There are No Excuses for this Arsenal Squad, the Time to Deliver is Now
It’s time. On Sunday, the games matter. The pre-season has been impressive and even the win against Chelsea in the Community Shield looked like a harbinger of things to come. But, if Arsenal get off to yet another stuttering start, it will all be for naught.
Players and the manager have all been saying the right words about challenging for the title. We all know however, that actions speak louder than words. Arsenal head into the season with nearly a full complement of players – healthy. Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky are the only injured players heading into the season. Danny and Tomas look set for a mid-August return and Jack is about 3 weeks away according to some reports.
Alexis Sanchez has just returned from his post-Copa America holidays. All toll there truly are no excuses for Arsenal as they head into their first competitive match of the 2015/2016 Premier League season.
As frustrating as the start was to last season, there was a way rationalize it. Half the squad had been in the World Cup and many came back fatigued and injured. Then injuries hit right out of the box and substantial ones. Clearly once those players returned to the squad and got fit, Arsenal looked a different team.
People will look to the 9 years between titles and deem that one of the hardest tasks of Arsene Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal. It was but now it may be harder. He has the tools he wants. He now has to show that critics aren’t wrong and that he is from a bygone era.
Squad camaraderie is high. There is a fine balance of youth and experience within the squad. Depth is not a question – the only question is now – after biding their time to get back to the elite of England – can they (Wenger and the club) deliver on the promises of the past.
This summer has been impressive. The team have been fluid in attack and impressive at the back. While the Singapore XI match may look easy, Arsenal faced tough competition in all its remaining pre-season fixtures. And while everyone was working on fitness levels it’s hard to ignore some of the impressive displays of the summer.
That’s all irrelevant now. Come Sunday, each match and each individual performance has repercussions. Points are on the table to be had now, not the Barclay’s Asia Cup or the Emirates cup.
When Arsenal won its first trophy in 9 years at the end of the 2013/14 season, there was hope it would have a residual knock on effect and propel the club forward. Well, injuries, a world cup and a lackluster start meant that we were up against it all season long.
Now, there is a different feeling. Now with the FA Cup once again firmly in Arsenal’s hands, there really is hope that Arsenal are going to knock on. Success is measured in many ways. For Arsenal this season, success has to be either winning the title or being in it a lot longer than they have been over the last decade.
Improvement is seen across the board. The defense is solid. There are plenty of options at all the positions. The midfield is as deep as ever with maybe a true DM the only glaring omission. Though, based on early evidence, especially in the Community Shield, Francis Coquelin has no desire to relinquish the spot.
Up front, Wenger looks likely to go with a rotation of Giroud and Theo at the top. If you watched the Community Shield, you could get a sniff of how this might work. Each offered exactly something different. Theo, looked to time his runs and use his speed against Chelsea’s slower defenders. Bringing in Giroud allowed the midfield to find a target who looked to dish off or create his own scoring chances (he had 3 in the first few minutes on entering the game.)
As we mentioned before, injuries are low and they are presently not long-term injuries. Players have won medals both domestically and internationally. Mentally, everyone is saying the right thing and the focus seems right.
Sure we all believe more spending and more players will firm things up. However, we’ve said it before – as they are currently constituted, Arsenal are capable of making a run on the Premier League trophy.
The simple truth is, there are no longer any excuses. We’ve managed our transition out of the financial woods and now it’s time to deliver on promises that were made when the shovels broke ground. Given what we’ve seen this summer and in the waning months of last season, there is no reason that Arsenal shouldn’t.
