2024 has been a strange year for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side have had the best run of any Premier League team over the past 12 months, but finished runners-up to Manchester City last season and are expected to move on to Liverpool (and They fell behind Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners achieved their first Champions League knockout first-round victory in 14 years, but have won as many trophies as Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United (one Community Shield compared to their FA Cup win). .
The highs may not have been as high as the lows, but the detour to 2024 still had plenty of moments to savor.
William Saliba was Arsenal’s unflinching pillar at the back/James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
Bukayo Saka’s unerring consistency, Martin Odegaard’s magical explosiveness and Gabriel’s set-piece prowess all deserve recognition, but William Saliba has to be considered the standout performer for the Gunners. Probably.
Despite the attacking talent that Arteta has at his disposal, his team is unashamedly built on concrete defensive determination with Saliba at its heart. The silk-lined Frenchman not only has a commanding presence that leads to universal admiration from his colleagues, but he also makes those around him, primarily Gabriel, much better.
David Raya has grown into Arsenal’s number one role/Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
David Raya’s start to life between the posts at Arsenal was made infinitely more difficult by his manager. Aaron Ramsdale and Hagrid’s outfit have long since been sent to Southampton in the summer, but Arteta initially insisted the goalkeeper would be replaced.
That unnecessary misdirection never really took hold, and Raya initially struggled to get off to a confident start in front of a fan base still yearning for his likeable predecessor. One memorable Champions League night in March changed the course.
Raya was already growing in confidence before saving two penalties as Arsenal eliminated Porto from the round of 16 in front of a frenetic atmosphere at the Emirates. The ghost of Ramsdale, who had been watching the game unfold from the bench, was dispelled.
Since then, the Spain international has gone from strength to strength, making a string of increasingly acrobatic saves earlier this season to keep Arsenal’s season from completely derailing.
Ethan Nwaneri will score four goals for Arsenal in 2024/Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Ethan Nwaneri may not make his first Premier League start until 2025, but the 17-year-old prodigy made a huge impact throughout 2024. Despite appearing in 17 games, most of which were cameo appearances in the English top flight, the deft left-footed player managed to score. 4 goals.
Nwaneri’s undeniable talent – an awareness of time and space that teammate Riccardo Calafioli described as “pure” – meant Arteta had to exercise extreme restraint to avoid overdoing the teenager. Noda.
Kai Havertz has scored goals for Arsenal this season/Mark Atkins/Getty Images
Chants of “We threw 60 million yen down the drain” and “Kai Havertz has scored again!” echoed. Arsenal’s often ungainly German, a player with legs a little too long and arms just a little too short for his angular frame, scored an impressive 21 goals for the Gunners.
Although he is not among Europe’s top scorers for 2024, Havertz narrowly beat out Bukayo Saka, who scored 20 goals. Arsenal are a close second in terms of total points scored from set pieces, with 19 points in league matches alone.
Riccardo Calafioli joins Arsenal in the summer/Alex Pantling/Getty Images
2024 hasn’t been a surprising year for Arsenal in terms of recruitment. The Gunners did not call up a single senior player during the previous January period, and aside from making David Raya’s loan deal permanent, Arteta’s side had three new recruits last summer. It just provided.
Raheem Sterling’s disastrous half-decade counts for little, leaving us with a direct shootout between Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.
Picked from European teams that punch above their weight just below the upper echelons of elite continental football, these two standouts have had their ups and downs.
Merino fractured his shoulder during his first training session with the Gunners, but during his first six months in north London he played three minutes less than the Italian, who suffered less dramatic injuries. . Calafiori has the upper hand. That reputation is almost purely due to his stunning equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in September, before the clash between the defending champions.
Bukayo Saka scores in Arsenal’s best win of 2024/Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
Arsenal last faced Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in early February. The Gunners, who were trailing league leaders the Reds by five points at the time, did it all at the Emirates. And they did.
Arteta’s side outplayed the visiting side, thought through and worked hard. The false nine tandem of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz ripped off their lavender shirts, while the usually imperious pair of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate were plagued by uncertainty and indecision.
Bukayo Saka’s opening goal was canceled out just before half-time by an objectively entertaining handball from Gabriel, who had somehow contrived to bring Liverpool level, but the Gunners roared back to make it 3-1. won.
Emirates erupted in jubilation at the final whistle, and Odegaard captured the moment by stealing Stuart MacFarlane’s camera and taking a picture of the pitchside photographer. The questionable quality of those shots was the only downside to a memorable night. “To be honest, I don’t know, it was a bit of a blur!” Odegaard admitted.
