As the 2021/22 season has now drawn to a close, it’s time to look at the minutes played by the Arsenal players throughout the season and see the notable trends.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 04: Leah Williamson of Arsenal applauds the fans after the Barclays FA Women's Super League match between Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women at Emirates Stadium on May 04, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 04: Leah Williamson of Arsenal applauds the fans after the Barclays FA Women’s Super League match between Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women at Emirates Stadium on May 04, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

First, we have to note that Arsenal played a lot of games this season with 42 in total.

That breaks down to 22 League games and 20 cup games as we took part in four cup competitions: the Women Champions League, the FA Cup 2020/21, the FA Cup 2021/22 and the Conti Cup.

Arsenal used 27 players this season.

There are also six players who were named on the teamsheet but did not any game time, they are Stenson, Cull, Gillard, Jupp, Head and O’Brien.

One player did not get any game time and was never in the squad before leaving during the season: Malin Gut, who returned to Switzerland while recovering from her ACL injury.

The top 3 list for this season is:

1 Kim Little 3,366 minutes with 39 starts and three games coming on as sub.

2 Beth Mead 2,985 minutes confirming the manager confidence in her and his comments about her form and class.

3 Manuela Zinsberger 2,970 minutes she has improved a lot this season and won the golden glove award.

https://twitter.com/ArsenalWFC/status/1523362992112685056

The rest of the top 10 is:

4 Katie McCabe 2,915 who has been very consistent like in the last two seasons. She probably would have finished in the top two had she not been suspended twice, once for card accumulation and another following a red card.

5 Vivianne Miedema 2,869 minutes also she finishes in the top 5, she has been rested and rotated a few times, a lot more than she used to be under Joe Montemurro. It benefited her as she did not miss a single game due to injury.

6 Noëlle Maritz 2,724 minutes the starting right-back was very consistent and regularly selected.

7 Lia Wälti 2,458 minutes started the season in and out of the team, depending on the team configuration alongside Kim Little. Finished really strongly relegating Frida Maanum to the bench in the last months

8 Steph Catley 2,436 minutes another player who finished the season strongly. In and out of the team and rotating with Katie McCabe in the first half of the season, she came back strongly after the Asian Cup break.

9 Leah Williamson 2,379 minutes injuries deprived the club from her services for ten games overall. It might have cost the club the title and her replacements in those period did not perform well. A key player for the present and the future.

10 Frida Maanum 2,238 minutes she was a key player for the first half of the season starting every game, except when she was rotated and coming on as a sub in those rotation games.

Then, something happened after the Christmas break. Blackstenius arrived, moving Miedema to her preferred number 10 spot.

One midfielder position lost and a balance change was needed in terms of midfielder profile leading to Wälti taking her place in midfield for the last 16 games of the season.

Among those players, you would not expect one to leave the club during the summer transfer window except Vivianne Miedema who could be on her way to Barcelona if you read the rumours.

Those more likely to leave are those with less game time that we will discuss soon.