After much coffee, and by much I mean not enough, here is the traditional Arseblog season preview. The usual caveats apply – with the transfer window open until August 31st this can’t be definitive, but before our first Premier League game we can only judge on what we’ve done until now.
So, without further ado let’s begin with:
Goalkeepers
Last season’s verdict: Doubts over this area persist, both in terms of the personnel and the coaching. Fabianski is injury prone and with only young Argentine Damian Martinez as back-up, you do wonder if a Poom-esque signing might be prudent. I still like Szczesny, and think he’s got excellent potential, but he really does need to have a solid, consistent season.
I think it’s fair to say that Szczesny did have a solid, consistent season and I maintain that he was unfortunate not to start in the cup final, despite the heroics of Lukasz Fabianski in previous rounds. I rate him very highly and the fact he’s played 150+ times for Arsenal at the age of 24 tells its own story. I think he can go on to be one of the best.
This season he’ll have genuine competition for his place, something that Fabianski never really provided. There was that short sharp shock in March 2013, but he’s been the undisputed number 1 for quite some time now. David Ospina’s signing will not only keep him on his toes, it will give us genuine security in this position in case of suspension or injury.
The Colombian impressed during the World Cup and will hope to do likewise here. There will be some measure of acclimatisation for him, but he’s experienced enough to learn quickly. Damian Emiliano Martinez has been promoted to third choice to provide real depth.
Verdict: My expectation is that Szczesny will continue to develop and will maintain his position as the number 1. How comfortable Ospina will be with that remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt the goalkeeping position is as healthy as its been in a long time.
Defence
Last season’s verdict: It’s overlooked that Arsenal finished with the second best defensive record in the Premier League last season. Admittedly, much of that was because of a renewed team focus on the defensive side of the game, but we’ve got good players back there and good relationships in key positions. Adding a good quality centre-half would complete us in this area.
The partnership between Mertesacker and Koscielny last season really developed well, and having a reasonably consistent back four/five for most of the season was hugely important. Of course those big defeats last season skewed our stats a bit, but those games were more failures on a team/tactical level than the fault of the defence, per se. Defensively we looked assured for the majority of the season.
Bacary Sagna has gone and it will be a challenge to see if Mathieu Debuchy can match his consistency. If Kieran Gibbs can stay fit then I think he’ll push on again while Monreal is good, experienced back-up. Calum Chambers is likely to flit between centre-half and right back as and when he’s needed, and obviously Arsene Wenger has seen huge potential in him to spend that much on one so young.
However, the departure of Thomas Vermaelen leaves us light a central defender. The Belgian didn’t play much last season, but with Mertesacker behind schedule and Koscielny walking something of an injury tight-rope, I think it’s important we make a signing in this area.
Verdict: Bar the obvious issue with numbers, you can’t really say this is a weak spot for us anymore. The main central defensive partnership brings out the best of both players and that provides us with a more assured platform than we’ve been used to. The full back options are good, but I think trying to get through a season with just three central defenders would be bordering on mad. We more or less got away with it last year, but this time expectations are greater; so too is our need for a signing.
Midfield
Last season’s verdict: I still worry that we lack some creativity, although Ramsey’s pass for Walcott’s goal against City was a perfect illustration of what we need and what he’s capable of, and some robustness/physicality too. There’s no doubt in my mind that at least one signing is required in this area. We just don’t have anywhere near enough depth and for such a crucial, and physically demanding, area of the pitch we’d be bonkers to ignore that.
Creativity came in the shape of a £42.5m German, and in choosing not to bring back Cesc Fabregas this summer, Arsene Wenger made it clear that he’s going to make Ozil the man around whom that part of his team is built. When you add Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey and, dare I say it, Abou Diaby (in Shad we trust), we’re well pretty well stocked.
It’s a big season in particular for Wilshere who will get the early games to impress the manager and to give him the best kind of selection headache. With everyone fit he’s not yet an automatic first choice, but hopefully this will be the year when he really begins to fulfill his potential and kicks on … perhaps like his erstwhile Welsh mate did last season.
Anchoring the midfield will be Arteta and Flamini and for many this is an area that could be improved. While I wouldn’t argue with that, I don’t think our title hopes hinge on whether or not we bring in a new ‘DM’. With the manager suggesting that Chambers long-term future could be here, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he used him from time to time in that role this season, with Flamini and Arteta as mentors.
Verdict: If Ramsey can maintain his level, if Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain develop further, and Ozil starts to enjoy the fruits of playing with speed-merchants like Alexis and Walcott ahead of him, our midfield riches could well be the envy of many. I’m not convinced we’ll make another signing here, as any new arrival would surely have to be balanced with a departure. If the manager did push the boat out and buy that fabled SUPER-DM, it would display a ruthlessness that speaks volumes about his intention to really go for it, but I’m doubtful it will happen.
Strikers
Last season’s verdict: If we can maintain our defensive record, and improve up front, it suggests that the kind of games which passed us by last season are more likely to produce a better result. But with most of the big names already on the move, and serious complications about our other main target, it’s difficult to see who is going to come in and it’s worrying. I think I’d also like to see another option in the wide areas (not Ryo, who I think is far too raw).
As we know, the striker the club had been trying for all summer never arrived, which placed a large burden on Olivier Giroud – especially as Lukas Podolski missed the first four months of the season with a banjaxed hammy. In the end the Frenchman ended up with a respectable 22 goals and 10 assists in all competitions, but for too much of the crucial part of the season Arsenal’s attack was pedestrian and lacked any nuance. If Plan A didn’t work, then Plan A didn’t work.
Walcott’s absence through injury robbed the team of pace, and although Podolski’s stats are quite incredible in terms of goals per minutes, he struggled to make himself a permanent fixture in the team.
Now, the line-up, on paper at least, looks impressive. Giroud, Podolski, Walcott, new boy Alexis, Yaya Sanogo, and Joel Campbell give us striking options and depth like we haven’t had for a long time. Yet questions remain: Can Sanogo start scoring? Is Joel Campbell going to make a mark? The manager says he wants to keep him but keeps qualifying those remarks by using phrases like ‘at the moment’ when discussing him.
There’s no doubt Alexis gives us more of what we were missing – ie. pace – and a bit more besides. It’s hard not to look at his signing as one that will address those key issues, but one also designed to get the best out of Ozil. I don’t see anyone else coming in right now, so I think it’s a case of what we have, we hold.
Verdict: Alexis may not be the striker everyone wanted, or the one many people think we need, but he certainly adds a lot to us as an attacking force. And maybe not having to play Giroud in almost every game will help him too. The Frenchman is a solid option and capable of goals but really needs to get a few against the best teams to make progress, that’s the challenge for him. Theo Walcott’s imminent return will be a boost too, and it’ll be interesting to see how peripheral players like Sanogo and Campbell are used.
Overall
Last season’s verdict: As it stands, I see another top four scrap as the best we can hope for in the league. I’m worried that the cup exits weren’t simply unlucky coincidence, and I don’t see us doing much in the Champions League should we come through our qualifier. Much as it pains me to say it, without new players, this season will be another struggle and I don’t think one that will bring an end to the years without silverware.
Obviously I am delighted to have been so wrong in terms of silverware, and if the opening day defeat to Villa sparked an outpouring of frustration, the way the team responded to that – with 10 straight wins – was a sign that there was more to this bunch than perhaps we’d thought. There was some real character in the group. Flamini and Ozil arrived, the mood changed.
This summer we’ve done good business in a timely fashion and filled most of the gaps that needed to be filled. As I touched on above, the only area of real urgency is the central defensive signing. Other than that there are no obvious short-falls in the squad in terms of numbers.
I think the experience of being top of the league for so long last season, along with winning the FA Cup and having three World Cup winners in our squad will stand us in good stead. The ‘no trophies for X years’ thing is now a burden we no longer have to carry, and I expect this team to challenge for the title this season, and to maintain that challenge for longer than they did last time.
Whether we go the distance is anybody’s guess. The opposition have all strengthened and the competition will be even more fierce, but we go into this season with a level of optimism and belief that almost feels old school. We’ve certainly got the talent and the depth to really have a go this season, domestically and in Europe, and who knows what might happen in the cup.
Overall, I feel like this is a campaign which really promises big things. There’s a wonderful air of hope and expectation, and after so many seasons and summers of frustration, it’s just lovely to be where are on the dawn of a new season.
