Gaël Clichy throws four names into mix for Arsenal player of the season

Gaël Clichy throws four names into mix for Arsenal's player of the season & makes huge Mudryk claim

• [On Declan Rice] "Some players struggle to arrive at a club like Arsenal when there's such high expectations, and I'm not disrespecting his former club, but there's a difference between playing for West Ham and playing for Arsenal. His impact has been phenomenal."
• "Leandro Trossard isn't a regular starter, but he's had such a great impact since he signed from Brighton... he's shown on several occasions he's capable of delivering in those big moments, and for that reason alone, I think he deserves a mention."
• [On Oleksandr Zinchenko] "All of a sudden, people are saying that maybe it's time for him to move on, because he's not giving us what we want anymore. Football is a machine which does this sometimes; we forget that outside of this game, there is life."
• [On Mikhailo Mudryk] "Maybe he'll turn up next season. We have to think about other things, off the pitch, such as what's happening with him at home, coming from a place where things are really tough right now."
• "I wouldn't be surprised is Mudryk comes out next season and becomes the best winger in the Premier League, because he's absolutely got all of the attributes which you want in a winger."
• "Every time I talk about Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, I cannot stop myself from saying it's like a copy and paste of what we see with Manchester City and Pep Guardiola."
  

You can't really argue that Bukayo Saka has not been Arsenal's main man this season. He's the guy who wins games for them. That being said, you can't talk about Arsenal's dominance in midfield without mentioning Declan Rice. You can clearly see the impact he's had on this team. He's exactly what Arsenal needed, and I feel like he's gone to another level personally, as a player, too. Some players struggle to arrive at a club like Arsenal when there's such high expectations, and I'm not disrespecting his former club, but there's a difference between playing for West Ham and playing for Arsenal. His impact has been phenomenal. 

Of course, though, you've got to talk about William Saliba. We always say you need a striker, a strong midfielder and a centre-back, and I feel like Saliba is that guy. He allows Arsenal to press high and stay high. He's so good at making his opponent feel that kind of discomfort when they have the ball; he's great at regaining possession, he's so strong and fast, he covers for his teammates. It's a little bit like what we saw with Virgil van Dijk when Liverpool won the league a few years ago; you need a strong player on every line, and for me, Saliba is that defensive player. Him, Rice and Saka are the main guys in that Arsenal team, but so many players have had great seasons. 

Leandro Trossard isn't a regular starter, but he's had such a great impact since he signed from Brighton. He's doing exactly what Mikel Arteta wanted from him, and I don't think Mikel ever saw Trossard as a first-choice, coming from Brighton, and understanding the transition that comes with a big move like that. But, like I said, he's doing exactly what will have been expected of him, when he plays. 

He's one of those players who defenders really don't like playing against, because he's always looking to come at you. When he's on it, he's very aggressive, he's so fast, and all-round he's just an honest player - his work rate is phenomenal, and he's shown on several occasions he's capable of delivering in those big moments, and for that reason alone, I think he deserves a mention.  

You can't push City all the way, without the whole team performing to an exceptional level, and this is the beauty of Arsenal. People have said all season that they've needed a striker, and at the start of the year, there was the whole situation with the goalkeepers, and there's been questions around the full-back situation. But, man, they're here, and they're doing something that no team has been able to do in the last two years. You have to give them credit, regardless of whether or not they win the title.

Mykhailo Mudryk was about to sign for Arsenal for big money last year, and everyone was thinking he was going to come in and change the team completely, with his pace, and how good he looked with the ball at his feet, and everything like that. Then, you look at the year or so he's had with Chelsea and some people might think 'thank God we didn't buy him'. 

Does it mean the player is not performing? Maybe he'll turn up next season. We have to think about other things, off the pitch, such as what's happening with him at home, coming from a place where things are really tough right now. Sometimes, we forget about this kind of thing and just focus on what the guy is doing on the pitch. My son, for example, will cut his finger at school, and I won't feel good for the whole afternoon. So I can't imagine what these guys are having to deal with. And when I talk about these guys, I'm talking about the people of Ukraine. 

We have a similar situation at Arsenal with Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has been extremely important for Arsenal since he signed for the club. And, all of a sudden, people are saying that maybe it's time for him to move on, because he's not giving us what we want anymore. Football is a machine which does this sometimes; we forget that outside of this game, there is life. 

I wouldn't be surprised is Mudryk comes out next season and becomes the best winger in the Premier League, because he's absolutely got all of the attributes which you want in a winger. Why is he not performing now? His club is not performing, maybe he's not feeling himself, and maybe that will change next season. And maybe Zinchenko will feel better next season; we don't know. We don't know what these people are going through, and you have to keep that in mind.  

We all have quick opinions, and it's very easy to judge when we haven't got all of the cards in front of us. 

Last season, there was no doubt when it came to that left-back position; it was Oleksandr Zinchenko's position. When he was playing, he allowed Arsenal to have so much more control in games, and more possession. He was often the one who was making sure that the forwards could have an extra split-second when receiving the ball. He was very clever. He was exactly what Arsenal needed at the time. Performance and injuries can play their part in these things.  

But every time I talk about Arsenal and Mikel Arteta, I cannot stop myself from saying it's like a copy and paste of what we see with Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. Obviously, it's not as simple as that, but you can clearly see that Mikel went more, this year, with a set-up similar to Pep's. He's playing with four centre-backs, now, which was something Pep did in the year he won the treble. 

He has to ask whether he wants to go with the player who might give him those magic moments and who might make the difference, or does he want to be a little bit more rigid, less flexible, more balanced and therefore more solid, as a team. Zinchenko is the kind of player who has flair, who will entertain the crowd. But you also know that, when you're a Man City or an Arsenal, the only way you're really going to get hurt is from set-pieces or transitions. When it comes to set-pieces, Arsenal are the best in the league, so they've solved that problem. But they're still having problems in transition. So you try to find ways to minimise that risk, and how you do that is by playing more defenders who are real defenders, who aren't going to be tempted into going forward. So, instead of playing Zinchenko, you'll maybe go with a centre-back who is composed on the ball, who will go forward when needed, but whose first thought is defending. 

Most of the time, the big teams will adapt according to the team they're playing against, and this is what we've seen with Arsenal in defence. As we've got into the final stage of the season, maybe it's a case of Mikel wanting a little more solidity at the back, wanting to be a little bit more balanced, and I think that's why we've seen that left-back position questioned at times.