With the 21st edition of the English Premier League beckoning, there is a question that all football pundits and analysts are pondering.
Who will win the league?
For starters, I recently saw posts by the Arsenal Fans India Facebook page that imply that this could be the Gunners’ season. It said that the last time London hosted the Olympic games, in 1948, Arsenal won the league and added that the last time the Gunners played their opening fixture with Sunderland, they won.
Another strange relation I remember from commentary linked winners of the English and Spanish league from the 2000-01 season to the 2007-08 edition – Manchester United and Real Madrid, Chelsea and Barcelona, Arsenal and Valencia. All these pairs of teams won their respective leagues in parallel: a matter of fact, but also pure coincidence.
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Now, as crazy as some of these stats may be, I am not a believer of such historical coincidences but I am optimistic about this season for a whole lot of other reasons.
Lukas Podolski is changed out for Robin van Persie during a pre-season friendly with Podolski’s former club FC Koln.
If you saw the pre-season match against FC Koln on Saturday, you would have seen the moment captured by the image above, a strange reality.
Lukas Podolski and Robin van Persie both played for Arsenal in the match. Both are experienced strikers and who are currently with Arsenal. If Robin van Persie decides to stay or is not sold by Arsene Wenger at will, Arsenal will have a fearful array of strikers for next season and their front attack can prove to be a headache for any defence. But as I write this piece, Arsene Wenger is in advanced talks with Sir Alex Ferguson who has shown so much interest in acquiring van Persie that he went to the extent of calling up Arsene Wenger personally, to make his offer.
Move over Robin van Persie. Arsenal have prepared themselves for this season, regardless of his decision to stay on. This has been validated by Wenger’s summer signings: Frenchman Olivier Giroud, the Ligue 1 topscorer last season from Montpellier HSC and German veteran Lukas Podolski with a career spanning stints with top Bundesliga clubs. Podolski scored twice in the match against his former side, one via a penalty which was well taken and the other from a cut back by Keiran Gibbs from the left flank, before being replaced after 70 minutes of play by RvP.
But I would say the best catch of the lot this time is Spanish international Santiago Cazorla who was picked up from the La Liga side FC Málaga quite slyly, with Wenger having publicly denied a move linking him to the club earlier. Arsene Wenger should be given due credit for having masked his incoming transfers well this season; his spending remains secretive as always.
Santi Cazorla playing in the pre-season friendly against FC Koln
Coming back to Cazorla, anybody who saw Saturday’s friendly with Cologne would agree that he was the most impressive player on the pitch, having created chance after chance with confidence moving forward which often reminded us of his famous compatriot Cesc Fabregas’ exploits at this club. His passes were accurate, his lobs were exquisite and his touch was deft.
His partnership with fellow compatriot Mikel Arteta in midfield was practical, to put it shortly. With still-injured English prodigy Jack Wilshere yet to return, one can imagine the genius that shall unfold in the centre of midfield. The 4-0 win over FC Koln showed glimpses of an Arsenal side who looked confident and definitive from the start. Not to overdraw on this performance, but this new team will definitely be tested in the first few games of the season and if they can repeat what they did against Cologne on Saturday, they will definitely be one of the frontrunners.
Thomas Vermaelen has packed a real goalscoring punch in the Premier League
If Arsenal want to win comprehensively this season, match after match, they need a very strong defence to start with. Laurent Koscielny has disappointed on more occasions than impressing and Per Mertesacker, it seems, has just not found the right partner. In my honest opinion, Thomas Vermaelen has been the only centre back capable of holding fort after the departure of ex-Arsenal defensive stalwarts Kolo Touré and William Gallas. In the game against FC Koln, the good news for Arsenal fans was the return of Thomas Vermaelen at the centre of defence. The tall and strong Belgian centre back didn’t waste any time in extending his goal tally for Arsenal by heading in the opening goal after just 5 minutes, which was assisted by Mertesacker. Vermaelen is crucial to Arsenal’s quest for title success, any further injuries are simply unaffordable. He is strong at the back and comes up with goals exactly when required. He has shown leadership, time and again, and is rightly Arsene Wenger’s choice as the club’s vice-captain. Vermaelen did start the match wearing the captain’s arm band before he gave it to Robin van Persie who replaced Podolski after 70 minutes. Full backs Bacary Sagna, Keiran Gibbs and Andre Santos have done satisfactorily.
Alex Song is also important to Arsenal’s title quest. Sitting at the front of defence during transition of play, he continues to impress one and all. But Arsene Wenger still needs to bolster his side with some experienced defenders to take care of all possible contingencies.
As we crossover to this new season and look back on the last, some key developments must be looked upon. Andrei Arshavin has returned from the loan spell at his ex-club Zenit St. Petersburg and it will be interesting to see how Wenger uses him this season. Czech international Tomas Rosicky signed a new contract to stay on back in March and has completed six years at the club. Despite slowly ageing, he continues to stay sharp. Aaron Ramsey made an impressive return to the side last season, cementing his position after the departure of Cesc Fabregas. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain rose to prominence with his coming-of-age performances as a substitute while Szcz?sny was a show-stopper and will wear the Number One jersey following his good-but-sometimes-mixed performances and Manuel Almunia’s exit.
From the far east, the likes of Park Chu-Young and Ryo Miachi who joined last season are expected to gel with the newcomers and step up this year but Wenger will most probably play them in Cup ties. Gervinho showed promise this season, but he will need to build on it and increase his accuracy in front of goal. Pat Rice’s departure means Arsene Wenger now relies on Steve Bould to train the first team: what he did best as the Reserves coach. But the most significant change, if it happens, will be the end of Robin van Persie’s journey with Arsenal where he flourished and earned a name for himself. It will be hard to fill his shoes but in Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, Arsenal have to believe.
Arsene Wenger & Co shall have their task cut out this season to pick and choose the best combination for each particular match. Wenger is running out of time on his contract – which ends in 2014 -. I am sure, that of all the people at the club, he is one who yearns to touch and feel silverware the most, to hold it in his arms and see his gleaming face on its polished surface.
After completing 125 years of football last season with a 7-year long hiatus of silverware, Arsenal Football Club and its supporters worldwide are expecting their team to come back to their glorious best and follow the team’s motto, “Victoria Concordia Crescit” which means Victory through Harmony
