Ranking Arsenal's Players on Their Performances at Euro 2016

Now that the dust has settled on Portugal’s triumph at Euro 2016, it seems an appropriate time to assess the performances of the Arsenal players at the competition.

After all, a summer tournament can have major implications for players' club form. They might return brimming with confidence after an excellent showing, or, equally, they could come back with their morale sapped after a disappointing campaign.

In this piece, we rank Arsenal’s nine Euro participants according to their performances in France. Who had the greatest impact on the tournament, and who might as well have stayed at home? Go to the next slide to begin the countdown.

9. Hector Bellerin

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A late call-up to the squad after an injury to Dani Carvajal, Hector Bellerin did not manage to play a single minute at Euro 2016.

Despite his inactivity, he’ll regard being part of the senior squad for the first time as an important moment in his development. If he continues to play as he did last season, when he was voted into the PFA Team of the Year, further call-ups can’t be too far behind.

8. Jack Wilshere

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It was a tournament to forget for England, who suffered the ignominy of being kicked out by Iceland at the start of the knockout stage. It was also a tournament to forget for Jack Wilshere, who failed to perform at anything like his best level.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise. After missing most of the 2015/16 season with injury, it was always a gamble for Roy Hodgson to take the Arsenal midfielder to France.

Wilshere made two substitute appearances during the tournament and looked decidedly rusty in both. Arsene Wenger will hope that a full pre-season could allow Wilshere to return to action looking something like his old self next season.

7. Wojciech Szczesny

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Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who spent last season on loan in Serie A with Roma, kept a clean sheet in his country’s opening game against Northern Ireland. However, he then picked up an injury that caused him to lose his place for the remainder of the tournament.

Ironically, the man who usurped him was former Gunner Lukasz Fabianski—the same Fabianski who spent much of his time at Arsenal as Szczesny’s deputy.

It remains to be seen whether Szczesny will be at Arsenal next season. If he is, the presence of Petr Cech in the squad means he may have to grow accustomed to that place on the substitutes bench.

6. Petr Cech

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Petr Cech would have hoped to have fared better in what proved to be his final international tournament. With former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky also in their ranks, the Czech Republic failed to get out of the group stage, claiming just one point along the way. Although he figured more regularly than some Arsenal players, he would surely have wanted to make a more positive impact.

Cech will be particularly disappointed to have failed to keep a single clean sheet. His decision to retire from international football in the tournament’s aftermath will be warmly welcomed by Arsene Wenger, as the experienced keeper can now focus fully on his club responsibilities.

5. Granit Xhaka

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Granit Xhaka was one of the group stage’s most impressive performers. He was integral in helping Switzerland through to the knockout portion of the tournament, demonstrating the combination of tough tackling and intelligent passing that has convinced Wenger to bring him to Arsenal.

He might feature in a higher position in this ranking, were it not for his dreadful penalty miss in the round of 16 that contributed to Switzerland’s elimination. Wenger will hope Xhaka has not taken the moment to heart—he’s set to be important to Arsenal next season as he was to his country throughout their participation in Euro 2016.

4. Mesut Ozil

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Mesut Ozil will come away from this tournament wondering what might have been. His Germany side dominated for long periods in the semi-final against France, with Ozil arguably their best performer, yet ultimately were not able to find a way past the host nation.

Individually, there were plenty of strong performances from Ozil—notably in the quarter-final against Italy, when he opened the scoring with an unusually confident finish. 

However, his tournament was marred by two missed penalties. First he failed to score in the last 16 match against Slovakia before missing again in the penalty shootout victory over Italy in the following round.

3. Laurent Koscielny

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Laurent Koscielny will return to Arsenal a heartbroken man. Having got all the way to the final, he must surely have been dreaming of coming back to London Colney as a European champion.

Sadly for Koscielny, it wasn’t to be, and he played a part in the host nation’s demise. It was he who was turned too easily by Eder in extra time, allowing the Portuguese striker to lash home the goal that would prove to win the competition. That’s an unfortunate blot on an otherwise strong set of performances from the centre-half.

By the time the next World Cup comes around, Koscielny will be 32. It remains to be seen whether he remains a key component of France’s plans moving forward.

2. Olivier Giroud

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Had Karim Benzema been available for selection, Olivier Giroud might not even have been starting games at the Euros. However, handed his opportunity to shine, the Frenchman confounded expectations with a number of excellent performances.

He was particularly good in the quarter-final victory over Iceland, in which he scored twice. Ultimately, he ended the competition with three goals and two assists to his name.

Perhaps his strong showing on the international stage will convince Wenger to keep faith with Giroud as Arsenal’s first-choice striker next season.

1. Aaron Ramsey

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Aaron Ramsey was the only Arsenal player to be named in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see him ranked as the Gunners’ most impressive performer at this summer’s Euros.

Wales did remarkably well to reach the semi-finals, and Ramsey’s midfield marauding played a huge part in that. Had he managed to avoid suspension and start the semi-final against Portugal, perhaps Wales would have gone even further.

What will be fascinating to observe now is if Ramsey can translate his Wales form to an Arsenal shirt. He is granted more freedom to break forward on the international stage—perhaps Wenger will seek to try to replicate that strategy at the Emirates Stadium next season.