As we hit the final international break of the year, we thought it was a good time to reflect on the season so far and rate every Arsenal player based on their performances over the first three months of the campaign.

Barring a couple of big hiccups against Brighton in the Premier League and Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup, things couldn’t have gone a lot better for the Gunners.

Manager Mikel Arteta will be very pleased with how his team has been performing on all fronts so far this season.

Press the next page as we grade all 28 first-team players from A to F…

No grade

With Saliba having not played a single minute since returning from a serious back injury, we can’t give a score for the Frenchman.

The other 5 have only been given 90 minutes or less, so it would not be fair to judge them either.

Ceadach O’Neill was probably the most impressive out of those players, though, despite starting the penalty shootout defeat to Fleetwood.

F

None

There has been nobody who has played more than one game this season who has been outright bad, so we have left this section blank.

E

Some may argue that Gyokeres hasn’t started enough games, but he has been given 614 minutes of football, and he has managed just 2 goals. Admittedly, he did play well on his last start against Slavia Prague, but they are hardly formidable opponents.

Eze’s form has rightly come under scrutiny. Barring his goal against Bayern Munich, the 28-year-old has flattered to deceive, and you have to wonder how much longer he will remain at the Emirates.

Salmon, meanwhile, was hauled off after 45 minutes after struggling against fourth-tier opponent Fleetwood, so his grade must reflect his.

D

Things haven’t quite gone to plan for Guimaraes since his £75m switch from Newcastle in the summer, having particularly struggled during the 3-0 defeat to Brighton. He has yet to show the form he produced at St James’ Park.

The three Spaniards – Zubimendi, Mosquera and Merino – have had their issues to a lesser or greater degree since the beginning of the campaign.

Zubimendi is very much out of favour. While he played well against Slavia Prague midweek, his other two starts in the Carabao Cup against Ipswich and Fleetwood weren’t that impressive. Mosquera and Merino, meanwhile, haven’t managed to stand out as much as they did last season, for one reason or another.

C

Lewis-Skelly has not really put a foot wrong when Arteta has asked him to play in midfield or (on occasion) at left-back. The only criticism you could potentially level at him is that he hasn’t contributed much on the ball (0 goals and 1 assist so far).

White has had his good games and some not-so-good games. His fitness has improved slightly, and Arteta’s decision to rotate him regularly with Jurrien Timber is probably helping in that regard.

Kai Havertz did have a strong start to the season, so his grade is probably slightly higher than his recent performances deserve. Hincapie, meanwhile, hasn’t played a lot due to injury, but he has been pretty solid when called up. Dowman caught the eye against Ipswich and Fleetwood for contrasting reasons.

B

Some may be surprised to see that Konsa hasn’t been given an A grade, but you would be forgetting his shaky start to the season and his woeful performance against Brighton.

Timber put in a player of the match performance against Lille last month, and he has been pretty consistent for the most part after his return from injury in mid-September.

Tzolis has certainly had his moments since his arrival from Club Brugge in the summer, but he is extremely inconsistent. Saka and Madueke have performed slightly better than the Greek international, but their numbers in the Premier League (Saka – 3 goals & 0 assists, Madueke – 1 goal and 1 assist) are nothing to write home about.

A

Arsenal’s no.1 David Raya continues to show why he is one of the top goalkeepers in the world, while Gabriel has been rock solid at the back as always.

Likewise, Declan Rice has been monstrous at times this campaign, although there are justifiable concerns that Arteta is overplaying him.

Riccardo Calafiori has made a step up from previous seasons. He’s improving defensively as well as being a big threat in possession. Captain Martin Odegaard is leading by example, with 5 goals and 1 assist in all competitions.