Arsenal 2019/20 season review: Wembley high after a 25-year low | OneFootball

It started with Unai Emery in charge and Granit Xhaka furiously shouting at fans. It ended with Mikel Arteta, with eighth place, with a 14th FA Cup.

Here’s what we made of the longest season in Arsenal history.

Player of the season: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

It’s really no contest. Another superb season saw Aubameyang net 29 times in all competitions, taking him to 70 Arsenal goals in just two-and-a-half season with the club. He was clinical this season, generally the only player to truly consistently hit top form.

And he did it when it mattered. At Wembley he scored a brace in the semi-final against Man City, then another against Chelsea in the final. All while wearing the captain’s armband, writing himself into the club’s history in the process.

Rising star: Bukayo Saka

Who saw that coming? Saka had been held up as a big talent emerging from the academy but nobody saw him shining in the first team this quickly. Still just 18, Saka has proven to be excellent in multiple positions and created 11 goals in all competitions.

A word for Emi Martínez who, while not young, emerged as a genuine contender for the number one shirt with his late season form.

Flop of the season: Almost every league performance

It’s too hard to pick a single player, especially when almost all of them actually ended up having good spells and terrible spells. No single player was awful all season, with the likes of Granit Xhaka and David Luiz coming up trumps in the FA Cup semi-final and final, silencing their critics at least temporarily.

However, this was a horrid season. Arsenal were largely blunt going forward and often inept at the back. The result was a managerial change, the club’s worst league finish since 1995, and a lot of misery.

The FA Cup adds some shine and rescued European participation for 2020/21 but make no mistake, this wasn’t good enough.

Rate the manager

Unai Emery lasted until just November, sacked after a seven-game winless run with the team in eighth, having made Granit Xhaka captain only to strip it off him a few weeks later thanks to a bust up with fans.

From there, Mikel Arteta didn’t have much to work with after coming in in December. But he managed to turn around the careers of a few players, gave chances to youngsters, and somehow led the side to a win over Liverpool before beating Man City and Chelsea to win the FA Cup.

One Spaniard showed he had no Arsenal future, another has shown Arsenal could have a big future with him.

What comes next?

Highly-rated defender William Saliba, signed last summer, will arrive but a lot more needs to be done. First things first, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future remains unresolved.

From there, Mikel Arteta will hope to see more attacking talent at his disposal both centrally, in midfield and up front, and on the flanks. The Spaniard won’t get the pre-season he wants but momentum is behind him and his players now to kick on and get Arsenal back on track.

Rating the season: 4/10