Arsenal: just how far can they go?

Patience is most definitely a virtue, as Arsenal fans are deservedly discovering. 

Writing this in the wake of Arsenal's entertaining 2-0 victory over Liverpool, everything seems to be distinctly rosy concerning the Gunners at the moment. If you were reading this on approximately the 18th August, you would doubtless be reading a very different assessment indeed. In my opinion this is a stark message to not produce anything too reactionary, however, since that fatal day against Aston Villa where chants of "Speed, Spend, Spend!" and "Wenger Out" could be heard echoing around the Emirates, or perhaps more intensely on Twitter (I'm looking at you, Piers), Arsenal have beaten Fenerbache twice, Fulham, Spurs, Sunderland, Marseille, Stoke, Swansea, Napoli, Norwich and Palace - the only blip in the league being a draw at The Hawthorns, which is hardly a disgraceful result - (not to mention the stunning run of form Arsenal experienced in the 2nd half of last season). This, in my opinion, strongly suggests that Arsenal are a serious force to be reckoned with, rather than an average team in a brief vein of form. But just what can this Arsenal team achieve? And if they are genuine title contenders, why?

At the time of writing, Arsenal are in 1st place, 5 points ahead of second. This brings me nicely onto my first (obvious) point - if Arsenal don't win the league, who will? Last season's Champions, Manchester United, have found a real gem of a player in Adnan Januzaj, and Wayne Rooney appears to be entering better form, but obvious defensive cracks appeared in the loss to West Brom, draw at home to Southampton and even the 3-2 win at home to Stoke. I'm not for a minute attempting to suggest United were a particularly amazing defensive side under Sir Alex Ferguson, but there is a sense (supported by ex-pros) that teams are not as intimidated by the forlorn figure of David Moyes on the Old Trafford bench, as they were by the deity Sir Alex. It could also be argued that the fact Januzaj appears to be so influential after just a handful of Premier League starts suggests a lack of quality senior players at United. I believed Arsenal would finish above United before the season began, and I personally maintain that view. City and Chelsea arguably have more eye-catching and 'world-class' players than Arsenal, but I believe this is only truly the case in certain areas. Chelsea obviously have a superb attacking midfield, but appear to lack firepower up front, and defensive midfield and indeed defence itself sometimes seem shaky to me - this has been evident in away losses to Everton and Newcastle on Saturday. Likewise Manchester City have a brilliant midfield and sometimes attack, with the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo to name just a few. But their 'first-choice' 'keeper seems to be faltering, and Vincent Kompany bears such a commanding influence that is so vital to City that this is surely a worry for fans, when he is fairly frequently injured. Liverpool, in my blue-tinted mind, are not really title contenders, but even so have shown their susceptibility to better teams with a defeat at Anfield to Southampton, and indeed the loss yesterday. Their midfield was, I believe, utterly dominated and outclassed by Arsenal's, and it is only a matter of time before Luis Suarez incurs a 10-match-ban for some despicable act. I like to think Everton have a good shot at the Champions League, but realistically the Premier League is a pipe-dream, as we are a loan-striker away from Arouna Koné being our first choice, with misfiring Nikica Jelavic in reserve. Spurs probably have a better chance, but things don't seem to have fully clicked yet (this could be interpreted positively), as some of Tottenham's new signings haven't fully adapted yet, and a lack of goals from open play is never really a good sign.

Gareth who? 

Arsenal definitely don't have the squad depth of some of their more free-spending peers, (a bench of Fabianski, Jenkinson, Monreal, Hayden, Akpom and Bendtner was indicative of this), but this was largely down to an injury crisis. Arsenal's midfield is as strong as any, with Mathieu Flamini performing an admirable job anchoring the midfield, allowing the likes of Özil, the amazing Ramsey, Cazorla and Wilshere to flourish, with Mikel Arteta also playing a disciplined integral role. There's plenty of spice to bring on from the bench as well, with Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the young but impressive Gnabry, plus Walcott and Podolski to return from injury. Goalkeeper has been brought up frequently as a weak point of Arsenal over recent seasons, and despite perhaps having a season to forget last term, Wojciech Szczesny has strung together a series of vastly improved performances of late. Central defence appears finally to be a source of consistency and competency now, with the erratic-but-adept Laurent Koscielny partnered by experienced oversee-er Per Mertesacker. Kieran Gibbs can claim to be one of the Premier League's most improved defenders too, and Monreal is a more-than-acceptable backup, whilst Bacary Sagna has returned to his form from a few seasons ago (admittedly Arsenal are extremely weak in centre-back depth). Olivier Giroud was overly-criticised last season, and is reaping the rewards of his persistence. His finishing is good, and I have also noticed how skilful he can be in link-up-play. Arsenal can comfortably say they can field a starting XI that is as good as any in the Premier League on their day, and could also play a decent second XI too. 

Arsene Wenger. One man can have a massive influence on a club, and how it is run, from the very top onto the field of play. Wenger possesses a supreme tactical knowledge and philosophy that could be perceived to have bordered on stubborn at times, but is now (not for the first time by any means) basking in its abundant success. The patience shown in players, primely Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud, is also paying huge dividends. This could be Arsene Wenger's last year of managing Arsenal, or any management whatsoever, and I'm sure he'd like to go out in glory. Arsenal fans have endured some tough times in recent years, but the faith shown by both the board (who rightly come under fire a lot), and the majority of reasonable fans has been well-placed, without a shadow of doubt. 

A slightly minor point, but it has been well documented how Arsenal have had a tendency to shift their beset players in recent years - be it Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri or Cesc Fabregas. Of course, that trio, and others, have been good players, but the prudent approach is finally reaping its rewards, and this summer Arsenal merely got rid of deadwood, and brought in some okay player whose name I forget.

The epitome of fickleness. 

I would love to see Arsenal claim silverware this season. In my opinion, the Champions League is beyond them, but the only sticking point domestically would be if an even worse injury crisis were to hit, or a team like City or Chelsea went on an unmatchable run. The Gunners would do well to buy cover in both the centre of defence and centre forward region in January. There would certainly be a sense of circularity and 'The Last Laugh', if we witness, er, Thomas Vermaelen lifting the Premier League trophy come May.

By Alex 

Has the North London tide finally turned?

Has the tide finally turned? 

At the time of writing, Tottenham are currently 7 points ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League (although Arsenal have a game in hand). Although Arsenal are technically still participating in the Champions League, their trip to Allianz Arena looks to be the end of their European season, after a 3-1 defeat at the Emirates. It appears that 2012/13 will be yet another frustrating trophy-less season under Arsene Wenger, after two excruciating cup exits for the Gunners (to Blackburn and Bradford). Meanwhile, at White Hart Lane, there is a positive aura emanating from Arsenal's local rivals. Despite a set-back at Anfield at the weekend, Tottenham are sitting pretty in 3rd place in the league, following a 3-0 triumph over Inter Milan in the Europa League, and a sweet revenge over Arsenal, 2-1. Whilst Tottenham seem a revitalised team on the up under a youthful manager, some may perceive Arsenal to be the opposite. Is this perception really accurate?

Arrivals

TOTTENHAM:

In the past two seasons Tottenham have acquired (amongst others):

Moussa Dembele - £16.75million

Hugo Lloris - £11million

Jan Vertonghen £11million

Gylfi Sigurdsson £8.8 million

Clint Dempsey £6.5 million

Emmanuel Adebayor £5million

Lewis Holtby £1.5million

Scott Parker £5.5 million 

Total: £66.05million

Significant Departures:

Peter Crouch £9million

Wilson Palacios £7million

Roman Pavlyuchenko £7million

Alan Hutton £4million

Robbie Keane £3.3million

Jamie O'Hara £3million

Luka Modric £26million

Rafael van der Vaart £11.4million

Niko Krancjar £6million

Vedran Corluka £6million

Steven Pienaar £5million

Total: £87.7million

Conclusion: Although Tottenham have sold more than they have spent recently, most of the signed players have been impressive, and very astute signings. The stand-out signings are Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele and Lewis Holtby (their fees combined are only a couple of million more than the funds raised by the sales of Modric and van der Vaart). Although Modric and van der Vaart could have left a void in the Tottenham starting XI, Tottenham moved quickly to plug any potential gaps. 

ARSENAL:

(In the past two seasons) Ins (amongst others):

Santi Cazorla £16.7million

Lukas Podolski £10.5 million

Olivier Giroud £10.5million

Nacho Monreal £8million

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain £12million

Gervinho £10.5million

Mikel Arteta £10.5million

Per Mertesacker £9.9million

Andre Santos £6million

Park Chu-Young £5.7 million

Total: £100.3million

Significant Departures:

Robin van Persie £27million

Alex Song £16.7million

Carlos Vela £3.3million

Cesc Fabregas £29.9million

Samir Nasri £24million

Gael Clichy £6.8million

Emmanuel Eboue £3million

Total: £110.7million

For every Santi Cazorla, there's a Gervinho. For every Mikel Arteta, there's an Andre Santos. A slightly hit-and-miss record in recent times for Arsenal, as some genuinely world-class players have been sold, only to be replaced by cheaper players who are not quite on the same level in many cases. Like Tottenham, they have sold more than they have spent, which is extremely frustrating given Arsenal's substantial resources and financial health. There remains noticeable gaps in the Arsenal starting XI, which need to be addressed by signings this summer.

The Managers:

Arsene Wenger:

I believe it would be unfair to suggest the majority of Arsenal fans want "#WengerOut", but more and more Gooners seem to be becoming disenchanted with their club, their board, their excessively priced season tickets, and in some cases, Arsene Wenger. It sometimes appears that Wenger is content with moulding young players into fantastic players, then selling them on - this is worrying for Arsenal fans. Although Wenger has undoubtedly done a lot of good for Arsenal as a club, I don't think his position is beyond questioning. Far from it, in fact. However, I don't believe he should be sacked. It is very possible that the lack of spending is the board's fault and not the manager's, and Arsenal (especially if they are not in the Champions League next season), have no idea who they might attract/appoint as their next manager. Not finishing in the top 4 would be a massive blow, however, and perhaps a change might help the team. 8 years without a trophy is a long time, after all.

Andre Villas-Boas:

Roman Abramovich must be kicking himself. After the enigmatic Portuguese had been paid a mouth-watering compensation fee, 'AVB' found the perfect match in the North of London. Before the season, some wondered if Redknapp's departure would have a negative effect, but Villas-Boas moved swiftly and effectively in the transfer market to quell such rumours. Although some Spurs fans had their doubts early on (perhaps justifiably so, after some baffling substitutions), the vast majority of supporters have now given AVB their full-backing, and it seems that Daniel Levy has finally found a young manager he can share a long-term relationship with.

So has the tide turned? In the short term, yes, but only marginally. It is fairly likely that Tottenham will finish above Arsenal this season, but Tottenham themselves have not won a trophy, and the season is far from over yet. This summer hold the key as to whether or not Tottenham will remain superior in the long term. If Villas-Boas can keep hold of his key players, and sign a quality striker, the future looks bright. Arsenal need to spend some money under Wenger (not excessive amounts) on improving a few areas of the first team, to cement their future in the top 4, and hopefully win them some trophies. This, however, remains to be seen. And who knows, maybe both North London clubs will win trophies next year!

By Alex 

Szczesny and Mannone set to battle it out for the top spot

The 24-year old Mannone is not giving up his place in the team anytime soon.

A few months ago, he found himself at a lower league club trying to find his way as a goalkeeper. Now, he appears to be first choice for Arsenal after a few impressive displays.

Who were you reading about there? Up until a few weeks ago, this would have illustrated Polish goalkeeper Wojchiech Szczesny's rise from Brentford on loan to being first-choice for one of the Premier League's better teams. However, a certain Italian seems to be usurping the Pole after a series of solid performances. 

It was not long ago that he was out at Hull on loan, finding himself below Szczesny and Lukas Fabianski in the pecking order, but ever since Arsenal suffered a double-stroke of bad luck, losing both keepers to injuries, Vito Mannone has been impressing against difficult opposition such as Liverpool (yes, really) and Manchester City. 

And this week Arsene Wenger gave the biggest hint yet that Mannone may even go on to wrangle the top spot from Szczesny. After all, the apparent No.1 didn't do himself any favours against Southampton when he returned for one game from injury, with the only Southampton goal being fully his fault. 

1st choice goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is also relatively inexperienced, and he didn't cover himself in glory against Southampton.

There has been a lot of criticism surrounding Szczesny, not least because he finished last season with the worst saves-to-shots ratio in the Premier League, prompting some rumour mills to suggest that Arsenal could be in the market for France captain Hugo Lloris. As it turned out, Lloris made his way to another North London team, Spurs, and Szczesny could breath easy. As it happens, the Frenchman is also fighting a battle to replace Brad Friedel as No.1 this season. Szczesny's sending-off against Greece in the Euros for Poland didn't exactly help him either, leading to the Pole missing the rest of Poland's tournament. 

But Vito Mannone is not without his detractors. Let's not forget that both keepers are relatively inexperienced, and the goal that the Italian conceded to Manchester City last week showed a huge amount of naivety from all the Arsenal team concerned, but especially Mannone, who ran out unnecesarily and tried to punch the ball, missing it completely. Indeed, he is one in a long line of Arsenal players who are playing above and beyond their ability in recent weeks, but will surely be found out in some areas of their game in the future, such as Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson, who have matured rapidly.

Whatever the case, Szczesny is still Number 1, and I have rated him for a long time. He may be inconsistent and inexperienced, but moments such as these only highlight his potential. He is one of the most agile goalkeepers in the Premier League, and has an impressive Youtube showreel.  For the moment, he is No.1 but he will have to be on his toes (literally!) next time he is selected to prove that he is better than Vito Mannone. 

By Tomas