Power Ranking Every Player for Arsenal in 2017 Europa League Group Stage
Arsenal finished their Europa League group stage off with a resounding 6-0 win over BATE Borisov. It was a performance that typified what this competition has been about for the Gunners: Arsene Wenger's second string have sought to give their manager a selection headache.
Wenger has rotated heavily throughout the competition, giving opportunities to fringe members of his squad. In this piece, we count down every single Arsenal player to have been involved in the group stage, ranking them based on their contribution.
This isn't simply determined by their playing time. It's the nature and weight of their impact that counts. A player who plays once but scores a crucial goal could figure higher than someone with several poor appearances under their belt.
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Read on to find out who Arsenal's star performer was in the Europa League group stage.
25. Ben Sheaf
Academy product Sheaf is highly thought of at Arsenal. He is an elegant ball-playing midfielder or defender, who is also a specialist at set-pieces.
However, we haven't yet seen much of that in the senior team, with just one substitute appearance in the Europa League to his name. His time, it seems, is still to come.
24. Marcus McGuane
England U18 international Marcus McGuane made two late substitute appearances in the group stage. It's difficult to assess him properly, especially as he was playing in an unfamiliar role as a wing-back.
McGuane is highly rated at Arsenal, and it's possible his is a name we'll hear more of in future. However, in 2017/18, he has been a peripheral figure.
23. Eddie Nketiah
Teenage forward Nketiah was Arsenal's hero in the Carabao Cup against Norwich City, when he came off the bench to score twice and put the Gunners through to the next round
However, he has not yet been able to replicate that kind of success in European competition. Several substitute appearances have passed almost entirely without incident. When the domestic cups resume, he will hope for further opportunities to impress.
22. Nacho Monreal
Monreal is one of several first-team players who was used in the opening group game against Cologne, but he hasn't appeared in the competition since.
The fact he's played so little football in the Europa League effectively shows how essential Wenger considers him in the Premier League. The Gunners boss made use of his more experienced players to ensure Arsenal got off to a strong start in the competition, but he did not dare risk them beyond that point.
21. Shkodran Mustafi
Mustafi is another of the senior players who appeared only fleetingly in this competition—in his case, during the 4-2 win over BATE Borisov.
Since then, he has gone on to re-establish himself at the heart of Arsenal's back three in Wenger's preferred Premier League XI.
20. Alex Iwobi
Nigerian forward Iwobi has not been a regular in the Europa League, as he is now regarded as a senior member of Wenger's squad. Although not an automatic selection every week in the Premier League, he is usually involved in those games in some capacity.
However, Wenger has used continental competition to keep Iwobi sharp between domestic appearances. Perhaps he will figure more frequently when Arsenal move into the knockout phase.
19. Danny Welbeck
The English forward has used this competition as a chance to help him build up his match fitness as he seeks to reclaim a first-team place.
He played 45 minutes away to Cologne before starting the final group game against BATE Borisov.
18. Petr Cech
In an ideal world, Wenger would not have had to use Cech in the Europa League. David Ospina is typically Wenger's preferred goalkeeper in European competition, but the Colombian's absence meant that the former Chelsea man stepped in for the trip to Red Star Belgrade. It was a successful outing—Cech kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win.
17. Calum Chambers
At the start of the season, Chambers would have earmarked the Europa League as an obvious way for him to make his mark on Arsenal's season. However, in truth, he has struggled to establish himself. Injury has limited him to just two appearances, and one of those was an awkward display at right wing-back.
On that evidence, Chambers is not a serious contender for that position. However, he will have benefited from an exerting evening chugging up and down the flank as he seeks to build up his fitness. When afforded the chance to play at centre-back against BATE Borisov, he looked considerably more comfortable.
16. Matt Macey
It was a huge test when Macey was thrown in for Arsenal's home match against Red Star Belgrade. However, although it was not a game to remember, Macey will be proud of his clean sheet.
Macey is Arsenal's third-choice goalkeeper, but at 23, he has arrived at an age where he requires more regular opportunities to play. There is only so much he can learn on the training ground, and with Arsenal unlikely to turn to him in the knockout stage, he would benefit from seeking a loan move in January.
15. Hector Bellerin
Bellerin only played once in the group stage, starting the first game against Cologne. He made his presence felt, too, scoring in a 3-1 victory.
Since then—and since the sale of Bellerin's immediate deputy Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain—Wenger has sought to protect the Spaniard by leaving him out of European competition. He has become such an important component of Arsenal's attacking play in the Premier League that Wenger can simply not afford to risk him in the cups.
14. Francis Coquelin
Arsenal fans are tiring of Coquelin now. When he first broke into the team, his combative style made him a breath of fresh air. Crucially, he was partnered in that period by Santi Cazorla, and the Spaniard's brilliance helped cover for Coquelin's limitations.
Without the former Villarreal man alongside him, Coquelin has struggled. This Europa League campaign has seen him produce some of his worst performances in an Arsenal shirt, pinging the ball out of play with worrying regularity.
13. Alexis Sanchez
Alexis only made one appearance in the group stage—in the opening fixture against Cologne. At the time, the Chilean was still working his way back to fitness. He made a considerable impact, smashing home a fantastic goal from the edge of the box in a 3-1 win.
Alexis may only have played once, but his excellent goal in that solitary appearance means he figures relatively highly on this ranking.
12. Sead Kolasinac
Like Arsenal's other first-choice wing-back Bellerin, Kolasinac exits the groups stage with a record of one appearance and one goal. However, he did not even start the match in which he scored—the former Schalke man was brought on at half-time against Cologne before netting the crucial equaliser.
It took him just four minutes to score, firing a neat finish across the goalkeeper and in to the far corner. The reason he figures above Bellerin in this ranking is that this was an important goal—it got Arsenal back into the game and helped them begin the group stage with a valuable win.
11. Joe Willock
At the end of last season, few Arsenal fans were talking about Joe Willock as a serious first-team prospect. If anything, it was his brother Chris who seemed more likely to make the breakthrough.
However, Chris has since moved to Benfica, and in his absence Joe has made some serious strides towards the top. There is an obvious elegance to his play—he has an intriguing combination of power and technique that makes him an ideal fit in the centre of midfield. For one so young, he has acquitted himself well.
10. Reiss Nelson
One can only wonder what sort of impression Nelson would have made upon this competition if he'd been afforded the chance to play in his preferred position behind the striker.
Instead, he has been serving an apprenticeship as the understudy right wing-back. It's unlikely to be his position in the long-term, but he will have learned a valuable lesson about defensive diligence.
Perhaps the Carabao Cup is the competition where he will get the platform he needs to shine.
9. David Ospina
Given that Cech is firmly established as the No. 1 goalkeeper in the Premier League, Ospina would have been desperate to play as many minutes as possible in the Europa League. However, he ended up missing two games so played just four times in the group stage.
Ospina appears to be heading towards the end of his Arsenal career—his contract expires at the end of the season and there is currently no talk of a renewal. He is likely to retain his place for the knockout stage, but it would take some remarkable performances for him to push his way into the Premier League team.
8. Per Mertesacker
Arsenal's club captain is being used increasingly sparingly in what will be his final season as a player. He has already agreed to take over as the head of Arsenal's academy, but in the meantime he has managed to rack up three group-stage appearances.
When Mertesacker does play, he does not necessarily look like a player close to the end. However, he clearly has a desire to go out while still close to his best.
7. Mathieu Debuchy
Prior to this season, there were probably plenty of Gunners fans who thought Debuchy would never play for Arsenal again. However, with Wenger needing to rotate his squad in order to cope with the demands of Europa League football, the Frenchman has found his way back into contention.
Crucially, he's demonstrated a capacity to play as the right-sided centre-back in a back three. That means he is a genuine option for the first-team, who line up with that system on a weekly basis in the Premier League.
When Arsenal switched to a back four for the final group game against BATE Borisov, Debuchy was restored to a more familiar role as a right-back—and he capped his performance with a brilliant goal.
He's unlikely to remain at Arsenal beyond the summer, but he has at least gone some way towards rehabilitating his tattered reputation.
6. Mohamed Elneny
The Egyptian midfielder has a habit of passing through games unnoticed, and that has largely continued in the Europa League.
Fans of Elneny would argue that's a mark of his consistency—he rarely makes mistakes and thus manages to evade the spotlight. However, his critics would say that he simply does nothing particularly noteworthy.
Elneny is a steady player, but not a special one. There are few lows, but there aren't many highs either—although his curled effort against BATE Borisov would have to go down as an obvious exception.
He has, at least, demonstrated his versatility by filling it at centre-back when required.
5. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
This competition has been fantastic for the development of Maitland-Niles. Arsenal's natural deputy for Kolasinac is probably Monreal, but with the Spaniard already tied up playing at centre-back for the first XI, utility man Maitland-Niles has made that spot his own in the Europa League.
It's not his natural position, but it has provided a platform for him to demonstrate his athleticism and tenacity. What's more, the game-time has been invaluable.
However, Maitland-Niles probably still regards his long-term future as being in the centre of midfield. It may require a loan spell for him to gain experience in that particular role.
4. Olivier Giroud
The signing of Alexandre Lacazette effectively relegated Olivier Giroud to second-choice striker, so he has had to make do with Europa League football this term.
He's gone about his business well enough, scoring three times in the group stage to help Arsenal secure progression. However, his team play has not been at the level one usually expects—perhaps he is suffering a touch of rustiness after being regularly excluded in the Premier League.
3. Rob Holding
The young centre-half has been one of the mainstays of Arsenal's Europa League group-stage campaign, starting all six of their matches in the competition.
It's actually been a beneficial exercise for Holding, whose confidence had begun to suffer in the Premier League. Playing in Europe, he seems to have regained some of the swagger that initially made him such an exciting prospect.
It was intriguing that Wenger chose to switch to a back four and pair him with Chambers in the final group game against BATE Borisov. Perhaps the Gunners boss sees the two Englishmen as a potential future first-team partnership at the Emirates Stadium.
2. Theo Walcott
With Walcott increasingly marginalised in the Premier League, European competition has been essential to his attempts to retain some measure of sharpness.
In truth, his all-round performances have been patchy, but his speed and movement ensures he always provides a goal threat. Walcott has ended the group stage with three goals and as many assists to his name.
However, now that Arsenal are through to the knockout stages, he may find it as hard to get game-time in Europe as he has domestically. With the January transfer window just around the corner, Walcott may be inclined to end his long stay with Arsenal.
1. Jack Wilshere
Wilshere has been fit enough to be involved in every single one of Arsenal's Europa League group-stage games, starting five and coming on as a substitute in the other. The fact he has managed to evade injury is a fantastic boost to a player who has been dogged by so many fitness problems.
He's played quite well, too, frequently being Arsenal's chief playmaker in midfield. His performances away at BATE and Red Star were promising, but he saved his best showing for the final group game at home to BATE. Arsenal ran out 6-0 winners, and Wilshere fired home an excellent goal for his first of the season.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and follows the club from a London base. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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