With the start of 2016-17 under a week away, there are a number of Arsenal players who head into the new campaign under intense pressure to finally maximise their undoubted potential.
Whether it being plagued by injury, a lack of consistency and continuity or the confusion of not knowing where their best position lies, the lack of development on an individual level among certain members of Arsene Wenger’s squad has continued to irate Gunners fans.
The Frenchman, rightly or wrongly, will continue to place his unwavering faith in his these individuals who he has nurtured for a number of years.
Outside90’s Alex Zaia looks at five under-performing Gunners who must significantly increase their output in order to aid the North Londoners in sustaining an extended title challenge.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Signing for the club in 2011, the ‘Ox’ has made a habit of putting in scintillating performances during the preseason, but then failing to translate that form into the campaign proper. Once again this time around, Oxlade-Chamberlain has shown an attacking dynamism in a number of Arsenal’s warm up games.
But, we have been here before with the winger, so time will tell whether the former Southampton man can hit the ground running this season.
A lack of tactical intelligence and wastefulness in possession have been noticeable flaws in Oxlade-Chamberlain’s game that need vast improvement to compliment his pace and power.
Staying injury free will be critical for the 22-year-old if he is to improve on his paltry return of two goals last term.
Aaron Ramsey
Entering his ninth campaign at the club, Ramsey has not hit the heights of his 2013-14 run, where he scored 16 goals and was awarded Arsenal’s player of the season.
The Welshman has on occasions being deployed out wide, with Wenger preferring Santi Cazorla in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield. When Ramsey has had the opportunities to play at the axis of the Gunners midfield, he has struggled to curb his attacking instincts, lacking the defensive discipline to play in a midfield two.
Rarely does Ramsey get the freedom to roam and create in a similar way he does for Wales, where he played a starring role in them reaching the semi-finals at Euro 2016.
Wenger needs to find a solution to get the best out of the Gunners veteran, but the man himself must also become more adaptable if he is to flourish like we know he can.
Jack Wilshere
The luckless Englishman continues to be decimated by injuries, with the midfielder last completing 90 minutes in a competitive match all the way back in September 2014 and featuring in 66 league matches across the past five seasons.
The sight of seeing Wilshere grimacing on the ground clutching an injured limb has become sadly a far too frequent occurrence, and a knee injury that forced him to miss Arsenal’s Scandinavian tour is another ominous sign that his rotten run in the treatment room may continue.
A prodigiously talented midfielder who once outplayed the all conquering Barcelona midfield of Xavi, Sergio Busquests and Andreas Iniesta at the age of 19, Wilshere’s body continues to let him down and cruelly starves him of playing regular first team football.
Apart from overcoming his chronic injury troubles, the 24-year-old also has a huge fight on his hands in reclaiming a starting birth with the Gunners overloaded with midfield options.
Contracted till 2018, time is running out for Wilshere to prove he can be reliable and valuable member of Arsenal’s squad.
Theo Walcott
The enigmatic forward continues to be a major source of frustration, with many believing he should have been moved on this summer due to his lack of progression, despite being at the club for 10 years.
To this day, we still are not any closer to knowing whether Walcott is more influential as a striker or a right-winger, with the 27-year-old now setting his sights on holding down a spot on the right after pleading for opportunities as a striker over the past few years.
Another one who has been struck down with injuries, Walcott’s checkered career looks as though it will continue for another season, with Wenger seemingly against parting ways with the under-siege attacker.
With his confidence taking a battering after being heavily criticized for his insipid performances during critical stages of Arsenal’s title challenge, and being left out of England’s squad for Euro 2016, Walcott has a point to prove and will be hoping to start the season in a positive manner.
On his day, Walcott can be unplayable, unfortunately, those days are few and far between. He MUST start repaying the managers continual faith in him and justify his whopping £140,000 a week contract he signed in 2015.
Kieran Gibbs
Since losing his place to Nacho Monreal, Gibbs has fallen on the wayside and has not upped his game enough to dislodge the ultra-consistent Spaniard.
It was hoped the competition provided by Monreal would bring the best out of the London native, but it seems to have done the opposite, as the 26-year-old now finds his career stagnating after being Arsenal’s first choice left-back two seasons ago.
While he is a more then respectable deputy, injuries had played a major part in Gibbs’ inability to fulfil the early promise he showed as an energetic full back who used to love getting forward.
At his age, Gibbs should be in the prime of his career and playing on a regular basis. With Monreal continuing to go from strength to strength, he could find himself a bit-part player once again.
With two years to run on his current contract, another season on the periphery could force Gibbs into looking for greener pastures at a new club.
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