It’s Saturday 17th
August. Arsenal are playing Aston Villa in the their first league game of the
season, the score is incredibly two-one to Villa with five minutes left to
play. Villa’s summer signing Antonio Luna picks the ball up in Arsenal’s half,
rushes into the box un- marked, and slots the ball into the bottom left hand
corner of the goal, past a helpless Wojciech Szczesny. Disaster, the Gunners have lost
their first home game of the season. Outside the Emirates, fans call for the
end of Wenger’s seventeen-year reign and wonder why he hasn’t bought any
world-class players in the transfer window.
Twelve weeks on and Arsenal go five points clear at
the top of the premier league table, and beat last years Champion’s League
finalists Borussia Dortmund, in the space of a week. But how has this turn
around happened, and why are Arsenal now tipped for their best season yet?
The star signing
Mesut Özil has undoubtedly been the best signing for
Arsenal in a long time. He was brought to club for £42.5 million, smashing
Arsenal’s previous transfer record by £29.5 million. By far Özil’s best trait
is his ability to pick out a pass anywhere on the pitch and has showcased this
talent with five assists in all competitions. He has also proved vital in
Arsenal’s attack and has given Olivier Giroud the platform to score more goals.
The Welsh wizard
In previous seasons Aaron Ramsey’s ability to cut the
mustard at Arsenal has been questioned, but the Welshman’s incredible start to
the season is sure to silence the critics for now. He’s the leagues top goal
scoring midfielder with six goals and is as vital to the Arsenal make up as
Özil. A partnership with Flamini in central midfield has been key to Arsenal’s successes,
with the perfect balance between attack and defense.
Big Per
Standing at 6' 6'', Per
Mertesacker is hard to miss and certainly opposition attacks have found this
out first hand. He may not be the quickest, but Mertesacker has been vital in
the air and a partnership with Laurent Koscielney has defended well in big
matches against Liverpool and Dortmund. However, Arsenal have been weak against
set pieces with 56% of their goals conceded coming from set pieces, the highest
in the top flight. If Arsenal are going to be true contenders they have to
start focusing on this area of their defense.
Problems
Arsenal may have started the
seasonal strongly but there is no certainty that they will run away with the
title. Their depth of squad could be a big issue especially if Giroud picks up
an injury. Bendtner has been woeful this season, so Arsenal fans will prey
Giroud does not pick up an injury before Christmas. Their failure to capture
Demba Ba in the summer could come back to haunt them. There is no doubt Arsenal
need to strengthen the spine of their squad in the January transfer window to
keep them in contention for the title and Europe. In previous years we have
seen Arsenal drop out of title and cup races in the space of just a week so it
is vital they keep this form up for as long as possible. Arsenal may have
started the season well, but the cruel world of football can break a team at
any moment.
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