Disgraceful! Only These 3 Players Deserve to Start At Arsenal Next Season

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It’s shocking that this is the same season that Arsenal have gone on a 20-game unbeaten run, yet they are least likely to clinch a top four spot!

The Arsenal squad is rubbish. This is not news. But it is a sad fact, one that has been so wonderfully and painfully illustrated over the past two weeks in four successive Premier League games without a win

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Hence, it’s no surprise that the Arsenal squad is set to undergo major changes this summer. But who are the players who deserve to stay as starters?

Well, here are the top three, based on their performances this season.

Alexandre Lacazette

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Alexandre Lacazette is Arsenal’s best player. He was rightly named the Player of the Season last week and has displayed his quality throughout the campaign. He has 18 goals in all competitions, the second-most behind Aubameyang.

But his goals are only a part of his game. Where Lacazette truly excels is in his all-round play.

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He runs the channels with great desire and intelligence, his deceptive strength, low centre of gravity and excellent first touch allow him to hold up the ball well with his back to goal, and, like Aubameyang, he is more than willing to partake in the high pressing that Unai Emery demands.

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A clear indication of his all-encompassing style is his assist numbers: he has nine assists in all competitions, eight in the Premier League, both leading figures among the squad. Lacazette is more than just a goalscorer.

That is what makes him so valuable.

Bernd Leno

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Signed last summer to take the starting role between the sticks, Bernd Leno, after initially starting the season on the bench and having to wait for an injury to Petr Cech to hand him his opportunity, has grown into the player that was hoped of him when Arsenal splashed the best part of £20 million on him and made him their most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

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Early on, there were some mistakes — games against Liverpool and Southampton were most memorable for being loose. But now, Leno has established himself as an extremely reliable goalkeeper.

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He is an excellent shot-stopper, his kicking and distribution is a major plus, and he is learning to command his area with greater consistency and authority.

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There are still some areas for improvement. I am not totally convinced by his decision-making just yet and his collecting of crosses and set pieces is a little unconvincing at times.

But he has shown enough in his first year to continue as the starting goalkeeper in his second.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the best goalscorer in the Arsenal squad. His penalty on Sunday was his 20th Premier League goal of the season, just two behind Mohamed Salah as the league’s leading scorer.

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Aubameyang has been excellent this season. The goals are his main contribution, obviously, and they are also the most important, but credit should be given to him for his positional versatility, his work rate off the ball, especially when playing wide, and his willingness to press high up the pitch and harass opposing defenders.

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In recent weeks, Aubameyang’s value has been made clear. If Arsenal did not score, they would not win the game.

Even in the only win of their last five matches, the first leg 3-1 victory over Valencia in the semi-finals of the Europa League, the game was spiraling out of control until Aubameyang teed up his strike partner for an equalizer.

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He would then proceed to score a third and put the Gunners in a commanding lead entering this Thursday’s second leg.

Where Aubameyang starts next season remains to be seen. Because of the positional awkwardness, I have posited the idea of selling him before.

But that has nothing to do with whether his performances from this season merit a role next season.

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It is a squad-building problem, not a player-quality one. Aubameyang’s quality is unquestioned, and it has been on full display all season long.

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