Arsenal vs Aston Villa Player Ratings

Arsenal finished their Premier League campaign with a home fixture against the PL whipping boys, Aston Villa. Here are Pain In the Arsenal’s Player Ratings.

Arsenal slapped bottom of the table Aston Villa with another blowout scoreline, putting four goals past Villa keeper Mark Bunn and keeping a clean sheet to underline a big win.

It was a sweet day for fans in a season that definitely got away when Arsenal climbed above Tottenham Hotspur with their win. Spurs were convincingly beaten 5-1 by already relegated Newcastle United.

Fans are still voicing their disappointment over what happened to Arsenal over the course of the season, but the game against the Villains was certainly a great send-off, for both the team and for the older players whose last game at the Emirates was today.

Olivier Giroud particularly impressed today, grabbing three classy goals to lead the line. A criticism that must be made, though, is that this was a typical Arsenal victory.

We’ve all seen it before. A typical performance from Arsenal, who specialize in beating bottom feeders, and a typical hat-trick from the goalscorer who is brilliant at scoring goals when the pressure is off.

Anyway, here are the player ratings.

PETR CECH

GK, Arsenal FC

6.9

Petr Cech had a very quiet game in net for Arsenal and only had to save two shots on target to keep a clean sheet. The Czech giant has only partially been a revelation this season, but he did a fine job today, answered the necessary questions even though they were few.

HECTOR BELLERIN

RB, Arsenal FC

8.9

A terrific work ethic finally proved worthwhile today for Hector Bellerin. He put in a great assist for Olivier Giroud but he could have had more statistics to show for it had he been blessed with more players in the box. Had far more of an impact on the right flank than Jack Wilshere, and made a poor defense look extremely poor with his running.

GABRIEL PAULISTA

CB, Arsenal FC

7.4

Great “limited defender” work from Gabriel. He made a handful of interceptions and clearances that were no-nonsense and necessary. Could have been more successful in a few of his challenges in the air (he won zero), that skill will have to improve in him if he wants to be one of the Prem’s best.

LAURENT KOSCIELNY

CB, Arsenal FC

8.4

Bosscielny did a bit of everything at the back, and was supremely accurate with his passes. What we need to see now is these performances from Koscielny no matter what, this level of confidence against the best teams and not just the average sides. Perhaps a partner would benefit him in that – nonetheless a great showing.

NACHO MONREAL

LB, Arsenal FC

7.9

Monreal is less fit than his compatriot on the opposite flank, so he doesn’t look as good against teams like Villa because he’s a more defensive player. He put in a solid shift, got an assist, and was in all the right positions for his Arsenal teammates to find him when overlapping on the left side.

FRANCIS COQUELIN

MID, Arsenal FC

7.6

Did his regular defensive duties and was very accurate with his passing. Having him instead of El Neny gave Santi Cazorla more room to move, that partnership was broken up due to injuries and it was working really well back at the start of the season. It must be tapped into, the potential of Coquelin and Cazorla in those two deep slots.

SANTI CAZORLA

MID, Arsenal FC

7.5

Santi Cazorla looks a shade unfit and also a little slow reacting to the game around him. He looked very comfortable sitting in that slot next to Coquelin, but it was also – unsurprisingly – evident that he hadn’t been playing. Only made one key pass to a teammate, but this statistic will go up when he returns to full fitness. Speculation continues about where his future lies, but it seems strange for him to seek a new deal elsewhere when he’s clearly a priority at the Emirates. Only time will tell.

JACK WILSHERE

MID, Arsenal FC

6.0

Jack Wilshere didn’t look up for the game today, he was the worst man of the match on Squawka.com and I have to agree. Misplaced a lot of passes and didn’t have any shots, didn’t ride any challenges like he did against City and wasn’t really bothered.

MESUT OZIL

MID, Arsenal FC

8.7

It’s not unlikely that Mesut Ozil will produce against a poor side like Aston Villa, and sure enough he did, providing yet another assist. Made plenty of great passes to free up his teammates and looked far superior to Villa. Simple as that.

ALEXIS SANCHEZ

MID, Arsenal FC

7.9

Was taking players on left and right and cruising past them throughout the game. He also looked a league above Villa (literally) and didn’t seem phased or unmotivated at all. Created four clear cut chances for his teammates as well, a dynamic performance from the Chilean.

OLIVIER GIROUD

ST, Arsenal FC

9.0

[MAN OF THE MATCH] Olivier Giroud only needed a few touches in total to put the ball in the net three times. His consistency is his ‘deal-breaker’ quality but when he’s on it is delightful to watch. Great finish around Mark Bunn for his second goal, overall a top stiker’s performance. Not going to paper over this season’s cracks, though.

JOEL CAMPBELL

SUB, Arsenal FC

-

Spent five on the pitch and did very little. Should have been put on earlier in the game, and given more of a shot this season, but unfortunately didn’t produce enough goals and assists to earn Wenger’s full faith.

MOHAMED EL NENY

SUB, Arsenal FC

6.8

Of course Mohamed El Neny didn’t misplace a pass throughout the twenty minutes he was on the field. Did what he was supposed to do and not much else, but pushed Arsenal on with his ability to spread the ball and it led to three more goals being scored after his introduction.

MIKEL ARTETA

SUB, Arsenal FC

-

Lovely Arsenal send-off for him scoring a goal (that is now a Mark Bunn O.G.) in his last appearance. Great servant to Arsenal F.C. throughout his career and this was a worthy final moment for the Spaniard.

• Published on 05/16/2016 at 8:10 PM GMT
• Last updated on 05/16/2016 at 8:14 PM GMT