2011–12 Arsenal F.C. season
Encyclopedia
The 2011–12 season
is Arsenal Football Club
's 20th season in the Premier League, and also marks the club's 125th anniversary. Arsenal will seek to win their first trophy for six seasons, competing in the Premier League
, the FA Cup
, the League Cup
and the UEFA Champions League
.
, whose return to boyhood club FC Barcelona
was widely expected, although not officially confirmed until the middle of August when an initial fee in the region of £30 million was agreed between the two clubs. Prior to this, the Gunners' first signing came in the form of young English-Finnish right-back Carl Jenkinson
from Charlton Athletic
on 8 June for an initial fee of around £1 million, whilst the first major signing did not come until 11 July with the signing of Gervinho
from French champions Lillie
for more than £10 million pounds. The only notable exits in July came in goalkeeper Jens Lehmann
, who retired for the second time, having come out of his first retirement in March to solve an injury crisis that left Arsenal with just one match-fit goalkeeper, whilst Gaël Clichy
joined Manchester City
. It was August before the club's transfer activity increased, with promising young striker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
joining from Southampton
for a reported £12 million, before the departures of Fabregas to Barcelona, the long-serving Emmanuel Eboué
to Turkish side Galatasaray
, and Samir Nasri
to Manchester City for a fee of £25 million. Left-back Armand Traore
's departure to newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers on the penultimate day of the transfer window
completed the departures from the first team, before Arsène Wenger
, under increasing criticism for the lack of arrivals so far, went on something of a spending spree in the final 48 hours of the window. South Korea captain Park Chu-Young
joined from Monaco
, before left-back André Santos, centre back Per Mertesacker
and midfielder Mikel Arteta
all joined in the dying hours of the window, from Fenerbahçe, Werder Bremen and Everton
respectively. Yossi Benayoun
also joined the club on a season long loan from Chelsea
, whilst striker Nicklas Bendtner
was loaned to Sunderland for the same period, following fellow first-team members Denílson
and Carlos Vela
, who had joined São Paulo and Real Sociedad
on loan earlier in the window. At the close of the window, Arsenal had spent an estimated £51.2 million, compared to an income of nearly £75 million.
Away from the transfer window, Robin van Persie
was chosen to replace the departing Fàbregas as club captain, having stood in on several previous occasions when Fàbregas was not playing. Pre-season saw Arsenal hold their first ever Asian tour, commencing against a Malaysian League XI in Kuala Lumpur
where goals from Aaron Ramsey
, Theo Walcott
, Carlos Vela
and Tomáš Rosický
earned the Gunners a 4-0 win. Chinese side Hangzhou Greentown proved a tougher test in Arsenal's next match, where after falling behind in the 16th minute, Vela scored to achieve a 1-1 draw. Arsenal travelled next to Germany to face 1. FC Köln
where new signing Gervinho
scored twice in eight minutes on his debut to put the side two goals ahead, before fellow newcomer Carl Jenkinson
put the ball through Arsenal's own net, to result in a 2-1 victory for the Gunners. Arsenal's only home pre-season matches came in the annual Emirates Cup
tournament, where Boca Juniors
, New York Red Bulls and Paris Saint-Germain were welcomed to London. Arsenal's matches both ended in draws, first surrendering a Robin van Persie
and Aaron Ramsey created two-goal lead against Boca Juniors, before conceding an 84th minutes own goal from Kyle Bartley
against New York Red Bulls the next day, cancelling out a van Persie opener. Arsenal's run of pre-season fixtures concluded with a loss to Portuguese team Benfica in the Eusebio Cup
, once again surrendering a one goal advantage courtesy of Robin van Persie to end up losing 2-1 in Lisbon.
, where, despite surrendering a four goal lead last season, they played out a 0-0 draw this time around. The match was perhaps more notable for disciplinary issues, with Gervinho
receiving a straight red-card on his competitive debut, whilst Alex Song
received a retrospective charge of violent conduct for stamping on Joey Barton
. The Gunners faced a two-legged tie against Italian side Udinese
to secure qualification to the season's UEFA Champions League competition, with Theo Walcott
's 4th minute goal separating the teams in the first leg at the Emirates, before goals from Walcott and Robin van Persie
, as well as a penalty save from Wojciech Szczęsny
, saw the Gunners secure victory in the away leg in Udine
, and secure their place in the group stage of the competition.
The two legs were sandwiched between an early Premier League title contender clash at the Emirates
against Liverpool
, where an own goal from Aaron Ramsey
and a last minute strike from new Liverpool signing Luis Suárez
saw the team fall to defeat, and fuel the widely held belief that Arsenal would once again fail to prove serious challengers for the league title. Any attempt to dispel such a notion was dealt a huge blow the following week, when Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford
to suffer their heaviest ever defeat in the Premier League. A hat-trick from Wayne Rooney
, two goals from Ashley Young, and goals from Danny Welbeck
, Nani and Ji-Sung Park saw the club slump to an 8-2 hammering at the hands of Manchester United
, with Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott's goals proving no consolation as Arsenal ended the month hovering just one place above the relegation zone, having failed to win any of their opening league matches.
. A win looked to be on the cards thanks to Robin van Persie’s first half goal, but Dortmund’s Ivan Perišić
equalised with just two minutes left to play leaving Arsenal to be satisfied with just a single point. Any hope of progress in the Premier League was dashed when the Gunners gave away a 2-1 half-time lead away to Blackurn Rovers
, with own goals from both Alex Song
and Laurent Koscielny
gifting Blackburn a 4-3 victory.
Arsenal’s opening match in the Carling Cup looked to be a straight-forward home tie against League Two
outfit Shrewsbury Town
, but it was the opposition that opened the scoring, before Kieran Gibbs
, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
and Yossi Benayoun
eventually secured progress to the fourth round. This seemed to spark some life into the team, and they ran out 3-0 winners the following week against Bolton Wanderers
in the league thanks to a brace from Robin van Persie and a late goal from Alex Song, before securing their first group stage win in Europe at home to Greek champions Olympiacos with goals from Oxlade-Chamberlain and André Santos.
at the start of October. Rafael van der Vaart
’s opening goal at White Hart Lane
was cancelled out by Aaron Ramsey
, before Kyle Walker
secured the bragging rights for Tottenham
. Following an international break, the Gunners’ home match against Sunderland looked set to be heading for a 1-1 draw until Robin van Persie
scored in the last ten minutes to secure all three points, whilst a late goal also earned an away European victory against Marseille
, with Aaron Ramsey
providing the required fire-power.
Arsenal’s season continued to improve with a 3-1 league victory against Stoke City
thanks to two goals from van Persie and a strike from Gervinho
, before Andrei Arshavin and Park Chu-Young
saw the team past Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round of the Carling Cup. The turnaround was complete when Arsenal beat title-rivals Chelsea
5-3 at Stamford Bridge
thanks to goals from André Santos and Theo Walcott
, as well as a hat-trick from Robin van Persie
, a performance that helped the Dutchman to the Premier League player of the month award, and saw the Gunners finish October 7th in the table.
thanks to goals from Robin van Persie
, Mikel Arteta
and Thomas Vermaelen, whose return from injury provided further good news for the team. After another international break, Arsenal continued where they left off with a 2-1 win over Norwich City
thanks to two more goals from Robin van Persie, making him just the third player since the Premier League’s inception after Alan Shearer
and former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry
to score 30 goals in a calendar year.
With their Premier League campaign seemingly re-energised, Arsenal’s attention turned once more to the Champions League, with Dortmund
being the latest visitors to the Emirates. Arsenal knew a win would be sufficient to secure progression to the knockout phase, but it was Dortmund who made the brighter start until injuries forced two of their key players – Sven Bender
and Mario Götze
, to be substituted before half time. This allowed Arsenal to capitalise, with man of the moment Robin van Persie
netting two goals in the second half thanks to assists first from Alex Song
and then Thomas Vermaelen, before Shinji Kagawa
netted the Germans a consolation goal in injury time. The 2-1 victory was not only enough to secure the Gunners’ progression, but also top spot in group F thanks to Olympiacos’s victory over 2nd placed Marseille
in the night’s other match.
This Champions League success came at a price, however, with the team appearing off form in their next Premier League game against Fulham
, who took the lead in the match thanks to a Thomas Vermaelen own goal. It was only when the Belgian defender was able to convert into the right net in the 82nd minute that the Gunners were able to draw level, and end the match with a 1-1 draw. The impact of the result was only alleviated by results elsewhere, with four of the six teams above Arsenal in the table – Liverpool
, Manchester City
, Manchester United
and Newcastle United
all playing out draws in the same weekend.
November ended on somewhat of a negative note, with the team exiting the Carling Cup with a 5th round loss to Manchester City, although the Gunners were by no means overwhelmed by the Premier League leaders. Instead, the young and relatively inexperienced side that included the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong
, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
and Park Chu-Young
, as well as reserve team players Ignasi Miquel
and Francis Coquelin
, held their own for much of the match, with just a single goal by Sergio Agüero
in the 83rd minute being able to separate the two sides.
Total spending: £
51,150,000
Total income: £
74,900,000
|
|
|
[R] - Reserve team player
[L] - Out on loan
[S] - Sold
for the season.
Source: Arsenal F.C.
Source: Arsenal F.C.
Note: Premier League fixtures not listed due to copyright
Group F
Last updated: 23 November 2011
Source: Arsenal F.C.
Source: Arsenal F.C.
Source: Arsenal F.C.
2011–12 in English football
The 2011–12 season is the 132nd season of competitive football in England.The season began on 5 August 2011 for the Football Leagues, with the Premier starting eight days later, League Football Conference Starting one day before Premier League starts.The Championship, League One, and League Two...
is Arsenal Football Club
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
's 20th season in the Premier League, and also marks the club's 125th anniversary. Arsenal will seek to win their first trophy for six seasons, competing in the Premier League
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
, the FA Cup
2011–12 FA Cup
The 2011–12 FA Cup will be the 131st season of the world's oldest association football knock-out competition. The closing date for applications was 1 April 2011, and saw 825 clubs apply to enter...
, the League Cup
2011–12 Football League Cup
The 2011–12 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, is the 52nd season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs...
and the UEFA Champions League
2011–12 UEFA Champions League
The 2011–12 UEFA Champions League is the 57th season of the European Cup, Europe's premier football tournament, and the 20th season in its current Champions League format. The final venue will be the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany...
.
Pre-season
Arsenal's pre-season transfer activity was once again dominated by media speculation regarding the future of club captain Cesc FàbregasCesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
, whose return to boyhood club FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
was widely expected, although not officially confirmed until the middle of August when an initial fee in the region of £30 million was agreed between the two clubs. Prior to this, the Gunners' first signing came in the form of young English-Finnish right-back Carl Jenkinson
Carl Jenkinson
Carl Daniel Jenkinson is a footballer with dual English and Finnish nationality who plays for Arsenal as a defender. He has a British father and a Finnish mother, and has represented both England and Finland at youth international level....
from Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on 8 June for an initial fee of around £1 million, whilst the first major signing did not come until 11 July with the signing of Gervinho
Gervinho
Gervais Yao Kouassi , more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forwardor as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.-Youth career:...
from French champions Lillie
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
for more than £10 million pounds. The only notable exits in July came in goalkeeper Jens Lehmann
Jens Lehmann
Jens Gerhard Lehmann is a German former football goalkeeper. He was voted UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year for the 1996–97 and 2005–06 seasons, and he has been selected for three World Cup squads. He was a member of Arsenal's Invincibles, playing every match of their famous unbeaten title winning...
, who retired for the second time, having come out of his first retirement in March to solve an injury crisis that left Arsenal with just one match-fit goalkeeper, whilst Gaël Clichy
Gaël Clichy
Gaël Clichy is a French footballer who plays as a defender for Manchester City and the France national football team. Though initially right-foot dominant, he primarily plays as a left back that is also capable of playing as an offensive-minded wingback. Clichy is described as a player who...
joined Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
. It was August before the club's transfer activity increased, with promising young striker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alexander Mark David "Alex" Oxlade-Chamberlain is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal as a winger. After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010-11 season, he signed for Arsenal in August 2011...
joining from Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
for a reported £12 million, before the departures of Fabregas to Barcelona, the long-serving Emmanuel Eboué
Emmanuel Eboué
Emmanuel Eboué is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and Ivory Coast. His natural position is at right back, but he is also used in various other positions. Eboué also holds a Belgian passport.-Early career:...
to Turkish side Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
, and Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri
Samir Nasri is a French international footballer who plays for English club Manchester City in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri is known for his technical...
to Manchester City for a fee of £25 million. Left-back Armand Traore
Armand Traoré
Armand Mohamed Traoré is a French-born Senegalese footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers as a left back. Traoré is a product of the famous Arsenal Academy, he has also represented France at under-19 and under-21 levels, but has since opted to represent his parents' native country, Senegal,...
's departure to newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers on the penultimate day of the transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
completed the departures from the first team, before Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
, under increasing criticism for the lack of arrivals so far, went on something of a spending spree in the final 48 hours of the window. South Korea captain Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young is a South Korean footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and is the current captain for the South Korea national team.-Youth career:...
joined from Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
, before left-back André Santos, centre back Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker
Per Mertesacker is a German footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal and Germany. Mertesacker is a youth product of Hannover 96 and he made his senior league debut in November 2003. Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good...
and midfielder Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder.Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona but could not break his way into the first team and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league...
all joined in the dying hours of the window, from Fenerbahçe, Werder Bremen and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
respectively. Yossi Benayoun
Yossi Benayoun
Yosef Shai "Yossi" Benayoun is an Israeli international footballer who plays for Arsenal on loan from Chelsea.Benayoun plays as an attacking midfielder, often occupying the space just behind the striker. In Israel, he is sometimes nicknamed "The Diamond from Dimona". He is also the captain of the...
also joined the club on a season long loan from Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, whilst striker Nicklas Bendtner
Nicklas Bendtner
Nicklas Bendtner , is a Danish international footballer who plays for Sunderland on loan from Arsenal as a striker...
was loaned to Sunderland for the same period, following fellow first-team members Denílson
Denílson Pereira Neves
Denílson Pereira Neves is a Brazilian footballer who plays for São Paulo as a midfielder, on loan from Arsenal. He is the former captain of the Brazil national under-17 team.-Early life:...
and Carlos Vela
Carlos Vela
Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido is a Mexican association football player, currently playing as a striker for La Liga club Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal. He also plays for the Mexico national football team. He started his career at Mexican club C.D...
, who had joined São Paulo and Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
on loan earlier in the window. At the close of the window, Arsenal had spent an estimated £51.2 million, compared to an income of nearly £75 million.
Away from the transfer window, Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
was chosen to replace the departing Fàbregas as club captain, having stood in on several previous occasions when Fàbregas was not playing. Pre-season saw Arsenal hold their first ever Asian tour, commencing against a Malaysian League XI in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
where goals from Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
, Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott
Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
, Carlos Vela
Carlos Vela
Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido is a Mexican association football player, currently playing as a striker for La Liga club Real Sociedad on loan from Arsenal. He also plays for the Mexico national football team. He started his career at Mexican club C.D...
and Tomáš Rosický
Tomáš Rosický
Tomáš Rosický is a Czech footballer who plays for Arsenal and captains the Czech national team. He has a brother named Jiří who is also a footballer...
earned the Gunners a 4-0 win. Chinese side Hangzhou Greentown proved a tougher test in Arsenal's next match, where after falling behind in the 16th minute, Vela scored to achieve a 1-1 draw. Arsenal travelled next to Germany to face 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
where new signing Gervinho
Gervinho
Gervais Yao Kouassi , more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forwardor as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.-Youth career:...
scored twice in eight minutes on his debut to put the side two goals ahead, before fellow newcomer Carl Jenkinson
Carl Jenkinson
Carl Daniel Jenkinson is a footballer with dual English and Finnish nationality who plays for Arsenal as a defender. He has a British father and a Finnish mother, and has represented both England and Finland at youth international level....
put the ball through Arsenal's own net, to result in a 2-1 victory for the Gunners. Arsenal's only home pre-season matches came in the annual Emirates Cup
Emirates Cup
The Emirates Cup is an annual two-day pre-season football tournament hosted by English Premier League club Arsenal and held at the Emirates Stadium, the club's home ground...
tournament, where Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
, New York Red Bulls and Paris Saint-Germain were welcomed to London. Arsenal's matches both ended in draws, first surrendering a Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
and Aaron Ramsey created two-goal lead against Boca Juniors, before conceding an 84th minutes own goal from Kyle Bartley
Kyle Bartley
Kyle Louis Bartley is an English professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premier League side Rangers on loan from Arsenal, as a central defender....
against New York Red Bulls the next day, cancelling out a van Persie opener. Arsenal's run of pre-season fixtures concluded with a loss to Portuguese team Benfica in the Eusebio Cup
Eusébio Cup
The Eusébio Cup is an annual football tournament held at Sport Lisboa e Benfica's Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal. Benfica host the tournament in early-mid August, one or two weeks before the regular season kicks off. It is usually Benfica's and the participating team's last pre-season match...
, once again surrendering a one goal advantage courtesy of Robin van Persie to end up losing 2-1 in Lisbon.
August
Arsenal's fixtures in the Premier League started at Newcastle UnitedNewcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, where, despite surrendering a four goal lead last season, they played out a 0-0 draw this time around. The match was perhaps more notable for disciplinary issues, with Gervinho
Gervinho
Gervais Yao Kouassi , more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forwardor as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.-Youth career:...
receiving a straight red-card on his competitive debut, whilst Alex Song
Alexandre Song
Alexandre "Alex" Dimitri Song Billong , more commonly known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Premier League side Arsenal and the Cameroon national team as a midfielder. He is the cousin of The Panthers central defender Rigobert Song...
received a retrospective charge of violent conduct for stamping on Joey Barton
Joey Barton
Joseph Anthony "Joey" Barton is an English footballer who plays for and captains Premier League side Queens Park Rangers as either a central midfielder or a winger....
. The Gunners faced a two-legged tie against Italian side Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
to secure qualification to the season's UEFA Champions League competition, with Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott
Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
's 4th minute goal separating the teams in the first leg at the Emirates, before goals from Walcott and Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
, as well as a penalty save from Wojciech Szczęsny
Wojciech Szczęsny
Wojciech Tomasz Szczęsny is a Polish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal and the Poland national football team. He is the son of former Polish goalkeeper Maciej Szczęsny....
, saw the Gunners secure victory in the away leg in Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
, and secure their place in the group stage of the competition.
The two legs were sandwiched between an early Premier League title contender clash at the Emirates
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, where an own goal from Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
and a last minute strike from new Liverpool signing Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez may refer to:* Luis Suárez , football player who currently plays for Liverpool F.C.* Luis Suárez Fernández , Spanish historian...
saw the team fall to defeat, and fuel the widely held belief that Arsenal would once again fail to prove serious challengers for the league title. Any attempt to dispel such a notion was dealt a huge blow the following week, when Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
to suffer their heaviest ever defeat in the Premier League. A hat-trick from Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
, two goals from Ashley Young, and goals from Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck
Daniel Nii Tackie Mensah "Danny" Welbeck is an English footballer who plays for Manchester United and the England national football team. He is a centre forward who can also play on the wing....
, Nani and Ji-Sung Park saw the club slump to an 8-2 hammering at the hands of Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, with Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott's goals proving no consolation as Arsenal ended the month hovering just one place above the relegation zone, having failed to win any of their opening league matches.
September
Arsenal eventually secured their first league win of the season at home to newly-promoted Swansea City at the start of September, when Andrei Arshavin’s goal proved enough to separate the sides, before the team faced the first of their six Champions League group stage fixtures away to German champions Borussia DortmundBorussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
. A win looked to be on the cards thanks to Robin van Persie’s first half goal, but Dortmund’s Ivan Perišić
Ivan Perišic
Ivan Perišić is a Croatian football player who plays as a midfielder for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.-Career:...
equalised with just two minutes left to play leaving Arsenal to be satisfied with just a single point. Any hope of progress in the Premier League was dashed when the Gunners gave away a 2-1 half-time lead away to Blackurn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, with own goals from both Alex Song
Alexandre Song
Alexandre "Alex" Dimitri Song Billong , more commonly known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Premier League side Arsenal and the Cameroon national team as a midfielder. He is the cousin of The Panthers central defender Rigobert Song...
and Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny
Laurent Koscielny is a French footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal. He primarily plays as a centre back but he can also play as an right back, a position where he started his career. Koscielny is a youth product of Guingamp. He is described as an aggressive, uncompromising and...
gifting Blackburn a 4-3 victory.
Arsenal’s opening match in the Carling Cup looked to be a straight-forward home tie against League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
outfit Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
, but it was the opposition that opened the scoring, before Kieran Gibbs
Kieran Gibbs
Kieran James Ricardo Gibbs is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal and was a product of their academy who came to prominence during 2006-07 FA Youth Cup by scoring in the semi-final prior to his first-team breakthrough...
, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alexander Mark David "Alex" Oxlade-Chamberlain is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal as a winger. After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010-11 season, he signed for Arsenal in August 2011...
and Yossi Benayoun
Yossi Benayoun
Yosef Shai "Yossi" Benayoun is an Israeli international footballer who plays for Arsenal on loan from Chelsea.Benayoun plays as an attacking midfielder, often occupying the space just behind the striker. In Israel, he is sometimes nicknamed "The Diamond from Dimona". He is also the captain of the...
eventually secured progress to the fourth round. This seemed to spark some life into the team, and they ran out 3-0 winners the following week against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
in the league thanks to a brace from Robin van Persie and a late goal from Alex Song, before securing their first group stage win in Europe at home to Greek champions Olympiacos with goals from Oxlade-Chamberlain and André Santos.
October
Any suggestion that the end of September had been the start of an Arsenal turnaround was proved wrong in the North London derbyNorth London derby
The North London derby is the name of the football local derby between the two major teams in North London – Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.-History:...
at the start of October. Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart is a Dutch footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Dutch national team. His preferred position is as an attacking midfielder; he can, however, also operate in other positions, such as second striker...
’s opening goal at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
was cancelled out by Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
, before Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker
Kyle Andrew Walker is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Tottenham Hotspur and England.-Early life:Walker was born in Sheffield and grew up in the Sharrow district of the city...
secured the bragging rights for Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. Following an international break, the Gunners’ home match against Sunderland looked set to be heading for a 1-1 draw until Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
scored in the last ten minutes to secure all three points, whilst a late goal also earned an away European victory against Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
, with Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey
Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team...
providing the required fire-power.
Arsenal’s season continued to improve with a 3-1 league victory against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
thanks to two goals from van Persie and a strike from Gervinho
Gervinho
Gervais Yao Kouassi , more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forwardor as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.-Youth career:...
, before Andrei Arshavin and Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young is a South Korean footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and is the current captain for the South Korea national team.-Youth career:...
saw the team past Bolton Wanderers in the fourth round of the Carling Cup. The turnaround was complete when Arsenal beat title-rivals Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
5-3 at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
thanks to goals from André Santos and Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott
Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed...
, as well as a hat-trick from Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
, a performance that helped the Dutchman to the Premier League player of the month award, and saw the Gunners finish October 7th in the table.
November
November opened with Marseille visiting the Emirates for the return leg of the Champions League fixture, a game that ended in a 0-0 draw. In the Premier League, Arsenal’s good form continued with a 3-0 victory over West BromWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
thanks to goals from Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
, Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder.Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona but could not break his way into the first team and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league...
and Thomas Vermaelen, whose return from injury provided further good news for the team. After another international break, Arsenal continued where they left off with a 2-1 win over Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
thanks to two more goals from Robin van Persie, making him just the third player since the Premier League’s inception after Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
and former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
to score 30 goals in a calendar year.
With their Premier League campaign seemingly re-energised, Arsenal’s attention turned once more to the Champions League, with Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
being the latest visitors to the Emirates. Arsenal knew a win would be sufficient to secure progression to the knockout phase, but it was Dortmund who made the brighter start until injuries forced two of their key players – Sven Bender
Sven Bender
Sven Bender is a German footballer who plays for the German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. He is the twin brother of Lars Bender, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen....
and Mario Götze
Mario Götze
Mario Götze is a German footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a right winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Götze is considered to be an up-and-coming, potential...
, to be substituted before half time. This allowed Arsenal to capitalise, with man of the moment Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
netting two goals in the second half thanks to assists first from Alex Song
Alexandre Song
Alexandre "Alex" Dimitri Song Billong , more commonly known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Premier League side Arsenal and the Cameroon national team as a midfielder. He is the cousin of The Panthers central defender Rigobert Song...
and then Thomas Vermaelen, before Shinji Kagawa
Shinji Kagawa
is a Japanese footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. He previously played for Cerezo Osaka. He has been capped by Japan at international level.-Club career:...
netted the Germans a consolation goal in injury time. The 2-1 victory was not only enough to secure the Gunners’ progression, but also top spot in group F thanks to Olympiacos’s victory over 2nd placed Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
in the night’s other match.
This Champions League success came at a price, however, with the team appearing off form in their next Premier League game against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, who took the lead in the match thanks to a Thomas Vermaelen own goal. It was only when the Belgian defender was able to convert into the right net in the 82nd minute that the Gunners were able to draw level, and end the match with a 1-1 draw. The impact of the result was only alleviated by results elsewhere, with four of the six teams above Arsenal in the table – Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
all playing out draws in the same weekend.
November ended on somewhat of a negative note, with the team exiting the Carling Cup with a 5th round loss to Manchester City, although the Gunners were by no means overwhelmed by the Premier League leaders. Instead, the young and relatively inexperienced side that included the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong
Emmanuel Frimpong
Emmanuel Yaw Frimpong is a Ghanaian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Arsenal. Although Frimpong has represented England at youth level, he has pledged his international future to his country of birth Ghana...
, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alexander Mark David "Alex" Oxlade-Chamberlain is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal as a winger. After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010-11 season, he signed for Arsenal in August 2011...
and Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young
Park Chu-Young is a South Korean footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and is the current captain for the South Korea national team.-Youth career:...
, as well as reserve team players Ignasi Miquel
Ignasi Miquel
Ignasi Miquel i Pons is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal. He joined the club just after his 16th birthday.-Arsenal:...
and Francis Coquelin
Francis Coquelin
Francis Coquelin is a French football player who currently plays for English club Arsenal. He plays as a defensive midfielder, but can also be utilized at right midfield or at right back...
, held their own for much of the match, with just a single goal by Sergio Agüero
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero del Castillo is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City in England's Premier League and the Argentine national team....
in the 83rd minute being able to separate the two sides.
Key events
- 9 June 2011: Young FinnishFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
-EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
right backDefender (association football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Carl JenkinsonCarl JenkinsonCarl Daniel Jenkinson is a footballer with dual English and Finnish nationality who plays for Arsenal as a defender. He has a British father and a Finnish mother, and has represented both England and Finland at youth international level....
moves to Arsenal from for an agreed fee of £1.0m. - 17 June 2011: Thomas CruiseThomas Cruise (footballer)Thomas Daniel Cruise is an English footballer, currently a free agent following his release by Arsenal. He is a product of Arsenal Academy who came to prominence during 2008–09 FA Youth Cup. He can play as a central defender, left back or left midfielder.-Club career:Cruise joined in and made his...
, Roarie Deacon and Mark RandallMark Randall (footballer)Mark Leonard Randall is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Chesterfield FC after being released by Arsenal at the end of the 2010-11 season...
reach the end of their contracts with Arsenal to become free agents. - 4 July 2011: FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
left backDefender (association football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Gaël ClichyGaël ClichyGaël Clichy is a French footballer who plays as a defender for Manchester City and the France national football team. Though initially right-foot dominant, he primarily plays as a left back that is also capable of playing as an offensive-minded wingback. Clichy is described as a player who...
joins Manchester CityManchester City F.C.Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
for a fee of £7m. - 11 July 2011: IvorianCôte d'IvoireThe Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
winger GervinhoGervinhoGervais Yao Kouassi , more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forwardor as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.-Youth career:...
joins Arsenal from LilleLille OSCLOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
for a fee around £10.5m. - 26 July 2011: EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
striker Jay Emmanuel-ThomasJay Emmanuel-ThomasJay Aston Emmanuel-Thomas is an English professional footballer who plays for Ipswich Town. A product of the Arsenal Academy, he is a versatile forward and can play as a winger or centre-forward...
signed for Championship club Ipswich TownIpswich Town F.C.Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
for a fee of £1.1m that could rise in the future. - 8 August 2011: Teenage EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
winger Alex Oxlade-ChamberlainAlex Oxlade-ChamberlainAlexander Mark David "Alex" Oxlade-Chamberlain is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal as a winger. After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010-11 season, he signed for Arsenal in August 2011...
signs from SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
for an undisclosed fee, thought to be around £12.0m. - 9 August 2011: JapaneseJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
winger Ryo MiyaichiRyo Miyaichiis a Japanese footballer who plays as an attacker for Arsenal.-Early life:He comes from a sporting family, with father Tatsuya being a former baseball player who played for and later managed the Toyota Motors baseball club, and brother Tsuyoshi also being a football player. Miyaichi started playing...
is granted a work permit which allows him to play for ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. - 15 August 2011: SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
central midfielder Cesc FàbregasCesc FàbregasFrancesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
joins BarcelonaFC BarcelonaFutbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
for a fee of £35.0m. with a possible futher £5.0m of add ons. - 16 August 2011: IvorianCôte d'IvoireThe Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
right backDefender (association football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Emmanuel EbouéEmmanuel EbouéEmmanuel Eboué is an Ivorian footballer who plays for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and Ivory Coast. His natural position is at right back, but he is also used in various other positions. Eboué also holds a Belgian passport.-Early career:...
joins GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
on a five-year deal for a fee of £4.0m. - 19 August 2011: Costa RicanCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
striker Joel CampbellJoel CampbellJoel Nathaniel Campbell Samuels is a Costa Rican footballer who plays for FC Lorient on loan from Premier League club Arsenal and plays as a striker.-C.D. Saprissa:Campbell began his career with C.D...
from Saprissa agreed terms with ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
; the fee is undisclosed, thought to be around £1.0m. - 24 August 2011: FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
attacking midfielder Samir NasriSamir NasriSamir Nasri is a French international footballer who plays for English club Manchester City in the Premier League and the France national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger, although he has also been deployed in central midfield. Nasri is known for his technical...
joins Manchester CityManchester City F.C.Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
on a four-year deal for around a deal of £25m. - 30 August 2011: SenegaleseSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
left backDefender (association football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Armand TraoréArmand TraoréArmand Mohamed Traoré is a French-born Senegalese footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers as a left back. Traoré is a product of the famous Arsenal Academy, he has also represented France at under-19 and under-21 levels, but has since opted to represent his parents' native country, Senegal,...
joins Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
for £1.5m, whilst South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n striker Park Chu-YoungPark Chu-YoungPark Chu-Young is a South Korean footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and is the current captain for the South Korea national team.-Youth career:...
joins Arsenal from MonacoAS Monaco FCAssociation Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
for an £1.8m. - 31 August 2011: On the final day of the transfer window, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian left backDefender (association football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
André Santos, GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
centre backDefender (association football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Per MertesackerPer MertesackerPer Mertesacker is a German footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal and Germany. Mertesacker is a youth product of Hannover 96 and he made his senior league debut in November 2003. Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good...
, IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i attacking midfielder Yossi BenayounYossi BenayounYosef Shai "Yossi" Benayoun is an Israeli international footballer who plays for Arsenal on loan from Chelsea.Benayoun plays as an attacking midfielder, often occupying the space just behind the striker. In Israel, he is sometimes nicknamed "The Diamond from Dimona". He is also the captain of the...
and SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
central midfielder Mikel ArtetaMikel ArtetaMikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder.Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona but could not break his way into the first team and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league...
all join the club, whilst FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
striker Gilles SunuGilles SunuGilles Sunu is a French professional footballer who plays in France for Lorient as a striker. Sunu is a French youth international and currently plays on the under-21 team.-Career:...
leaves to join LorientFC LorientFootball Club Lorient-Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient. The club was founded in 1926 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Lorient plays its home matches at the Stade du Moustoir located within the city. The team is managed by Christian...
. - 18 October 2011: BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
centre backDefender (association football)Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Thomas Vermaelen signs a new long-term contract
Squad information
Reserve squad
In
| # | Position | Player | Transferred from | Fee | Date | Team | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 |  England Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
£1,000,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
||||
 Spain BarcelonaFC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
£350,000 | Academy Arsenal F.C. Academy Arsenal Football Club Academy are the youth team of Arsenal Football Club. They currently play in the FA Premier Academy League, the highest level of youth football in England... |
|||||
| Spain Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
£400,000 | Academy Arsenal F.C. Academy Arsenal Football Club Academy are the youth team of Arsenal Football Club. They currently play in the FA Premier Academy League, the highest level of youth football in England... |
|||||
| 27 |  France LilleLille OSC LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the... |
£10,500,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
||||
| 15 | England Southampton Southampton F.C. Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club... |
£12,000,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
||||
 Deportivo Saprissa |
£900,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
|||||
| 9 | France Monaco AS Monaco FC Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille... |
£1,800,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
||||
| 11 |  Turkey Fenerbahçe |
£6,200,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
||||
| 4 |  Germany Werder BremenSV Werder Bremen SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize... |
£8,000,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
||||
| 8 | England Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
£10,000,000 | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
Total spending: £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
51,150,000
Out
| # | Position | Player | Transferred to | Fee | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Retired | Free transfer | ||||
| 38 | Unattached | Free transfer | ||||
| 54 | England Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
Free transfer | ||||
| 39 | England Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... |
Free transfer | ||||
| 22 | England Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
£7,000,000 | ||||
| 41 | England Ipswich Town Ipswich Town F.C. Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02.... |
£1,100,000 | ||||
| England West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands... |
Free transfer | |||||
| 4 | Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
£35,000,000 | ||||
| 27 | Galatasaray Galatasaray S.K. (football team) Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups.... |
£4,000,000 | ||||
| 8 | England Manchester City Manchester City F.C. Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894... |
£25,000,000 | ||||
| 30 | England Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers F.C. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years... |
£1,500,000 | ||||
| 54 | Lorient FC Lorient Football Club Lorient-Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient. The club was founded in 1926 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Lorient plays its home matches at the Stade du Moustoir located within the city. The team is managed by Christian... |
£1,300,000 |
Total income: £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
74,900,000
Loan In
| Squad # | Position | Player | Loaned from | Fee | Date | Team | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | England Chelsea Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four... |
Loan | First-team Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
Loan Out
| Squad # | Position | Player | Loaned to | Fee | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levante Levante UD Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:... |
Loan | |||||
| 15 |  São Paulo |
Loan | ||||
| 55 | England Dagenham and Redbridge |
Loan | ||||
| Gimnàstic de Tarragona Gimnàstic de Tarragona Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, usually referred to as Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team currently plays in Segunda División.... |
Loan | |||||
 RangersRangers F.C. Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses... |
Loan | |||||
| 11 | Real Sociedad Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909... |
Loan | ||||
| Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D., often abbreviated to Rayo, is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas... |
Loan | |||||
| 46 | England West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
Loan | ||||
| France Lorient FC Lorient Football Club Lorient-Bretagne Sud is a French association football club based in Lorient. The club was founded in 1926 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Lorient plays its home matches at the Stade du Moustoir located within the city. The team is managed by Christian... |
Loan | |||||
| 52 | England Sunderland Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League... |
Loan | ||||
| 1 | England West Ham United West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current... |
Loan | ||||
| England Stevenage |
Loan |
Coaching staff
Kit
Arsenal's kits for the season will carry a bespoke crest to mark the club's 125th anniversary.|
|
|
Other information
Appearances and goals
|}[R] - Reserve team player
Arsenal F.C. Reserves
Arsenal Reserves are the reserve team of Arsenal Football Club.They have been members of the FA Premier Reserve League Southern Division since its foundation in 1999. They play their home games at Underhill Stadium, which is also the home of Barnet FC. The team mainly consists of Under-21 players...
[L] - Out on loan
[S] - Sold
Top scorers
| Place | Position | Nationality | Number | Name | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Champions League | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FW |  |
10 | Robin van Persie Robin van Persie Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011... |
13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 17 |
| 2 | FW | |
14 | Theo Walcott Theo Walcott Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| =3 | MF |  |
23 | Andrei Arshavin | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| =3 | MF | |
8 | Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder.Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona but could not break his way into the first team and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| =3 | FW |  |
27 | Gervinho Gervinho Gervais Yao Kouassi , more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forwardor as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.-Youth career:... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| =3 | FW | |
15 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Alexander Mark David "Alex" Oxlade-Chamberlain is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal as a winger. After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010-11 season, he signed for Arsenal in August 2011... |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| =3 | MF |  |
16 | Aaron Ramsey Aaron Ramsey Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| =3 | DF | |
11 | André Santos | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| =3 | DF |  |
5 | Thomas Vermaelen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| =4 | MF |  |
30 | Yossi Benayoun Yossi Benayoun Yosef Shai "Yossi" Benayoun is an Israeli international footballer who plays for Arsenal on loan from Chelsea.Benayoun plays as an attacking midfielder, often occupying the space just behind the striker. In Israel, he is sometimes nicknamed "The Diamond from Dimona". He is also the captain of the... |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| =4 | FW |  |
29 | Marouane Chamakh Marouane Chamakh Marouane Chamakh is a French-Moroccan footballer who plays for English club Arsenal in the Premier League and the Moroccan national team as a striker. He is described as a prototypical target man and is noted for his "tall stature" and "excellent heading ability".Chamakh started his career... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| =4 | DF | |
28 | Kieran Gibbs Kieran Gibbs Kieran James Ricardo Gibbs is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal and was a product of their academy who came to prominence during 2006-07 FA Youth Cup by scoring in the semi-final prior to his first-team breakthrough... |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| =4 | FW |  |
9 | Park Chu-Young Park Chu-Young Park Chu-Young is a South Korean footballer who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League and is the current captain for the South Korea national team.-Youth career:... |
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| =4 | MF |  |
17 | Alexandre Song Alexandre Song Alexandre "Alex" Dimitri Song Billong , more commonly known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Premier League side Arsenal and the Cameroon national team as a midfielder. He is the cousin of The Panthers central defender Rigobert Song... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 26 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 40 | ||||
Disciplinary record
| Number | Nationality | Position | Name | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Champions League | Total | |||||
| 25 |  |
DF | Carl Jenkinson Carl Jenkinson Carl Daniel Jenkinson is a footballer with dual English and Finnish nationality who plays for Arsenal as a defender. He has a British father and a Finnish mother, and has represented both England and Finland at youth international level.... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 26 | |
MF | Emmanuel Frimpong Emmanuel Frimpong Emmanuel Yaw Frimpong is a Ghanaian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Arsenal. Although Frimpong has represented England at youth level, he has pledged his international future to his country of birth Ghana... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | |
FW | Gervinho Gervinho Gervais Yao Kouassi , more commonly known as Gervinho, is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a forwardor as a winger for English Premier League club Arsenal.-Youth career:... |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | |
MF | Alex Song Alexandre Song Alexandre "Alex" Dimitri Song Billong , more commonly known as Alex Song, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for Premier League side Arsenal and the Cameroon national team as a midfielder. He is the cousin of The Panthers central defender Rigobert Song... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 14 | |
FW | Theo Walcott Theo Walcott Theo James Walcott is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Walcott is a product of the Southampton F.C. Academy. He is a striker who is usually deployed on the right wing as a wide forward to exploit his speed... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 20 |  |
DF | Johan Djourou Johan Djourou Johan Danon Djourou-Gbadjere , more commonly known as Johan Djourou, is an Ivorian-born Swiss international footballer who plays for Arsenal. He used to play as a defensive midfielder in his youth for former club Etoile Carouge, but on his arrival at Arsenal was converted to a central defender... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 |  |
MF | Tomáš Rosický Tomáš Rosický Tomáš Rosický is a Czech footballer who plays for Arsenal and captains the Czech national team. He has a brother named Jiří who is also a footballer... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | |
MF | Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Mikel Arteta Amatriain is a Spanish footballer who plays for Arsenal as a midfielder.Arteta started out as a trainee with FC Barcelona but could not break his way into the first team and was eventually loaned to Paris Saint-Germain in the French league... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | |
DF | Kieran Gibbs Kieran Gibbs Kieran James Ricardo Gibbs is an English footballer who plays for Arsenal and was a product of their academy who came to prominence during 2006-07 FA Youth Cup by scoring in the semi-final prior to his first-team breakthrough... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | |
DF | Laurent Koscielny Laurent Koscielny Laurent Koscielny is a French footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal. He primarily plays as a centre back but he can also play as an right back, a position where he started his career. Koscielny is a youth product of Guingamp. He is described as an aggressive, uncompromising and... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | |
DF | Bacary Sagna Bacary Sagna Bacary Sagna is a French footballer who plays for Arsenal and the France national football team. His cousin Ibrahima Sonko also plays in England, for Ipswich Town. Sagna is called Bac by the majority of his teammates... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | |
DF | André Santos | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 |  |
GK | Wojciech Szczęsny Wojciech Szczęsny Wojciech Tomasz Szczęsny is a Polish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal and the Poland national football team. He is the son of former Polish goalkeeper Maciej Szczęsny.... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | |
FW | Robin van Persie Robin van Persie Robin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011... |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | |
DF | Thomas Vermaelen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | |
MF | Andrei Arshavin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | |
MF | Yossi Benayoun Yossi Benayoun Yosef Shai "Yossi" Benayoun is an Israeli international footballer who plays for Arsenal on loan from Chelsea.Benayoun plays as an attacking midfielder, often occupying the space just behind the striker. In Israel, he is sometimes nicknamed "The Diamond from Dimona". He is also the captain of the... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 46 | |
MF | Henri Lansbury Henri Lansbury Henri George Lansbury is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal.-Arsenal:Lansbury was born in Enfield, London and grew up in Potters Bar. In 1999, he joined Arsenal as a schoolboy from the books of Norwich City. He has featured regularly for both the club's... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | |
DF | Per Mertesacker Per Mertesacker Per Mertesacker is a German footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal and Germany. Mertesacker is a youth product of Hannover 96 and he made his senior league debut in November 2003. Mertesacker was soon dubbed "the Defence Pole" by German tabloids and gained a reputation for his good... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | |
MF | Aaron Ramsey Aaron Ramsey Aaron James Ramsey is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for the premier league club Arsenal and is the captain of the Wales national football team... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | |
DF | Sébastien Squillaci Sébastien Squillaci Sébastien Squillaci is a French international footballer who plays for Arsenal. He plays as a central defender and is described as a player who "reads the game well" and is "strong in the air and on the ground"... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 38 | 3 | |||
Starting 11
This shows the most used players in each position, based on Arsenal's typical starting formationFormation (association football)
In association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
for the season.
| . | .
Overall
Classification
Results summary
Results by round
Pre-season
Last updated: 31 July 2011Source: Arsenal F.C.
Premier League
Last updated: 26 November 2011Source: Arsenal F.C.
Note: Premier League fixtures not listed due to copyright
Play-off round
Group stage
| Key to colours in group table |
|---|
| Group winner and runner-up advance to the round of 16 |
| Third-placed teams enter the UEFA Europa League 2011–12 UEFA Europa League The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania... at the round of 32 2011–12 UEFA Europa League knockout phase The knockout phase of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League will begin on 16 February 2012 with the round of 32, and conclude on 9 May 2012 with the final at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania.... |
Group F
| Team | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups... |
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 11 |
| Marseille Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In... |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | |
 Olympiacos |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football... |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 4 |
Round of 16
Last updated: 23 November 2011
Source: Arsenal F.C.
FA Cup
Last updated: 18 November 2011Source: Arsenal F.C.
League Cup
Last updated: 29 November 2011Source: Arsenal F.C.
External links
- Arsenal 2011-12 on statto.com