Is this Arsenal team the real deal after all – An Arsenal fan’s Perspective 

It has been more than 7 years since Arsenal last won a trophy. So as goners how do we keep the belief going? However we must all remember that inspite of all these barren years trophy wise Arsenal is still one of the biggest clubs in the world. As a matter of fact Arsenal is the only club in the world to have qualified for Champions League football 16 years in a row. So the question is what else needs to be done to ensure that finally the Gunners go that extra step to win that elusive Premier League, Champions League or the F.A. Cup trophy? In-fact the more important question is that whether the Gunners have added enough arsenal to their side to break this trophy less duck. So let’s have a look at whether Arsenal has the ingredients to finally make it count this season.

Arsene Wenger

wenger – The French Maestro

Well what can one say about one of the best managers in the world? Any and every praise seems so little compared to Mon. Arsene Wenger’s contribution over the years. If any manager is capable of lifting Arsenal from their current slump it’s Arsene Wenger. The second longest serving manager in the Premier League, after Sir Alex Ferguson, knows all the tricks of the trade and is indeed the most important man of the club. After all who can forget that this is the man who monopolized the Premiership between his club Arsenal and Manchester United in the early part of this century? Again who can forget that he was the manager who presided over Arsenal when they went on to go 49 matches unbeaten in a season (the only British team to do so in more than a century)? However it will be unwise to judge Mon. Arsene Wenger only by trophies and records. His best trait is that he can scout talented players at a really tender age before any other manager. The examples of Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Robert Pires come into mind and are a very few names of a huge list.

The appointment of Steve Bould as the assistant manager

Bould Working with the boys at Emirates

After serving the club faithfully for 44 long years the departure of Pat Rice as the Assistant Manager meant that an equally illustrious person needed to be brought in to fill the boots of Pat Rice. Thus the appointment of Steve Bould in this position is generally being hailed by all and sundry given that it feels like a move in the right direction. Arsenal’s frailties in the back is well documented and given that Steve Bould was a defender of the George Graham era which was famous for the 1-0 scorelines and defensive stability it already looks like a match made in heaven. Infact if the three consecutive clean sheets at the start of the season is any indication then the good times will return to the Gunners rather sooner than later.

Arrival of Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud

The new summer signings

The arrival of Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud this summer signaled Arsenal’s desire to make that step up in level to challenge for the title. For a combined fee of 35 million Euros they bring in oodles of class, and experience. For all those worried about Robin Van Persie and Alex Song’s departure should give this trio a chance to settle in the Premier League to see their magic. After all selling an injury prone player who has been injured 7 seasons out of the last 9 and a player who was lacking discipline is by no means the end of the world and logically a canny piece of business. We should all remember that Santi Cazorla was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the La Liga after Xavi and Iniesta while Lukas Podolski is an established German international who has seen it all and done it all. Olivier Giroud’s abilities should not be discounted either given how he was the highest scorer in the French Ligue 1 and also helped the unfancied Montpellier win the Ligue 1 in the process. Given a little bit of time the new signings should gel with the current squad to fire Arsenal to the title.

So if you are a gooner you have all reasons to be optimistic this season. So just get behind your team and support them to the tilt. After all never forget ‘‘In Arsene we trust’’.

 

Follow us on twitter @SoccerSouls to get more news and updates