With the new Premier League season starting on August 8th and Arsenal’s on the 9th, now is as good a time as any to consider what the future holds in store for the club. Last season was slightly disappointing for Arsenal fans, who saw their chances of Premier League victory hampered by multiple injuries across the entire squad. Thankfully the FA Cup success helped make sure that the season wasn’t a complete failure.
Alexis Sanchez made himself a cult hero at Arsenal after an outstanding season with the Gunners, scoring 25 goals in 52 appearances as well as helping the club achieve what had up until recently proven very difficult: beating top four teams. The Gunners overcame Manchester City twice and Manchester United at Old Trafford, while holding Chelsea to an intense draw late on into the season. With all the signs seemingly pointing in the right direction, what does next season have in store for Arsenal?
Where Arsenal will finish:
The first thing that you have to consider is that among the Arsenal ranks now is veteran keeper Petr Cech. The importance of this signing cannot be overstated. The goalkeeper position has been a problem for Arsenal for a very long time, so long in fact that the last quality keeper the club had was Jens Lehmann and he left seven-years ago. He adds an enormous amount of experience and the hunger for success, which will no doubt rub off on to the rest of the squad, potentially turning all the players into winners. As such, Arsenal can do very well next season, so well in fact that they will be challenging for the Premier League title.
Before anybody gets overexcited I will say right now, I don’t think Arsenal will win it; not yet anyway. With the squad the way it is currently there are holes and it is these holes that will cost them the league. Should a striker and defensive midfielder come in I can see Arsenal going all the way and winning the league, but at present Arsenal won’t win it. Second on the other hand is a real possibility.
Realistically, a two horse race between Arsenal and Chelsea is the most likely outcome. A constant battle the entire way through the season will keep fans excited and yet the depth in the Chelsea squad should see them pip Arsenal to the title. Second would be great, a massive step up in Arsenal’s pursuit of dominance in England again. However, fans knew that returning to the top would take a long time and even though they experienced three trophies in two years, there is still a certain amount of waiting left to do.
Who will shine:
Next season will be huge for youngster Chuba Akpom. Other than Danny Welbeck, Arsenal have only Olivier Giroud to play as an out and out striker and while Theo Walcott can be played there, it still isn’t clear whether he can play there regularly. Chuba is the club’s backup striker and I think he can have a massive season. Naturally, he won’t start many games at the beginning of the season, but if Giroud should get injured or suffer a loss of form then Akpom will seize his opportunity and achieve what other young talents like Benik Afobe never could; playing for the first team.
Mesut Ozil will also have a big season. He has had plenty of time to adapt to the English culture and the style of the Premier League and it was clear to see even last season that he is getting back into his rhythm and proving to everybody why he is the best number 10 (11) in the world. Towards the end of last season he was regularly putting in performances that were unparalleled by other players. Playing passes that nobody else had seen and manipulating the play so that even when it seemed Arsenal weren’t posing a threat, they could pounce in an instant.
Silverware:
In terms of competitions, I don’t see Arsene Wenger pushing for the Capital One Cup and so fans should expect, as usual, to see heavily rotated sides being played in these games. The FA Cup is another matter; I can see Wenger really going for this competition. It would mean the world for him to be the first manager to win the FA Cup three years in a row, which means this will act as huge motivation for him. In all honesty I believe Arsenal can do it again. With the squad as it is there is no reason why they shouldn’t win the cup again.
The Champions League remains Arsene Wenger’s biggest and most ambitious target. It is the competition that has managed to elude him and so, as long as the right signings are made this window, Wenger should make a big push for success. However, unless Arsenal can pull off a Chelsea and defend for their lives the entire competition, then it is doubtful that the club will win the Champions League this season.
Conclusion:
All in all, Arsenal fans should expect progress to be made in the upcoming season. Another trophy or two by means of the FA Cup and Community Shield are definitely on the cards and a genuine challenge for the Premier League title is within the squad’s capabilities, but fans should not get carried away and expect too much more.
