Season preview: This one could be a bit of a slog
YOU have to start these season previews somewhere and I’m going to begin by looking at the negatives:
- A squad that conceded 41 goals last season has lost three central defenders and gained just one. The manager admits we need to buy at least one more and there is realistic expectation he will do so. But he hasn’t yet and that means that with Djourou injured, we are forced to start Koscielny at Anfield, whether we want to or not.
And while for all the world you would think we will sign a centre-back, it is perfectly plausible we won’t, because as we all know it’s better to have a whopping great hole in the squad than a player who conforms to anything less than Arsene’s idea of technical perfection.
- An already dire goalkeeping situation has been made worse. The best goalkeeper at the club was Manuel Almunia and yet his already shaky confidence has been done few favours by two things: the first is the fact that we want a new keeper and the second that even among the four we have, he is battling it out with Fabianski to be number one.
Of course, there should be upsides to Almunia’s pain. That upside would be firstly if we had actually signed someone and secondly if Fabianski looked in any way ready. Neither is the case. As it is, our chances of landing our main goalkeeping target depend on a favour from Mark Hughes.
In the meantime, it is hard to believe a defence who appeared to have already lost confidence in the keepers behind them will be greatly inspired.
- Whether Cesc Fabregas will deliver us a rip roaring season is pivotal to our chances and yet has never been less certain. These things can go either way after the kind of summer he has had and what is abundantly clear is that for all the talk of Barcelona, his displeasure at what was going on at Arsenal contributed to his desire to leave. Given the problems I have outlined above, it is hard to believe the captain will have been greatly reassured by his manager’s dealings in the transfer market this summer.
That said, he is a model professional who will pride himself on giving his best.
- We are side coming up off an appalling collapse at the end of last season that I am not really sure has been addressed.
And now the plus points:
- Chamakh in and Eduardo out should be a step in the right direction. The former looks better suited to playing the lone front man role and frankly when Bendtner and RVP were missing last season we struggled for goals in what is a very specialist position.
- Watching us in pre-season you are reminded that we do have an extraordinary array of attacking talent, who despite one or two sticky spells last season, generally do turn up with goals.
- We were right up there until three four games to go last season.
Conclusion:
I am someone who will never predict the outcome of a single Arsenal match for fear of jinxing it but am happy to be far more candid at this stage of the season.
This year, I would far rather make my prediction when the transfer window closes and we know whether we have signed a keeper and a central defender.
But I will make a prediction based on what we know now: the best case scenario in the league is a repeat of last season. But I can also envisage (and this is the first time I have said this in all my season previews) us dropping out the top four.
I make that judgement on the premise that a squad that were not good enough to win it last year looks, on balance, no stronger.
In a fortnight’s time Cesc may be firing on all cylinders and those signings made. I hope to be more optimisitic then.
Every start of the season, people always think that the games could be a slog until it happen that they realized it is jus ta wishful thinking.
I have a differnt point of view on that subject but I won’t get into that.
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