Arsenal FC: Award Nominations for the Month of November

Remember, remember the month of November.

The month saw Arsenal continue its blistering form despite the fact that it has always been regarded as the club’s bogey month. Arsene Wenger and his men played six games in the month across three football competitions.

November saw the Gunners stay at the summit of its Champions League group while the team maintained its good form in the Premier League.

However, the Wenger boys were ousted from the Carling Cup by the moneybags from Manchester City.

In November Arsenal secure three wins, two draws and one defeat, so feel free to comment on the eight categories placed for the month of November.

Save of the Month

As expected Wojciech Szczesny continued his fledgling Arsenal career between the sticks while Lukasz Fabianski was relegated to the bench before making his only appearance on the last day of the month in the Carling Cup quarterfinal defeat to Manchester City.

Arsenal conceded eight goals in the month of October, but the club’s defending improved in November, as the number of goals conceded was reduced by half to just four.

The goalies also played their part in making the feat possible and the nominations for the save of the month are as follows: Wojciech Szczesny’s save from Loic Remy’s shot when Arsenal hosted Marseille; Szczesny’s save from Moussa Dembele’s shot when Arsenal hosted Fulham; and Szczesny’s save from a Nathan Pickington free kick when Arsenal visited Carrow Road to play Norwich City.

Last month’s winner was Wojciech Szczesny’s save from Lee Cattermole’s header (Sunderland, 16.10.11)

“…..an error by Jenkinson allowed Sessegnon to send a cross to the Szczesny’s far post with Lee Cattermole set for the kill. Sunderland’s captain headed the ball towards goal but Arsenal’s goalie developed the reflexes of a cat to make an unbelievable save.”

Culled from Arsenal 2 Sunderland 1: The Flying Dutchman Spares Arsenal’s Blushes

Assist of the Month

Arsenal’s attacking play was somewhat reduced in November, as only eight assists where provided for goals this month, unlike the month of October when the Gunners dispatched 14 killer assists that cut the defense like hot knife through butter.

The three assists that were noteworthy in November were: Alex Song’s brilliant cross to Robin van Persie after taking on a host of defenders when Arsenal hosted Dortmund; Theo Walcott’s inch-perfect cross to Thomas Vermaelen when Arsenal hosted Fulham; and Song’s defense-splitting pass to van Persie when Arsenal visited Carrow Road to play Norwich.

Last month’s winner was Aaron Ramsey’s pass to Gervinho (Stoke, 23.10.11)

“As Arsenal continued to press and probe Stoke’s defense, the breakthrough arrived when Ramsey cleverly chipped the ball over the defense to Gervinho who timed his run to perfection. The Ivorian brought the ball under control before finishing emphatically with his left foot.”

Culled from Arsenal 3 Stoke 1: Robin van Persie proves his worth to Arsenal in gold

Goal of the Month

Arsenal scored only eight goals in the month of November and it’s noteworthy that three players shared the goals amongst themselves with Robin van Persie having the lion’s share, with five goals to his name; his vice-captain Thomas Vermaelen had two while Mikel Arteta had the last one.

The three goals that caught the eye include Arteta’s placed finish when Arsenal hosted West Brom, van Persie’s impudent chip when Arsenal visited Norwich and Vermaelen’s strong header when Arsenal hosted Fulham.

Last month’s winner was Robin van Persie’s free kick against (Sunderland, 16.10.11)

“When it all seemed as if all hope was lost and Arsenal was heading for another disappointing draw, Benayoun passed the ball to RVP but the striker was impeded by the rugged Wes Brown. Like Seb Larsson in the first half, van Persie took his time and let out a few bursts of air before curling the ball over the wall to Mignolet’s net”

Culled from Arsenal 2 Sunderland 1: The Flying Dutchman Spares Arsenal’s Blushes

Match of the Month

Arsenal played six games in November and managed to win just half of them, so it’s only befitting for me to add the games Arsenal won as the contenders for the match of the month award. The nominated games were Arsenal’s commanding 3-0 victory over West Brom, Arsenal’s impressive 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, and Arsenal’s van Persie-inspired 2-1 away win over Norwich.

Last month’s winner was Chelsea 3, Arsenal 5 (29.10.11)

“HEY CH3L5EA! WHAT’S D MATA? U LOOK TERRYFIED. DID U CECH THE TIME? IT SAYS 3 PAST 5!”

Culled from C-h-3-l-5-e-a (3) A-r-5-3-n-a-l (5): Captain Van-tastic burns the Bridge

Worst match of the Month

I can’t really say that there were real “worst match of the month” contenders this month, but the Gunners disappointed their ever-faithful fans in three notable games. The boring 0-0 draw against Marseille, the disappointing 1-1 draw with Fulham and the 0-1 loss to Manchester City which was caused by a Sergio Aguero sucker punch.

Last month’s winner was Tottenham 2, Arsenal 1

“While the club’s from Manchester have secured six wins and a draw in their first seven games, Arsenal has secured its fourth loss in the same amount of games.

The media Vultures will start flying around Arsenal and I’m pretty sure that more talk of crisis will dominate the headlines. I’m not going to defend Wenger or his club with the “early days” joke because we already in October and Arsenal is 12 points off the pace.”

Culled from Tottenham 2 Arsenal 1: Arsenal gets Walker-ed on derby day

Most Improved Player

In the month of November, the players gave their all in service to Arsene Wenger and the club, but three Gunners stood out as the most improved players for the month of November.

They include an impressive Laurent Koscielny, who deputized well at right-back, a more intelligent Theo Walcott, who laid on a brilliant assist for Thomas Vermaelen, and the exciting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who was a thorn in the flesh for Manchester City.

Last month’s winner was Aaron Ramsey

Most Disappointing Player

There were three Gunners that produced inconsistent performances in the month of November, and they were worth noting.

Andrey Arshavin spent a good chunk of the month in the dugout, but he was very disappointing when he took on the pitch. Gervinho was heavily involved in good buildup play, but he left his shooting boots somewhere in Ivory Coast. Aaron Ramsey showed sparks of good play, but switched to provide frustrating moments in games.

Last month’s winner was Johan Djourou

Player of the Month

Three Gunners where truly exceptional in the month of November and it’s my pleasure to announce the prestigious nominees for the month of November.

Arsenal’s vice-captain Thomas Vermaelen that has returned to full fitness to produce stellar performances as well as scoring some nice goals, the red-hot Robin van Persie that has refused to stop scoring and the resurgent Alex Song that has clearly become a fan favorite with that Messi-esque run against Dortmund.

Last month’s winner was Robin van Persie

November has been a good month for the Gunners and the squad managed to go through the month without injuries to key players as the case has been in previous years. I sincerely hope that the Gunners will continue their good form into December.

Sayonara