Following arguably the most surprising Premier League season in the history of the competition, I thought I'd test my predictive powers on the upcoming year. In this series, I will profile the clubs involved in this season, covering the big summer changes, expected tactics, and recent performance, before making a judgement on the team as a whole.
I'll start my roundup with Arsenal.
Last season
Despite the club achieving its highest finish for more than a decade, securing the 2nd spot on the final day by pipping local rivals Tottenham, last season still goes down as a disappointment for Arsene Wenger's men, finishing 10 points behind champions Leicester. With their main title rivals all failing to maintain any consistency, it was seen as Arsenal's biggest chance to win their first championship since 2004. Throw in disappointing exits to both the FA Cup and Champions League, and there were once again calls for the head of the manager.
Backroom changes
Despite the pressure being put on him, Wenger has endured to start his 21st season at the helm of the Gunners. In line with that, there have not been all that many changes at the Emirates off the pitch, with the only news to emerge from the club that legend Thierry Henry would leave his role as under-18s coach to focus on his punditry career.
Pre-season
Just the four fixtures for the Arsenal squad to warm themselves up, with the planned fixture against French side Lens abandoned due to the terrorist atrocities seen. Of the matches played, the Gunners saw a narrow 2-1 win over the MLS All-Stars, with youngster Chuba Akpom adding to a Joel Campbell goal late on.
The Gunners have maintained a strong momentum heading into the Premier League, with convincing wins over Guadalajara, Viking and, most impressively, Manchester City, with the latter a 3-2 thriller in Gothenburg.
Squad and Signings
With stupid sums of money flying around this summer, it came as no surprise to anyone that Wenger announced he would not be spending large amounts on transfers this summer, with the £35m signing of Swiss international Granit Xhaka expected to be the most expensive move. In addition to this headline signing, Arsenal have added youngsters Takuma Asano and Rob Holding from Hiroshima Sanfrecce and Bolton Wanderers respectively.
However, their largest exploits have yet to come off, with approaches for both Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez being given the cold shoulder by the individuals.
In terms of exits, Arsenal fans will be pleased that there have been no significant departures, with the releases of ageing stars Mathieu Flamini, Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky the most high profile, as well as a few loans.
Tactics
Exactly the same as it has been the last 20 seasons, namely, quick pass and move football on a slick surface. With Olivier Giroud still the main striker, expect to see some long balls for the Frenchman to hold up when the team is under pressure.
Prediction
While pundits like Martin Keown and Ian Wright will once again proclaim that 'this just feels like Arsenal's year', I just don't see it. The fact that they feel unable to keep up financially with their rivals tells you that they are not in the same fight. For me, it seems set to be another North London competition, but this time for a place in the Champions League rather than the title. As they have done so often in the past, it's a battle I see the Gunners winning.
Final position: 4th
No comments:
Post a Comment