Speaking before the Champions league clash with Napoli, Arsene Wenger played down expectations of winning the league title “We want the right balance between ambition and humility. To speak about the title today is ridiculous,” he said. However his comments beg the question what is truly realistic for the Gunners this season?
The Manchester clubs are currently struggling with their form under new management. Manchester United under David Moyes have lost 3 out of their 7 competitive games whilst Manchester City lie at the foot of the table in the form table in terms of playing away. A Mourinho revival has yet to be sparked at Chelsea with the blues struggling to find a place to accommodate arguably their best player Juan Mata. Meanwhile the problem of striker also continues to hamper the good start that was anticipated for Chelsea this season. Similarly to Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have made good starts but their title credentials have yet to be truly scrutinized. This leaves the door open for the Gunners…
The signing of Ozil has sent most Arsenal fans into delirium. The German has left expectations soaring. Since his arrival Arsenal have won all of their games and sit pretty at the top of the Premier League with very important wins in Europe against Marseille and Napoli to boot. The Villa game was just one single game Arsenal have lost in 22 and this form has left many Arsenal fans pondering over the possibility of challenging for the title once again. The last time Arsenal properly tested for the league title was the 2007/2008 season, where up until the horrific injury of Eduardo, Arsenal were top and in a commanding position to win the league.
Luck! Often said by Sir Alex that luck is man made and that if you work hard enough you will make your own luck. But do you make your own luck in football or is it a universal force acting for or against you? Man United have continually won titles and trophies during his reign reinforcing his idea that you do make your own luck. However injuries for Arsenal have piled up of late with Chamberlain, Cazorla, Walcott and Podolski being sidelined and this truly begs the question is luck man made. Despite this abundance of injuries present at this moment in time, Arsenal still lie pretty at the top of the Premier League. The performance against Napoli further emphasises the confidence level with which Arsenal are playing and with the injured players returning, the Gunners look in a strong position to finally wipe the dust off the Emirates trophy cabinet.
Not only is the league in Arsenal’s sights this year, the other 3 trophies are not a world apart either. The League Cup is where the Arsenal youngsters usually display their talents with players on the periphery like Vermaelen adding to a strong Carling cup squad this year. On their day Arsenal can beat anyone and the Fa cup invites them to exercise this power. The Champions league is where Arsenal have the greatest chance of winning a trophy this year, the new found resilience running throughout the team and the ability to counter attack very quickly sets them up perfectly for playing away. In addition the ease at which Arsenal keep the ball make the Emirates a fortress for the home team. If Arsenal keep the faith and confidence the quadruple could be on the cards but I think most Arsenal fans would be happy with just one, to finally silence the critics!
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Photo via Ronnie Macdonald