Arsenal’s great start to the 2013/14 Premier League campaign was constantly dampened by naysayers who claimed they could not “go the distance” and claim their first title for a decade.
Inexperience and a flimsy squad were seen as the main factors why the Gunners would inevitably fade away in the latter stages, which they did.
The winning mentality and leadership which they seem to be sorely missing could well be crystallising for this upcoming season in a not too dissimilar fashion than it did for Arsene Wenger’s squad of the late 1990’s. Two years into Wenger’s tenure, the Arsenal Boss had assembled a squad that included the 1998 World Cup winners Patrick Vieira and Emanuel Petit, with a 21 year old Thierry Henry to join a year later and really galvanize the then Double winners into becoming one of the best sides in Europe over the next eight seasons or so.
The comparisons between French national team success 16 years ago and German World Cup glory this year are tempting ones to make for Arsenal supporters. Their current squad includes three World Cup winners in Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski, with the exciting £32m Chilean, Alexis Sanchez, arriving as a potential Henry-like signing, to provide the World Class pace and finishing power up front which has been absent since the great man departed for Barcelona in 2007.
Injuries to key players last term was a major factor in their slide down to 4th position; Theo Walcott made just 13 appearances (9 starts and 4 substitute apps) but still managed 5 goals and 4 assists, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played 14 league games – 6 (8) – and found the net twice with two assists, while Aaron Ramsey was inspirational in the first half of the season with 10 goals and 8 assists from his 23 matches – 20 (3).
A new fitness coach/expert, Shad Forsythe, has been brought in to minimise the wear and tear of the squad and enable Wenger to pick his strongest eleven on a regular basis. This in turn should help them to pick up more points against their fellow title challengers (last season’s record against the Top 3 was a disappointing 3 losses, 2 draws and 1 win) and build on the confidence of last term’s FA Cup glory.
With Mathieu Debuchy coming in a classy alternative to Bacary Sagna at right full back, and David Ospina arriving to fight for the No.1 spot in goal, there is an air of renewal at the Emirates Stadium, added to the relief of claiming their first trophy for 9 years, it could see a more relaxed and confident Arsenal team mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title.
The key to this campaign may be the potentially exciting relationship between Ozil and Sanchez. The German playmaker has now adjusted to the pace of the English game, and with his World Cup winners medal on the mantelpiece, and the pace of Walcott and Sanchez to compliment his visionary passing, we could see a partnership developing akin to the Bergkamp/Henry one that destroyed English defences in the 00’s. Sanchez will have to improve his away form for this to become a reality though; a worryingly Arsenal-like trait of only performing at home (2 goals & 2 assists for Barcelona last term on their travels compared to 17 & 8 at the Camp Nou, suggests a man who may struggle to perform on a wet Tuesday night in Stoke, as they say) will need to change dramatically if the Chilean Captain is to settle in and make his first season in England a successful one.
Recommended Bet: Arsenal Top 4 Finish 1/2 @ Ladbrokes
