Alexis Sanchez player of the year: A+
As touched on already, Alexis Sanchez must go down as Arsenal’s player of the year. In fairness, Santi Cazorla runs the former Barcelona man pretty close with some brilliance in a new role in midfield, but there’s no doubt that it’s the £35m man who’s brought that added quality in the big games to potentially make Arsenal a force again. His goal in the FA Cup final is perhaps the goal of the season and certainly one of the best ever seen in a Wembley final.
Hector Bellerin best youngster: A-
For all the talk of Francis Coquelin being a ‘youngster’, it’s worth remembering that he’s actually 24 years old and merely a new kid on the block in terms of his first-team status. Hector Bellerin, meanwhile, looks a real talent for the future at only 20 years of age, making the right-back slot his own after injuries to Debuchy presented him the chance to get more games. Scorer of some fine goals against Aston Villa and Liverpool, the Spaniard has made a strong case for being first choice again next season.
Wojciech Szczesny weak link: C
He may have kept a clean sheet in the cup final, though in fairness he had practically nothing to do throughout the game. It has to be said that fans are right to expect more from Wojciech Szczesny, who has not progressed as was hoped after being number one for the last few years. The gobby Pole seems a little too full of himself and needs to mature to cut out the basic errors in his game. David Ospina has done alright in his place for the second half of the season, but it is Szczesny who probably has the greater potential and needs to start showing it.
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