2. The fall of Mikel Arteta
Arsenal fans latch on to a new whipping boy every season, and Mikel Arteta was their unfortunate victim this time round.
Criticised for being too slow and not ‘putting himself about’ enough, Arteta was transformed in the minds of Gooners from a league leading midfield general to an unwanted wage vacuum. This is partly down to the team performances the Spaniard was involved in before injuring himself in Arsenal’s home game against Tottenham. The team was struggling to get results early in the season, partly due to luck and partly due to injuries, and Mikel disappeared from action just before he had the chance to show what he could really do.
And the 33-year-old can certainly do a lot. Mikel Arteta is among the best deep-lying playmakers in Europe. His ability to control the flow of a match and influence the midfield is up there with the very best; his technical ability and intelligence on the pitch are outstanding – he truly is one of the greatest orchestrators of possession football a side could hope for.
Although fans will enjoy criticising Arteta and promoting their newfound hero, Francis Coquelin, there is a good chance the Spaniard could win back his place in Arsenal’s first team next season if he gets a run of games, and in doing so, he will add his name to the long list of ex-whipping boys who are now firm fan favourites (Nacho Monreal, Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny are a few recent examples of this trend).