Grading the Arsenal: The 1st Quarter Report Card

Today at 09:00 AM

The season is one quarter of the way done. How have the Gunners performed so far?

Welcome back to yet another international break, folks. While these seemingly more frequent stoppages of play can be annoying, this one feels particularly welcome, considering Arsenal FC's overall health and form.

This break comes around the quarter mark of the Premier League season, as every team has played 10 matches of a 38 match season, and while 10 isn't quite one quarter of 38, it would have been pretty tough to write this at halftime of the Chelsea match.

With this two week break upon us, now seems the perfect time to assess the season as a whole. For this first report card, we'll be looking at a two main categories: Arsenal's performance in the Premier League, and their performance in Cup games. We will also weigh in on which player has been the best player for Arsenal so far this season by our own expert estimations.

Tony

League Grade: C

It's been a bumpy start for Arsenal in the PL so far. Arsenal are in 4th and the gap between them and league leaders Liverpool is already a stout 9 points. For all the raised expectations following two successive title chases, the season has started out far worse than what many of us had anticipated or expected for Mikel Arteta's side.

Some of that can be attributed to things like injuries and a tough front end of the fixture list. Key players like Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard have missed a decent chunk of matches, and the drop off has been palpable. Coupled with the revolving injuries in the defense, Arsenal have struggled to field consistent lineups all season. The Gunners have also navigated away trips to Spurs, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Chelsea in their opening 10 matches.

But then there are the other issues - namely, the red cards and poor finishing. Arsenal have had three players sent off so far, and while the Declan Rice sending off was laughably awful from an officiating standpoint, the other two were avoidable. They can't be discounted as contributing factors that have heavily affected their place in the league table, but they have been of their own design.

Cup Grade: B+

While Arsenal's league form has been less than stellar, their cup performances have largely been successful. In the Carabao Cup, the Gunners have cruised through their opening two matches with ease, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. In the Champions League, the new league table format, while involving more matches, gives a little more wiggle room for teams to endure losses and draws. Arsenal's record of 2-1-1 has them in 12th place, firmly in the safe zone. They have also gotten one of the toughest matches out of the way, playing to an undeserved 0-1 loss at Inter Milan. Arteta, though, continues to be unable to beat the allegations that away matches in Europe are his kryptonite.

Player of the Season (So Far): David Raya

It's not ideal to have your keeper be your best player, but as of right now, it's hard to pick anyone else. The former Brentford keeper has reached another gear so far this season after winning last season's Golden Glove, putting in some world-class performances and showing off his prowess as both a shot stopper and a distributor.

It's frustrating that he doesn't have as many clean sheets as he deserves. The defense has regressed, leading to more goal scoring opportunities for the opposition and, thus, more goals.

Aaron

League Grade: B-

In my mind, there is a difference between position and performance. Arsenal's current league position is an F. Nine points adrift is — I don't want to say unacceptable because of all the mitigating factors that have led to Arsenal being where they are now — but it's not up to standard. The Gunners have more or less run out of wiggle room in the Premier League, and it's mid-November. If they want to win the league, they're going to need to be close to perfect from here on in and / or get some help. It's unlikely they'll manage it, but if any squad is capable of it, a (healthy) Arsenal squad is. A saving grace might be that it may not take quite the lofty points total to come first.

The performances have earned Arsenal their B- grade from me. Stay with me here — the performances haven't been anything to write home about in comparison to what we've seen this group do in previous seasons. They haven't been the high-flying, defensively resolute bunch we know they can be at their best. But they've just about made it work with pretty much everything going against them — injuries, bounces, odd refereeing decisions.

They didn't pick up quite as many points as I would have hoped they would with Martin Ødegaard (and others) out of the lineup, but they also didn't allow the season to go completely down the drain, either. Let's not forget they were better than Manchester City at the Etihad and were seconds away from winning despite playing an entire half with 10-men, and they, for my money, outplayed vaunted Liverpool, the club many are ready to crown 11 matches into the season, at the Emirates despite missing William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori in addition to Martin Ødegaard.

This Arsenal team is still really, really good — the best team in the Premier League at full strength. But they've got to get and stay healthy and start getting a bit of puck-luck (to borrow a phrase from ice hockey) to have a chance to prove they are the top dogs. And all that needs to happen basically now.

Cup Grade: B+

Arsenal are in a fine position in the Champions League table. They've played the majority of their more difficult matches on paper (Pot 1 club home and away, Pot 2 club away) and will likely be favorites to pick up all the remaining points on offer. They probably won't claim all of them, but they'll win enough to be in the mix for a Top 8 finish, which is all that matters. Getting that play-in round off is really important.

A draw at Inter Milan, where Arsenal were the better team, would have earned them an A.

The Carabao Cup has been fine. It's been nice to see a bunch of young players get significant playing time.

Player of the Season (So Far): Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka is the main reason Arsenal's season didn't go down the toilet when Martin Ødegaard got hurt. He has almost single-handedly carried the attack, racking up 3 goals and 7 assists in 10 Premier League matches. And he does it against consistent double and triple teams. Hopefully he gets a bit more time and space with Ødegaard returning to the lineup and isn't slowed / kept out for too long with the injury he picked up just before the international break.

Aidan

League Grade: D

While injuries are a legitimate reason for Arsenal's performance in the league so far, the simple fact is being 9 points off Liverpool is a lot at this stage of the season. Arsenal have already dropped more than half of the amount of points they dropped last season, and the xGD/90 is down by two thirds from last season. Simply put, this is not league winning form. Defensive concerns abound: in the 15 games since Thomas Partey has returned to Arsenal's midfield, dating back to last season, Arsenal have conceded 15 goals. In the 15 games prior, they conceded 10 goals. This is not a player who can protect a defense any more, and it's beyond time for Mikel Arteta to reckon with that.

The attack, too, is stilted. It is becoming clear that Raheem Sterling was a punt, and that Gabriel Jesus' best days are behind him. Martin Ødegaard's return is huge—but Arsenal needed more in attack before the season began.

Cup Grade: B

The cup's have been fine. Ethan Nwaneri's inclusion in the Carabao Cup lineups makes one yearn for him in Arsenal's starting lineup in other games. Arsenal are a comfortable 12th in the convoluted Champions League, and should get about 8-9 more points, giving the Gunners the chance to finish in the top 8 and avoid the knockout phase playoff.

Player of the Season (So Far): Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka's form meant Arsenal kept their heads above water without Martin Ødegaard, and his injury, and absence from the team against Bournemouth, was damaging. Saka has 10 involvements from 10 games, and before injury was playing at an incredibly high level. Perhaps injury means he doesn't make the next jump this season, but he is capable of having a campaign that's among the best individual seasons in club history.