If ever there was a Premier League side ready to bounce into the weekend’s fixtures, it’s Arsenal who are still on cloud nine after getting out of jail against Olympiakos on Wednesday evening.
Facing an Aston Villa side in no form whatsoever on Sunday afternoon, the Gunners are red hot favourites for victory with Arsene Wenger’s men having not tasted defeat in their last 16 journeys to Villa Park.
Winning 0-3 at Villa last season, all three goals came in a crazy three-minute spell in the first half and a repeat result would keep the Gunners’ positive momentum going in the lead up to the busy Christmas fixture programme.
The interesting sub-plot is that Wenger will go up alongside one of his former players in Remi Garde who represented the club between 1996 and 1999.
Despite being favourites for the win, Villa did earn at least a 1-1 draw at a tough venue away at Southampton last time out so perhaps this is something to build upon for the Villans.
Arsenal are more than used to putting their supporters through an emotional rollercoaster most seasons but at the moment, we’re cashing in on the current good vibes amongst Gooners in the Football Transfer Tavern to ask them just who are the five most improved Arsenal stars this season?
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Click on the image below to reveal the five most improved Arsenal players this 2015/16 season.
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Joel Campbell
While he’s not every Arsenal fans’ cup of tea, there is no doubting that Joel Campbell’s prospects have improved this term compared to last.
Finding his way into the starting eleven at present due to injuries to the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis Sanchez at some point or another, not to mention Danny Welbeck, the Costa Rican international now has two Premier League strikes to his name.
Registering against both Swansea City away and Sunderland at home in crucial victories for Arsene Wenger’s men in this tight Premier League title race, Campbell also expertly laid on Olivier Giroud’s second strike in Greece on Wednesday night.
Seemingly benefiting and getting better with every passing week he’s in the team, Campbell started ahead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the week when he definitely wouldn’t have before and that alone is testament to how much he’s improved in 2015/16.
Mesut Ozil
Quite simply the best player in the Premier League right now?
Racking up 12 assists so far this Premier League campaign, the German international is a forward’s dream with the former Real Madrid maestro simply putting balls on a plate for others to gobble up.
Whereas Manchester United gave up Angel Di Maria perhaps too soon, Arsenal have stuck by Ozil and he’s now producing arguably the best form of his career with the German dispelling the myth that he needs a Karim Benzema-type ahead of him to yield his best performances.
While most Arsenal fans crave another world class striker to bring even more out of Ozil’s game, he’s making it work with his Gunners team-mates right now and could be in for winning the PFA Player of the Year prize is his sparkling form continues until the end of the campaign.
Mathieu Flamini
Let’s get one thing straight; Mathieu Flamini definitely isn’t the answer to Arsenal’s midfield conundrum long-term but when he’s been called upon this term, he hasn’t done that much wrong.
Yes, Flamini was involved in the Gunners’ humiliating 3-0 loss away to Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup but he wasn’t involved in the losses to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos with the battling Frenchman doing relatively well when called upon.
In the team at the moment due to Francis Coquelin’s injury, Arsenal haven’t missed their young Frenchman as much as they thought they might’ve.
This is credit to Flamini’s experienced performances with the player doing well to stay on just a yellow card in a largely disciplined performance in Athens in midweek.
With his finest moment undoubtedly coming against Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Capital One Cup earlier this term, Flamini proved that he’s a Gooner through and through on that night with an incredibly unlikely well taken brace.
Nacho Monreal
Arsenal fans might as well call Nacho Monreal ‘Steady Eddie’ nowadays given the incredible consistency now instilled within the Spaniard’s game.
Prior to this point last season, Monreal’s name wasn’t mud at Emirates Stadium but it wasn’t far off but now, he’s one of the first names down on Arsene Wenger’s team-sheet.
Cruically, Monreal has manged to keep himself fit unlike several other of his Arsenal team-mates and thus, Kieran Gibbs has been unable to force his way into the team.
No Gooner is complaining however with Monreal steadily turning into a fan favourite for his solid performances.
And who could’ve predicted that? Football is a funny ol’ game isn’t it just?
Olivier Giroud
Does anybody split opinions quite like this guy, Olivier Giroud?
Labelled everything from being a donkey to a top striker, the French international plundered his first ever Arsenal hat-trick in midweek and what a time to get it.
Let’s have it right however; since the injury to Theo Walcott earlier this term, Giroud hasn’t looked anywhere near as good as he did at the start of the season but his midweek hat-trick could turn the tide again.
At the end of the day, Giroud is Arsenal’s top scorer with 13 goals in all competitions so far this term and that in itself represents improvement, right?
Lambasted as a scapegoat numerous times within the duration of an Arsenal campaign, Giroud is undoubtedly a regular source of goals for the Gunners and is consistent season in, season out.
You only have to look at the troubles Diego Costa is currently experiencing to prove that Giroud is an underrated talent in the game.
