After their second consecutive FA Cup victory in May, most Arsenal players spoke about mounting a serious title challenge next season but three months down the line, not all seems well at the Emirates. Arsenal were the only club in the top five leagues across Europe not to have signed even a single outfield player in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal started the post season period with a bang, signing Petr Cech from rivals Chelsea, finally they had a world class keeper who could marshal the back line and enable Arsenal to compete against Europe’s elite. Unfortunately for the fans Cech was to be the only major signing of the summer that Arsene Wenger managed to get. They have never been so close to having a title winning squad since the invincible and only look a couple of players short but the failure to bring in any outfield players has left many football followers bewildered.
Still with a very good pre-season hopes were high and pundits across England were optimistic about Arsenal chances this year. Arsenals first match of the season was against West Ham United at home, the stage was set for the Gunners to make a statement at a point where it mattered most. What transpired over the next 90 minutes left many inside the Emirates and around the world in a sense of disbelief. West Ham recorded only their second win at the Emirates, the first one coming in 2006-2007 season. Goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate were enough burst Arsenal’s pre-season confidence bubble.
Suddenly the pressure was back on Wenger to quickly correct the minor glitches and get his team back on track. In the second match against Crystal Palace, the team fought hard and managed to come away with all three points from Selhurst Park. They had opened their account for the season but up next were Liverpool, brimming with confidence after securing their second win of the season against Bournemouth.
Liverpool were all over Arsenal in the first half, it was only because of some brilliant saves from Cech, that prevented them from taking the lead. In the second half Arsenal did manage to get some sort of hold over the proceeding, but failed to break the deadlock. It ended goalless that night, in what turned out be one of the most exciting matches in recent history. Against Newcastle on match day four, Arsenal secured their second win of the season with a hard fought 1-0 victory. Newcastle defended valiantly following the 16th-minute dismissal of Aleksandar Mitrovic, but were undone after their captain Fabricio Coloccini deflected Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s shot into his own net.
Going into the international break, Wenger will be worried at how incompetent his team has been in front of the goal. With just one goal scored by an Arsenal player in the first four matches, Wenger will hope that his failure to bring in a new striker doesn’t come back to haunt him.
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