As the season wraps up with a 12th FA Cup win and third-place league finish, we look at how the players did over the course of 14/15.

 

Manager

Arsene Wenger
Grade: B+

Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger gives the thums up to the fans as he stands on the top deck of an open-topped bus during the Arsenal victory parade in London on May 31, 2015, following their win in the English FA Cup final football match on May 30, 2014 against Aston Villa. Arsene Wenger's side made history at Wembley with a 4-0 rout of Aston Villa that underlined their renaissance in the second half of the campaign and served as a warning to English champions Chelsea. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL
Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger gives the thums up to the fans as he stands on the top deck of an open-topped bus during the Arsenal victory parade in London on May 31, 2015, following their win in the English FA Cup final football match on May 30, 2014 against Aston Villa. Arsene Wenger’s side made history at Wembley with a 4-0 rout of Aston Villa that underlined their renaissance in the second half of the campaign and served as a warning to English champions Chelsea. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL

If Santi Cazorla has proven that you can teach an old dog new tricks, then Arsene Wenger has only added to the library of evidence. Rumours had it that he couldn’t do tactics, yet carefully devised plans were executed to perfection against Man City, Man United and Liverpool.

It’s hard to point the finger of blame too much for the home leg of the Monaco tie – the team wasn’t set up badly, it’s just that a couple of senior professionals had mind numbing moments and the belief that courses through this team ended up being their downfall.

Although dreams of a Premier League title go on, most Arsenal fans would have taken an improved league finish and another FA Cup at the start of the season. The same will not be true next year – a sustained league campaign is a must.

It’s a sign of how the season has gone that there is a much greater degree of relative peace among the fan base at the moment, with those who were previously calling for the manager’s head now content to give him a little more time to see if he can complete his ‘transformation‘.

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The clues can often be found in the manager’s comments though, and it’s clear that despite turning the other cheek he is irritated by some of the criticism he considers unjustified. As he mentioned a few weeks ago, he has been operating with “less resources than people thought we had”.

There is no denying his early success, whilst the middle years are much more subjective based on whether you consider laying future foundations a success or otherwise. 2015-16 could be make or break for the wider legacy Arsene leaves behind when he eventually departs.

Progress again, 2015-16 awaits.

B+

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