Blog | Arsenal Player Rankings | September 2018
Reminder: these scores are based on end product and what a player actually does to help their team win a game. Individual contributions do count, but players only receive the highest marks if the efforts help the team.
This features a list of the top 11 players who have appeared in at least 50% of the team’s games so far this season. Hopefully, there'll be fewer injuries and player sales meaning I can slowly up that figure as the season goes on and we see which players Emery rates as his first choice team.
Player Rankings
As usual, the players are listed in reverse order counting down to the best player so far this season.
11. Shkodran Mustafi - average rating: 6.44
While I don't think he's played well at all this season - and this rating reflects that - I do think some of the criticism fired at Mustafi has been a little over the top.
9=. Hector Bellerin - average rating: 6.57
A shaky start to the season keeps Bellerin lower than he should be, but if his form continues to improve, he should climb higher as the season progresses.
9=. Henrikh Mkhitaryan - average rating: 6.57
A mixed set of performances so far this season for Mkhitaryan, with it looking like he might not be in the starting line-up for Unai Emery's first team now.
8. Aaron Ramsey - average rating: 6.69
Like Mustafi, he has faced far more criticism than is fair, but it isn't unfair to say that he could be playing a lot better than he is, especially with the attacking freedom he's had so far this season.
7. Danny Welbeck - average rating: 6.86
Hasn't played much, but was the first Premier League player to score in the league, a domestic cup and a European competition this season.
6. Mesut Ozil - average rating: 6.93
Could be playing better, but still contributing - whether that contribution is worth £350,000 every week is another matter...
5. Nacho Monreal - average rating: 7.00
The highest-rated defender at the club by a distance and continuing to prove that he is as reliable a player as Emery can call on.
4. Lucas Torreira - average rating: 7.06
The new signing impressed in substitute appearances at the start of the season, and continues to impress now he's starting games.
3. Alex Iwobi - average rating: 7.08
Narrowly edging out Torreira, it's been enjoyable to see Iwobi flourish under new management, and he looks full of confidence so far this season.
2. Alexandre Lacazette - average rating: 7.13
I would've said Lacazette had been the best player so far this season, but he did have to work for his place in the team, which is all I really think stopped him from topping this list...
1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - average rating: 7.31
...And is what has secured the Gabonese striker as the highest-rated player of the season so far. He has provided end product despite some poor performances, with his placement proving that it's end product and helping the team to win that puts you high on this list.
In closing
I will add here that Aubameyang does only top this list because of having played enough games, otherwise it would be Rob Holding there with an impressive rating of 7.50 for the season so far - mainly due to both of Arsenal's clean sheets this season coming with Holding in the side.
Bernd Leno would also be up there, edging out Lacazette with a rating of 7.17 and already having a clean sheet to his name. Here's hoping his form can continue with Cech having now been ruled out for at least a month.
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