The Burning Question – Who Will Be Arsenal’s Main Man This Season?

Next up in our series of Burning Questions, we take a look at what’s on offer at the Emirates. Arsenal’s first season without Robin Van Persie started tentatively but as the raft of summer signings started to gel and develop an understanding, the Gunners finished the campaign superbly, with eight wins and two draws in their final 10 fixtures.

The only side in the league to feature four players with 10 or more goals in 2012/13 (Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski), Arsene Wenger’s side were also impressive at the back and conceded just 37 times – the second most resilient backline in the top-flight. With strong options available right throughout the first XI, our site contributors have plenty to mull over…

Tinkerman says…
I think it’s going to be pretty hard to look past Theo Walcott. The fact that he scored only 11 points less than Santi Cazorla last season despite playing over 1,000 fewer minutes suggests he has the potential to outshine all of his team-mates on the Fantasy front, if, as widely expected, he is handed an increased amount of game time.

Many forward thinking managers have been quick to point to Cazorla’s superior cumulative score under the new Bonus Points System (BPS) in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, but I personally don’t think this will play a huge role in deciding who produces the most Fantasy points, since Walcott’s superior rate of goals and assists per game should see him outscore the Spaniard.

Others will also point towards Olivier Giroud benefitting from the lack of a new signing in the striking department but, despite the glut of chances he had last season, the Frenchman has yet to prove he has the class to start scoring more regularly for Arsenal. Also, a likely new signing in this area would surely hurt Giroud’s game time enough to make him unworthy of consideration.

In Tommy We Trust says…
Oliver Giroud. The mercurial Frenchman had a somewhat up and down debut season with several double digit Gameweek performances as well as some that drove Fantasy managers wild with frustration. His stats were very handy, though, and far better than the output in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game – for example, his “Chances per Minute” pace was quicker than the benchmark that is Robin Van Persie over the whole season.

So what needs to change for Giroud to become the Fantasy Football monster, hoovering up points like a Dyson? One reason could be his confidence level; something the Arsenal front man has said affects his game. Well if he isn’t confident after his pre-season performances (seven goals so far), then he requires some counselling.

Giroud’s all-round game is another reason why I believe he can be a force. He has an accomplished first touch, good movement and is good in the air – all traits required to be successful in the Premier League. There is also Arsene Wenger to consider in this argument. One of the Arsenal’s manager’s best traits is the ability to improve a player by weaving his magic over a seemingly average prospect with slight changes to the player’s game. For Giroud, this is getting him to play further up the pitch and refrain from dropping deeper to link up play. For the members among us, run a comparison between his first 19 games and the subsequent 19 – it will highlight a lot of interesting stats but his average position map is the one that interests me the most.

Lastly, the Premier League is full of foreign stars that produce in their second season and beyond. I am predicting Giroud will the next in this long list.

Applebonkers says…..
As it stands, it’s the duo I call “the Bayern bookends” – that’s the two guys who scored in Arsenal’s win in the Allianz Arena last season, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud. Koscielny is vital to fuse together the Gunners clean sheet potential; he covers for Per Mertesacker’s flaws whilst Vermaelen would too often expose them.

At the other end, Giroud did have a reputation as a bit of a Gallic galoot at times last season but he has the potential to bring Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere into the game more than other strikers (including previous target Gonzalo Higuain) can. It’s also worth noting Giroud has exactly the same first full campaign as Luis Suarez did (according to Opta, at least), with 11 goals and three assists accrued. An FPL price of 8.5 for the centre-forward in a high-scoring team with a history of second-season blossoming? Serious potential.

Mark says…
I’ll happily pin my colours to the mast: Walcott is in every one of my Fantasy game squads right now. For me, he’s that “essential”. Arsenal have been handed a “kind” opening to the season and Walcott is a player who is, potentially, still “on the rise”.

His progress last season in terms of goalscoring was there for all to see and I’ll give you a stat for free – Walcott was involved (scored or assisted) in 44% of Arsenal’s goals last term (when on the pitch), compared to 27.6% in 2011/12. That demonstrates both his progress and his importance to the Arsenal cause. Arsene Wenger’s side won’t face a top six side away from the Emirates until Gameweek 11 and, before that, encounter just Spurs and Liverpool at home. I’m anticipating a strong start, a good few goals and profit from Walcott.

Do I look to double up? Perhaps. There’s no doubt that Santi Carzorla is the other quality acquisition. In the Sun Dream Team and Sky Sports, I’m certainly considering swooping for the pair – encouraged by the Spaniard’s propensity to pick up supplementary points (Man of the Match and Star Man). In the Fantasy Premier League, I’m far more cautious. Budget restrictions are pointing me elsewhere, perhaps even to Olivier Girioud.

If you put any stock in pre-season form, Giroud is a hot ticket. Much maligned in his first season, Giroud did not hide. He was well fed, had plenty of efforts on goal and was a “presence” when on the pitch. While he failed to translate that to strong returns, I’ve little doubt that we’ll see an improvement this season if he is given a platform to perform. Based on his summer, Grioud could start the season leading an Arsenal attack and fed by Walcott and Cazorla; that’s enough for me to take his claims for a place in my attack seriously.

As for the defence – again, there was improvement on show here: the Gunners ended the season conceding just five goals in their last eight Gameweeks with Laurent Koscielny, in particular, outstanding. It’s going to take 5.5 in the FPL to draft in a secure members of Wenger’s defence but, given their schedule, once again it’s a route I have to consider. With question marks over starters and rotation in the United and City defence, the Gunners looks a sound investment for those happy to spend on a defender or two.