Grading Arsene Wenger on Arsenal's 2014/15 Premier League Season

With Arsenal's season now complete and the FA Cup safely returned to the Emirates trophy cabinet, now seems a good time to reflect on Arsene Wenger's performance in the 2014/15 season.

His campaign started poorly, with Arsenal winning just two of their first eight league games. Around Christmas, Wenger was faced with protests from fans who fervently believed his time at the helm ought to come to an end. However, Wenger and Arsenal recovered with an excellent second half of the season, including a remarkable run of eight consecutive league wins, capped off with the memorable triumph at Wembley. 

In this piece, we grade the Gunners boss on several key areas before awarding his performance an overall mark.

Transfer business 

Arsene Wenger spent an unusual amount of money, adding seven players to the squad over the course of the season.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

He's always had a great eye for talent, and an increase in his budget does not seem to have affected that. Alexis Sanchez has arguably been the signing of the season, settling in to English football immediately and carrying Arsenal through some awkward Autumn months. Others such as Danny Welbeck, David Ospina and Calum Chambers have all made significant contributions.

Wenger falls short of an A grade because he didn't undertake enough work in the summer. Arsenal went into the season short of a defensive midfielder and centre-half, and it cost them. Only when Francis Coquelin and Gabriel Paulista appeared on the scene halfway through the campaign were those gaps filled.

Grade: B+

Tactics

Wenger misguidedly chose to start the season with a 4-1-4-1 system designed to integrate Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey in the same XI. The Gunners never really adapted to the new formation, and to Wenger's credit he revised plans relatively early on.

Since returning to a more familiar 4-2-3-1 setup Arsenal have been significantly better. There have been some elements of fortune with regards to individual personnel: who could have predicted that Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla would be an effective defensive midfield duo? However, Wenger had the nous to see what worked and stuck with it. 

His selection of Theo Walcott for the FA Cup final also shows he is capable of adapting his strategy for the occasion when required.

Grade: B

Man-management

These days Arsenal have a fairly calm squad who shy away from controversy. However, when Wojciech Szczesny was caught smoking in the showers, Wenger showed he still has the authority to deal with difficult personalities.

Szczesny was promptly dropped from the team, with Ospina taking over as goalkeeper. However, Wenger is not one to hold a grudge: he did not burn his bridges with Szczesny entirely, keeping the Pole onside with the promise of an FA Cup final place. Wenger handled the situation perfectly.

Grade: A

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Overall

With another FA Cup win and automatic Champions League qualification assured, Wenger oversaw a season of important progress at Arsenal. His team are finally showing the tactical awareness required to navigate high-stakes games. If he wants to achieve an A grade next season, Wenger must ensure Arsenal mount credible challenges for the domestic title and European honours. 

Grade: B+

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.