The Hampshire Gooner
I know the prospect of trying to put a positive spin on things at the moment as an Arsenal fan isn’t an easy thing to try and do, but, as we ebb closer and closer to the start of a new season, I thought I would take on the sizeable task of getting people looking forward to the new campaign.
Last season, we ended in fourth place in the Premier League. At the turn of the year, we looked like we could go very close to landing the title, and then we fell away all too easily. So what can we cling on to in the hope of improvement come the start of the new season in comparison to the one just gone? We have only made one real noteworthy signing so far this summer, and our so-called top two players seem to want out, including the captain of the club. Should I stop writing right now and declare us doomed to a relegation battle?
In any walk of life you have to look for the positives, so here goes for the AFC campaign 2011/12.
When comparing our current situation to the start of last season, there are clearly some fairly major positives to bear in mind. First up, I would like to take a closer look at the current goalkeeping situation. Last time out, we hit the ground running with none other than Manuel Almunia as the established number one. This time round, granted we have not managed to make a new goalkeeping signing, but we do go into the new campaign with our number one between the sticks being the up-and-coming Wojciech Szczesny. This, in my own humble opinion, simply has to be a step in the right direction when compared to last season. Even though our young Pole did make a couple of high-profile mistakes in his first season as the number one, he is quite simply a better keeper than our beloved Spanish waiter.
Now for the much maligned defence. A big positive to take into the new season here is the fact that Tommy Vermaelen appears to be over his injury worries and is fit and raring to go for the new campaign. Comments from AW stating that TV is ‘like a new signing’ are annoying at best, but it does go without saying that, as things stand, TV is our first choice centre half. For him to be out injured, as he was for virtually all of last season, makes as more than likely to improve at the back this time round, even if we do not make any further defensive signings. Another positive to take on board at the heart of our defence is the simple fact that Laurent Koscielny has now had a full season in the Premier League under his belt, whereas, last term, he was a complete novice in this country. I know he didn’t impress all the time last season, but he can only really improve on what he showed in his first season in the English game. A third and final positive to take into account is the fact that Johan Djourou goes into the new season with a full season under his belt from last term, something he has never really had since he arrived at the club.
All this positivity is getting me a little excited at the prospect of the new season starting, so let us continue on into the midfield and look for signs of possible improvement in the heart of the team. Last season, we started off with Jack as a relatively unproven talent with very little Premier League experience under his belt. He managed to play the full season in the engine room of the first team and even managed to establish himself as an England regular. With this experience now under his belt, and with the added strength he will have gained from simply getting older, I expect Jack to be the main man this season within the middle of the park. With the likely exit of our captain, I can foresee Jack being more advanced on the field of play, which I feel will suit his game down to the ground. This season also sees a fully fit and raring-to-go Aaron Ramsey, something we certainly didn’t have this time last year. Aaron is also young, and can only really improve from becoming a regular starter for us this season. Last season was a complete waste of time for another of our emerging youngsters, as it saw Emmanuel Frimpong suffer a serious injury in pre-season which led to his missing the entire campaign. I can see Mr Frimpong being heavily involved within the first team squad this time round and possibly even challenging Song for a starting birth in the side by Christmas.
A vast improvement going forward this time round has to be the signing of Gervinho from Lille as a likely replacement for the soon-to-be-exiting Barry Bender. This can only be a step forward in my eyes, as Gervinho looks to be the kind of player that actually likes to get into the six yard box, something of a rarity in recent times at our club. Let’s be honest: can he be much worse overall than The Bender? RVP has not had to take part in a World Cup this summer and is fit, as things stand, to lead the line into the new season. Last term, he was knackered from his exertions at the World Cup and lasted all of two Premier League games before getting injured and being out of the side for the next four months or so. His goals-to-games ratio when he returned was superb and if (a big “if”, I know) he can manage 10 games or so more than he did last term, we could go closer to the title.
Some might feel I am clutching at straws a little here but if you look over the above details again it is hard to argue with any of the positive points raised, and they do add up to a total of nine. In my mind, even if we lost Cesc and Samir today and did not make a single signing to replace either player for the whole of the season, we would still be certain to finish in the top six. As things stand, I could see a scenario where we could lose both men and still be in the top four come May without the need to sign anyone in the meantime. I know we, as fans, do not aim for fourth spot at the start of the season but, in reality, it is not too bad a place to start off from. All the doom-mongering that has gone on in recent weeks has left you feeling ready for a relegation battle or a mid-table finish but, in reality, this is not going to be the case at all.
When you look at our main competitors for a top four spot, you should come to realise we may not be that bad off as we currently like to think. Spurs have bought nobody and look likely to lose their main midfield man in Luka Modric. Chelsea have not bought anyone of any real note other than a reserve keeper who has already been loaned back out to a team in Spain. Man City’s main signing up to date has been Gael Clichy. I know he was our number-one left back last season, but is he really good enough to improve their team for the upcoming season? Even if City spend big on buying the Argentine forward Aguero from Atletico Madrid, as expected, is he really going to be any better than Carlos Tevez was for them over the past two seasons? I do not think so. Liverpool have spent money on young English talent this summer with potential but, in reality, who - reading this - would want to swap Henderson and Downing for Ramsey and Gervinho? At United, is De Gea going to be as solid between the sticks as Van der Saar was? There are these types of questions to answer at many of our nearest rivals right now, so we are not alone in being a little unsure about things as we head into the new campaign.
I am not trying to suggest that I expect us to win the title or anything as things stand, but I do feel a sense of reality has to be used when looking at our likely prospects for the new season. Too many people have gone overboard in recent times with the negative talk and we now need to get realistic again and not get too downbeat even before a ball has been kicked.
I would love to see us going out over the next month or so and making one or two top-notch signings for the new season. But, in reality, even if we don’t make those signings, and even if Cesc and Samir both leave before the transfer window closes, we would still not be in anywhere near as bad a position as some people would have you believe. We will not finish outside of the top six in any eventuality and we would still have every chance of beating Liverpool and Spurs to fourth place with the squad we currently have minus Cesc and Samir. Sprinkle on top of this one or two potential new signings between now and the end of August and, who knows, we could yet find ourselves in something of a title race next spring.
