Arsenal FC: End of Year Awards for Arsene Wenger's Gunners

Third place.

That's better than many people expected of Arsenal this season. After the worst start to a season in 58 years, the Gunners managed to pull themselves out of a hole and finish behind only the Manchester powerhouses this year.

It all came down to the wire, though. A win against West Brom (which was too close for comfort) confirmed a guarantee into the Champions League, regardless of the impending Chelsea vs Bayern Munich final.

It was a relief that the streak of Arsene Wenger's perfect Champions League appearance record would not be broken.

Here are some awards for the bests in the 2011-2012 season.

Best Signing: Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta proved to be a very good signing for Arsene Wenger. Signed on deadline day for £10 million, the Spaniard had a calming, Fabregas-esque influence on the Arsenal midfield.

In the entire season, when Arteta was not playing, the Gunners only won once, and that was in the last game away to West Brom. 

Arteta scored his debut goal away to Blackburn, and scored five more goals over the course of the season. The highlight of the season was definitely his beautiful strike against Manchester City in the 87th minute to get three points for Arsenal (though it may not have been as good as his free kick against Aston Villa.) 

Despite this, he missed the end of the season after getting injured against Wigan Athletic, which worried Arsenal fans because of the above statistic. He will, however, be fit soon and may not make it to the Euro Championships with Spain.

Honorable Mention: Per Mertesacker was all right at the beginning of the season. He suffered an injury against Sunderland, but his absence really allowed the Koscielny-Vermaelen partnership to flourish.

Young Player of the Season: Wojciech Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny, the spelling bee nightmare, really consolidated his spot in the starting XI last season, but he reminded us why early in the season. 

The young Pole showed his potential, making excellent stops throughout the season. His excellent reflexes saved Arsenal many times, even though the defense was often vulnerable to counter-attacks and set pieces.

The most notable saves of his are his double save against Liverpool, one against Wolves (skip to 0:20) and a penalty save against Udinese in a Champions League qualifier.

Even though he has a lot of talent, he did make rookie mistakes at times, charging at the wrong moments. Also, his distribution was often mediocre, as he sometimes kicked it out of bounds and threw to the wrong players.

Even so, he will mature.

Honorable Mention: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain showed that he will become a great player. The young Englishman is strong, lightning-quick and has good ball control. "OxChambo" is certainly one for the future for Wenger.

Hardest Worker: Tomas Rosicky

I'm sorry, but this slide is a tribute to Tomas Rosicky.

Having not played a lot at the beginning of the season, the Czech international worked his rear end off every minute that he played.

He was the first to every ball because of sheer willpower, and is by far the biggest hustler in the Arsenal squad.

He's not a flashy player or as talented as Mikel Arteta or Robin van Persie, but in my opinion, he is the most admirable player in the starting XI because he tries harder than everyone else.

Honorable Mention: Thomas Vermaelen hustles a lot, too. He started off the season extremely well, but his formed dropped a little toward the latter stages of the year.

Most Consistent Player: Alexandre Song

Week in, week out, Alex Song was there.

Though many Arsenal fans would disagree, I think Song was without a doubt Arsenal's best midfielder and the second-most influential player for the Gunners this season.

His defensive prowess was already known a little, and not only did he win the ball at crucial times, but he showed fantastic vision. He set Van Persie up many times, proving that he does have some Xavi in him with 10 assists, tied for the most on the team.

The one thing that the Cameroonian international lacks is finishing, but then again, not that many defensive midfielders can shoot very well. This is what he can develop during the summer.

When Jack Wilshere returns, it seems as though the two of them will form a formidable midfield pair, provided the young Englishman's injury situation gets better.

Honorable Mention: Bacary Sagna is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. He isn't much of a threat going forward, but he is rock solid on defense. As the Arsenal defenseman least prone to mistakes, he was sorely missed when he had a broken leg.

Most Improved Player: Laurent Koscielny

In all fairness, Laurent Koscielny was not that solid last season. 

He was adjusting to life in the Premier League, and some Arsenal fans found him too mistake-prone for their liking.

This year, however, there was change. The Frenchman improved all aspects of his game: aerial ability, speed (he outsprinted very fast players over the course of the year) and even did some work on going forward.

With Thomas Vermaelen, Koscielny has formed a great center-back pairing. Arsenal are prone to set pieces, however, and this needs to change.

Hopefully for him, he will get some playing time at the Euros and play well.

Honorable Mentions: Theo Walcott played much better this season than he did last season. His touch got a lot better, and he started using his pace much more effectively, while his finishing became more precise.

Alex Song again. He improved mostly his offensive ability, setting players up like no one else on Arsenal could do.

Goal of the Season: Robin Van Persie vs Everton

What a strike. 

A beautifully weighted ball by Alexandre Song capped off by a perfectly timed ball smashed into the bottom corner.

From David Hytner at The Guardian:

"

The Arsenal striker's left-footed volley appeared to transcend the ridiculous and the sublime to elevate him to some other-worldly plane...At full-time Wojciech Szczesny, the Arsenal goalkeeper, got down to kiss Van Persie's left boot.

"

Honorable Mention: Not for the goal itself, but for the hugeness of the moment: Henry vs Leeds. 

Match of the Season: Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham

It did not start well.

Louis Saha got a lucky deflection in the fourth minute, as the ball went over Wojciech Szczesny and in for Tottenham to take a 1-0 lead. 30 minutes later, when Bale went down in the box, former Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor tucked the penalty away.

However, Bacary Sagna gave Arsenal hope as he scored a header in the 40th minute, and Robin van Persie scored a peach of a curler three minutes later. They went into halftime level, though Arsenal had the momentum.

In the second half, it was all red and white. Tomas Rosicky had a left-footed finish and Theo Walcott chalked in a brace to beat their North London rivals emphatically, 5-2.

This game was special because it showed Wenger's tactical genius. He opted to play both Rosicky and Benayoun, despite the fact that the two of them didn't get much playing time prior to this match. Rosicky, in my opinion, stood out as the Man of the Match, while Benayoun was also very impressive. 

It was a real team effort.

Honorable Mention: A terrible defensive performance saw a 5-3 goalfest at Stamford Bridge, with Van Persie scoring a hat trick. To the delight of all non-Chelsea fans, John Terry's slip allowed a crucial goal by the Dutchman.

Best Player: Robin Van Persie (Who Else?)

Was there any doubt at all?

Maybe people overstated how much Van Persie "put the team on his back" this season, but he did a great deal of work, saving Arsenal time and time again. He was undoubtedly deserving of the PFA and FWA awards, as well as the Golden Boot; that left foot of his did some unbelievable things for the Gunners this year.

With 30 goals this Premier League season, he beat Wayne Rooney by four goals and Sergio Aguero by eight.

So many times did we hear the chant of "He scores when he wants" gleefully ringing around the Emirates this season—maybe that was more literal than we thought! Astonishingly, he was fifth in the Premier League in assists with 10 in addition to winning the Golden Boot.

Despite all of this, Van Persie's future at Arsenal is in jeopardy. He could be making at least twice his salary at Manchester City, and Juventus have shown interest in the Flying Dutchman. Barcelona have yet to make an official statement about wanting him, but you can't really count them out in a transfer negotiation for Captain Vantastic.

Arsenal fans need him to stay, because without him, you can't expect next season to be as bright as this one.

Looking Ahead

So that's it for the 2011-2012 Premier League season.

Next year, with Lukas Podolski, probably Yann M'Vila and hopefully Eden Hazard or Younes Belhanda, the Gunners will be looking to challenge for the title.

We will also have to see how much of a difference Pat Rice's absence makes, with Steve Bould as the assistant for the 2012-2013 season.

But mainly cross your fingers, Arsenal fans. Losing Van Persie will be devastating for you.