Ok, right off the bat, I’m going to make this well known – I do not for one second believe we will win the Premier League next year.
This year has been a sort of rodeo, where the bull is the top four. Next year in the league for us should be a consolidation season, cementing our place as a comfortable top four team.
This seems counter productive, and some people will say ‘ we’re Arsenal, we shouldn’t just settle for top four,’ to this my response would be – get with the times.
As it stands, we are not good enough to win the league, and we don’t have a god given right to challenge just because of our history. With a fully fit Jack Wilshere and a season where we actually have the luxury of full-backs, I believe we can have a fairly successful league season next year, especially since I truly believe Robin van Persie will sign a new contract.
However, in a sense, I do agree that we need something. Some small victory to restore faith in our abilities. We’ve come close several times in the last few years, reaching finals and semi-finals, to be undone, mostly by our own shortcomings. However, the signing of Lukas Podolski can be the catalyst for some cup success next year.
Here’s why:
One of the main reasons for our lack of success was because of our lack of depth in the squad. We simply didn’t have enough quality to compete in four competitions at any given time and this led to injuries which, because we didn’t have the depth in the squad, led to us losing those various semi-finals and finals. Think back to Birmingham last year, we lost Van Persie during the match, and were missing Fabregas, Vermaelen and Walcott from previous injuries. This meant that four of our best players were missing, and for cover, we had an out-of-form trio of Bendtner, Rosicky and Arshavin and the inexperienced Djourou. We don’t need to recount what happened next.
However, imagine ourselves in the position next season. Van Persie gets injured, and we have a capable replacement in Podolski. If Walcott gets injured, we again have Podolski or Chamberlain to call upon. Vermaelen injured? Mertesacker steps in. If the signing of Yann M’Vila goes through, this means we essentially have enough cover to replace our entire midfield. We already have enough cover for every defensive position (Vermaelen/Mertesacker, Koscielny/Djourou, Sagna/Jenkinson and Gibbs/Santos) and if the signing of Podolski goes through and we don’t loan Miyaichi out, then we have the same depth up front. And the cover is of good quality. This essentially means that we could field an entirely different side in cup matches as we do in league and European matches. Although, due to the inevitable injuries, it never works out this way.
So injuries permitting and dependant on form, our first choice XI could look a little like this:
Szczesny
Sagna Koscielny Vermaelen Gibbs
Song Arteta
Wilshere
Walcott Gervinho/Podolski
Van Persie
That is the team (apart from Jack) which has managed to recover from its abysmal start to the season to being right in there in the battle for the top four. So with Jack back, and Podolski joining and hopefully not starting a season like that ever again, we should be able to do the same next season.
In the cups however, we have a chance to rest our ‘league team’ in the earlier round, and could potentially play a completely different starting XI which would look something like this:
Fabianski
Jenkinson Djourou Mertesacker Santos
M’Vila/Coquelin Diaby
Ramsey
Chamberlain Miyaichi
Podolski
Which I think most of you will agree is no shabby team and, depending on the difficulty of the draw, could definitely get us at least into the quarters/semi finals of the Carling Cup and the F.A Cup.
This will also benefit our endeavours in the league, as it allows more rest to key players, such as Van Persie, reducing the risk of injury.
So with the signing of Podolski and the development of some of the youth players, we should be able to field a side stronger than most other Premier League sides ‘second’ teams, and maybe, just maybe, end our trophy drought.
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So no rosicky? moron.
Podolski, Vertonghen, M’Villa, Ryo, Coquelin should all be included in the new ARSENAL team, and GOD helping us, we could win the champions league.
M’villa cost 15-17M, he may start 1st XI. buy big mean u have to good control or manage at rest room
don’t become blue moon.
My ideal Arsenal 25 team members including 2 signings for next season;
Szczesny
Fabianski
Sagna
Koscielny
Vermaelen
Gibbs
Santos
Jenkinson
Djourou
M’Vila
Coquelin
Frimpong
Diaby
Ramsey
Chamberlain Miyaichi
Metersacker
Miquel
Song
Arteta
Wilshere
Walcott Gervinho
Podolski
Van Persie
With these 25 we will win a trophy bet your money on it!
WISHERE IS NO ATTACKING MIDFIELDER,,WHY DO U FORGET THIS WRITER ??AND WENGER KNOWS THAT SOO HE’LL B MORE LIKELY TO FEATURE ALONGSIDE IN CENTRAL MIDFIELD..THE TEAM SHUD B LIKE THIS:
sZENY
SAGNA KOS VERMAELEN/MERT SANTOS/GIBBS
2 OF SONG/ARTETA/WISHERE/DIABY
rOSICKY/RAMSEY/OX
WALCOTT/ARSHAVIN PERSIE PODOLSKI/GERVINHO
we wont win the leauge next season becos of wenger. Dont get me wrong he is a great manager but certainli not a great tactical coach. We lost the carling cup final last year not becos of injuries but becos of the lack of technical depth of our manager. He has lost 5 cup finals as an arsenal manager and dis cant all be blamed on luck or injuries. Remember 2000 eufa cup finals against Galatasary, how about the 2001 FA cup final against liverpool, dis were games dat a more astute tactician wud have won. Then there is his selection problem having blind faith in average players and willing to stagnate teams growth for dem. Is he not making the same mistake with ramsey as he did with danielson, only time will tell
players needed 4 next season includes
An experienced gk {maybe buffon-£4m} or martinez-academy
Vertoghen-£10m
M’villa-£15m
A.johnson-£10m or sesgeggnon-£10m
Montolivo-bosman
O.giroud-£15m
Poldi-£11m
Total-about £65m
With this our team next season will look like this
Gk-sczcneny,martinez\buffon
Lb-gibbs,santos
Rb-sagna,jekinson
Cb-Vertoghen,vermaelen,koscielney,mertesacker
Dm-song,M’villa,diaby,arteta,le coq
Cm-wilshere,rosicky,ramsey,Montolivo
Am-walcott,aoc,A.johnson\sesgeggnon,ryo,gervinho
F-v.persie,o.giroud,Poldi,park
With these group,,we would be a great force in world football come next season.
Up gunnerz!!!
hello my fellow gunner fans happy ester.let us hav the heart of luv.As about the issues of progress in our team.first we let DJOURU go bring voghtohan vaminator partner in national team bring in m.villa, podoski.then we wil start to notice a change in the team,4 some guys saying bring in jackwilla in to first team line up is not dat ok i no is a talented young player his time will come an he will be a regulla start or rotation will be ok 4 him ateta.4 dat of ryodihon (miyachi) it should stay at reebook stadium 4 half season when it get back into the team in january when the league hav started to hot, it will be a gud addition to the team.then rotation process will take place because of munch competition. Schesny kosieny vaminator sagna santos song ateta
rosicky thiowacot geovino RVP With this first xi players we can manch any team in europe.2nd xi team should be like dis. Fabiaski metasaker voghtohan jackyson/ gibbs caquiline
m-villa jackwilla/ diaby
ramsey
ox miyachi podoski/pack
We will go far with dis squard even winning truphy.Gunners til i die
Buffon will never come to sit on the bench, especially when he is the Italy/Juve number 1 and he will never be sold for 4million. Your looking at 10 million at least. It’s clear with padolski we need another 4 players to be signed in the summer to compete for honors domestically. I would say 7 to even compete with Barca & Real in Europe. We certainly need another center back because as Man Utd have shown you need at least 4 strong center halves to win league.
We need two more central midfielders, one to play just behind RVP especially in the short term. Rosicky is a good squad player now to have and Ramsey is one for the future. Plus we need another back up striker who is younger then RVP and has the potential to takeover that position in the coming seasons. Plus RVP needs to sign his contract and we are looking at experienced, cheap Goalkeepers the Schwarzers the man.
Yes we are Arsenal and the board has to behave knowing that they seat at the helm of this great club Arsenal.Our tradition is to play not any play but eyes mesmerizing play.
Call me cynical but this is not how are playing nowadays.Our passes are simply below are well below par.At best we have un-intercepted side-way passes.It will hype the ratio of possession but nothing more.
I am not here to make names of players that we need but definitely a fantastic play maker is badly needed.Oh please do not tell me Wilshere because is not the type i am asking.I am looking somebody like Silva or Cesc .This type of players only will restore our badly missed arsenal play.
In the front department is being years since we do not have a striker.If i recall well there was no stabilty in that field since HENRY.One minute is Ade-Bendtner and now after ages of treatment we got V.Persie.
It is time to look seriously at those department.