Another season, another mid-winter collapse, another failed title bid, another great debate over Arsene Wenger’s future; Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern feel like they’re stuck in a time warp. 

Indeed, after being well in the hunt for the Premier League crown pre-Christmas, a string of poor results has reduced Arsenal’s season to simply hopes of winning the FA Cup, with Chelsea well ahead in the top flight, finalists Southampton eliminating them from the EFL Cup and Bayern Munich battering them in the Champions League.

But is it simply a case of history repeating itself, or should Arsenal fans be looking at the finer details?Namely, which Gunners stars have and haven’t pulled their weight throughout the 2016/17 campaign.

Our landlord reckons a fair few players have let Arsene Wenger down this season, so he’s picked out the two who deserve the most blame for another substandard campaign at the Emirates Stadium.

Granit Xhaka

He was meant to be the signing to inject some beef into Arsenal’s midfield, but he’s spent almost as much time out suspended as he has on the pitch. Indeed, Granit Xhaka’s picked up two straight red cards already this term and even when he’s somehow avoided the referee’s notebook, he’s not provided that steely influence many expected when Wenger paid £35million – one of the biggest transfer fees in Arsenal’s history – for his services. Perhaps that’s not all the Swiss international’s fault, but concerns surrounding Santi Cazorla’s latest injury show how limited his impact has been in the engine room this season.

Mesut Ozil

The great Ozil debate rumbles on. Is he a misunderstood genius? Does he even like football? Has he ever tracked back or made a tackle since signing for Arsenal? The truth is, you can’t win the World Cup as Germany’s No.10, amid the position’s most prevalent era, without being half decent. We know how talented Ozil is but there’s a very strong argument to him not turning up when Arsenal need him most in big games.

Of course, the Gunners in general have a knack of not turning up, but the 28-year-old’s return in the Premier League this term – five goals and four assists in 22 appearances – remains disappointing, especially for a club-record signing. At this point, it’s hard to deny Ozil hasn’t pulled his weight this season and as one of Arsenal’s two talismanic entities, he must take a significant chunk of the responsibility for another substandard Gunners campaign.