Declan Rice Name PITA Player Of The Month " Tomiyasu Named October's Men's Player of the Month

  

PITA's Arsenal Player of the Month - October 2023

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrates with teammate William Saliba after scoring a goal 2-1 during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on October 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

Can someone tell me where October went, please?

One night I’m lamenting a poor display in Lens, and the next I’ve got trick-or-treaters at my door having enjoyed a beatdown of Sheffield United to close out October. The month flew by!

Anyway, the conclusion of October can only mean one thing: it’s POTM time!

For the latest award, three out of a possible five starts were required to qualify. While you might think Gabriel Jesus is a worthy contender, his poor display against Chelsea ultimately ruined his chances of a podium finish.

PITA’s Arsenal Player of the Month – October 2023

So, who has been crowned PITA’s POTM for October 2023? Let’s find out.

Declan Rice celebrates his goal at Chelsea. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

3. Gabriel Martinelli (Average rating – 6.83)

This may come as a little bit of a surprise, but Martinelli slots in at third spot after earning an average rating of 6.83. The Brazilian returned from injury before the break and secured Arsenal’s huge win over Manchester City with a late deflected strike.

Once the internationals were in the books, Martinelli started Arsenal’s three remaining games of the month.

The winger got the ball rolling against Sevilla with an excellent finish on the counter-attack before impressing without contributing in the final third in the thumping win over Sheffield United. Those two performances helped him claim third spot over the likes of Jesus, Gabriel, and Ben White.

2. William Saliba (Average rating – 6.9)

Saliba  with a 6.9 average rating, and you might think the Frenchman warrants a higher rating than that. However, his performance against Chelsea warranted a 4/10, and he had little to do last weekend against the Blades.

Saliba was otherwise supreme in October, starting all of Arsenal’s games. His best work came in the victories over City and Sevilla.

1. Declan Rice (Average rating – 7.9)

Rice has twice finished second in the POTM charts this season, but his October triumph proved convincing. His average rating of 7.9 is the highest of the campaign so far.

What else is there to say about the Englishman? Has he put together a sub-par 90 minutes in an Arsenal shirt? I don’t think so.

Rice has been a model of consistency so far and has been crucial to the Gunners’ unbeaten domestic start. The midfielder set the stage for a late comeback at Chelsea, while his defensive contributions led to wins over City and Sevilla.

I feel safe with Declan Rice patrolling our midfield.

Tomiyasu named October's men's Player of the Month

Takehiro Tomiyasu’s excellent displays during October have seen our supporters vote him as our men's Player of the Month.

The Japanese defender made some telling contributions during his five appearances, which were recognised by our Gooners as he polled 64 per cent of the votes to be our runaway winner, ahead of Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.

It is Tomi’s first monthly prize since September 2021, and it is fully merited for his efforts in helping us remain undefeated in the Premier League this term, as well as moving to the top of our Champions League group at the halfway stage.

The full-back played all 180 minutes of our two European games out in Lens and Seville, and as well as a fine performance in our backline out in Spain to help us to an important victory, his three substitute appearances in the Premier League were where he really made an impact.

Coming off the bench for the final 15 minutes against Manchester City, he played a key role in Gabriel Martinelli’s late winner as he pushed upfield, and was again instrumental when introduced at half-time against Chelsea and helped us recover from 2-0 down to earn a late point.

Then, on his 50th Premier League appearance, he found the net for the first time in red and white in the dying stages of our 5-0 success over Sheffield United on Saturday to round off October in style.

As well as his goal, Tomi also recorded four interceptions during his 264 minutes of play, as well as 12 recoveries. He also won eight duels, and made 149 successful passes as he proved to be an influential figure at both ends of the pitch.

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