, and I'm still not a huge fan of him playing ahead the ball. Set-pieces have been magic.
1. Bukayo Saka (Average rating - 8.66)
Who else?
October was Saka's best attempt at grabbing this Arsenal team by the scruff of the neck. His first-half performance against Liverpool was the epitome of a burgeoning superstar going about his work as he toyed with Andy Robertson.
The stand-in captain started just three times last month meaning he barely qualified for the award, but we'd be doing the winger a huge disservice by failing to crown him with another Player of the Month award. Each of Saka's October starts were immensely productive, scoring in each.