Arsenal have been inspirational; they have shown trust in Arteta and now it’s paying off. The rise is a product of some good business as well as great youth development. Amongst the Men’s Ballon d’Or nominees, they have four. They could’ve had five, with Granit Xhaka also making it to the list. The 31 year old Swiss international was the leader of a young Leverkusen side that made history by winning the Bundesliga for the first time.
New Age Arsenal
The board’s trust in Mikel Arteta’s system is finally paying off. Arteta’s system relies on slow and steady build up play and creating overloads, which enables Arsenal to control the pace of the game, recycle possessions and attack through open spaces. A frontline of players who are comfortable interchanging positions has proven to be very important for Arsenal, the striker dropping deep allowing wingers and midfielders to run behind the opposition defense. Midfielders look to play the ball forward quickly and are equally happy rotating the ball around waiting for the right pass. The defenders have kept 18 clean sheets in the Premier league last season.
The Ballon d’Or nominees
Let’s start with the Starboy, Bukayo Saka. Saka has emerged as one of the best English players of the generation. His transformation into one of Europe’s best forwards has been a treat to watch for Arsenal fans. His 34 goal contributions in 47 matches last season totally justify his selection in the Ballon d’Or list.
Coming onto the next one, Declan Rice. He is versatile enough to play multiple roles in the midfield. His passing, calmness, toughness, and the ability to score at crucial moments, combined with his experience, at such a young age is very rare. He has justified his hefty price tag and deserves to be amongst the Ballon d’Or nominees
What Rice offers defensively is what Odegaard offers offensively, a young and talented star who can do wizardry with the ball. He has the ability to play defense splitting balls, his body feints and shooting ability make him a tough cover for even the best defenders. He captains Arsenal and leads the attack with Saka.
William Saliba is the fourth Arsenal player nominated for the Ballon d’Or and rightly so. The combination of solid defense, no nonsense tackling, duel winning ability, and shiftiness at a height of 6 feet 4 inches is unique. The Frenchman was the best defender in the league last season and was vital for his country throughout the Euros.
Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka is always in the news, either you love him, or you hate him, there’s nothing in between. His time at Arsenal was filled with both highs and lows. He was the club captain and was a consistent player who left it all on the pitch. Loved by the fans for his willingness to do the dirty work. Lows being as low as, him being stripped of the same captaincy, after he threw his shirt and yelled back at the fans who booed him after a loss. He was planning to leave the club but all that changed quickly. Arteta convinced him to stay after he insisted that Xhaka was in his plans.
He played a slightly different role under Arteta and his performances got better. He felt important and the fans got behind him once again. After leaving the following season to go to Leverkusen where he played the veteran role really well under Xabi Alonso. He won the Bundesliga and was crucial for the team through the entire journey. Leverkusen had a season to remember, and Granit Xhaka got the love and respect that he deserved. His move away from Arsenal turned out great for both the sides at the end.
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