Arsenal End of Season Review: 2016/17

2016/17 was not the best for Arsenal, in spite of the FA Cup win. The Gunners finally surrender their consistent hold over a top four finish for the first time under Arsene Wenger's reign; and to make things worse, the north london side finished below bitter rivals Tottenham. Saturday's win un the FACup Final provided a little respite from the clubs travails in the league. 

Here's a review on what was a frustrating season for the Gooners...

League Performance 

This season seemed to follow the usual Arsenal template, only this time, they left it a bit too late to build a run for the top 4 finish. 

At the beginning of the campaign, the north london side looked in good shape, but after the new year, they fell away dramatically, putting in one woeful performance after another turning many fans against Wenger.  #WengerOut 

The lowest point of the season has to be the 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace and it looked then as if 5th place would be unattainable. 

Cup Performance 

The FA Cup was Wenger's solace once again as Arsenal saw off Chelsea in the final to the trophy for the 3rd time in 4 years and for the 7th time under Wenger's leadership. 

In other competitions, the Gunners were not at their best, losing out in the league cup against Southhampton at the quarter-final stage. 

Should we even mention the Champions League? Well, Arsenal may have finished top of their group but were destroyed by Bayern Munich 10-2 on aggregate. 

Best Player 

In a season plagued with inconsistent displays from almost every player, only one man was a positive note throughout. Alexis Sanchez enjoyed his finest season in England to date, scoring 24 Premier League goals. 

He was utilised all across the forward line, the Chilean just seem to deliver when it mattered most, none more so than his panenka penalty to secure all three points for the 10-man Gunners against Burnley. 

Without him, Arsenal's goal threat is halved and even if he isn't at his best, you know the former Barcelona man is capable of producing something spectacular. How he didn't make the PFA Team of the Season is a travesty.

Worst Player 

For a brief period, Francis Coquelin was seen as the solution to Arsenal's defensive midfield woes. The combative Frenchman brought much-needed tenacity to Wenger's midfield but this season, his lack of talent has been rigorously exposed.

The truth of the matter is, Santi Cazorla was the man behind Coquelin's rise to fame, pulling the strings with his dribbling, passing and positional sense; all the Frenchman had to do was run around and tackle.

Without the Spaniard, he has looked like a headless chicken, exposing his teammates and making needless fouls. He signed his death warrant when he was effortlessly shrugged off the ball by Eden Hazard for his goal in the 3-1 loss to Chelsea.

The Manager 

It has been a torrid campaign for Wenger on a personal level; the fans are after his head and his consistency record has finally been breached after one too many bad performances.

However, it would be wrong to just simply say the Frenchman has failed, after all, he has dealt with all criticism with class and his decision to abandon his previous stubbornness and alter his formation really helped the team in the final few weeks.

The players still seem in support of him and, in reality, this season was only poor by his incredibly high standards. Although, he really needs to deliver clarity on whether he is staying at the club.

Overall Conclusion 

It has been a poor season for the Gunners but not the image of total disaster that many have painted. Sure, top four wasn't made but Wenger and his players are allowed one slip in two decades - plus they did win a trophy!

There were showings of brilliance throughout the campaign and some impressive results in their final few fixtures highlight that it is not all doom and gloom at the Emirates.

Nevertheless, given their objectives before the season commenced it would be hard to give a grade that would signal an overly positive campaign.