Mikel Arteta has a lot to solve at Arsenal amid the November international break to end the Gunners’ poor run of form.
It’s been four Premier League matches since the North Londoners last won, collecting just two points from a possible 12.
As a result, Liverpool have a nine-point advantage over the Gunners at the top of the table, sending Arteta back to the drawing board to ensure his side don’t slip any further.
Some hold the opinion that Arsenal are out of the Premier League race, putting early pressure on the players to turn things around.
Arsenal’s top five Premier League players of 2024/25 so far
Whether it be injuries, tactical errors or lack of individual form, Arteta has to find the root of Arsenal’s problems although some need to simply keep doing what they’re doing.
Sofascore have ranked the top five representatives of the Arsenal first team based on an average of their game-to-game match rating.
The results have provided a surprising list of standings, with several notable absentees from the top five.
1 – Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka comes in first with an average rating of 7.89, which is an expected outcome given the 10 goal contributions he’s already recorded.
2 – David Raya
The second is David Raya, which again, doesn’t come as much as a surprise. The Spaniard has been excellent, with Raya superb for Arsenal in the Premier League this season.
3 – Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel Magalhaes comes in third, impressing defensively and in the final third, scoring decisive goals against Manchester City and Tottenham.
4 – Mikel Merino
The player in fourth is a major shock, as summer signing Mikel Merino’s average match rating places him just behind Gabriel.
| Rank | Player | Average rating | Best performance |
| 1 | Bukayo Saka | 7.89 | Southampton – 9.9 |
| 2 | David Raya | 7.26 | Man City – 8.6 |
| 3 | Gabriel Magalhaes | 7.20 | Tottenham – 8.0 |
| 4 | Mikel Merino | 7.16 | Southampton – 7.2 |
| 5 | Riccardo Calafiori | 7.15 | Leicester City – 7.9 |
Merino has had a difficult start to life at Arsenal however, has displayed glimpses of encouragement, with the consensus being that the Spaniard needs time to adapt.
5 – Riccardo Calafiori
Behind Merino comes fellow summer arrival Riccardo Calafiori, who rounded up the top five Gunners in the Premier League so far.
Calafiori is currently injured and Arteta has been missing the versatile Italian, with his first steps in red and white impressing many.
Shocking that Jurrien Timber misses out
There are of course some star players missing from the rankings, including William Saliba and Jurrien Timber in particular.
Timber has impressed at Arsenal following his return from a gruelling ACL injury, making his omission quite a surprise.
The same goes for Saliba, who has earned his spot as one of the Premier League’s best central defenders and Gabriel’s partner in crime.
Some won’t agree with the top five rankings however, there’s a way to fix it and that’s to see an improvement of individual performance, something required to get Arsenal out of their rut.
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