Five factors that will determine Arsenal's success in 2014/15

As Arsenal enter the 19th year of Arsene Wenger's rule, there is a renewed sense of optimism at the club after winning the FACup last season, ending a drought stretching 8 years.Here is a glance at some factors to note as Arsenal prepare for another season under Le Professeur.

#1 FA Cup win has reignited hunger

Arsenal finally won a trophy last season. The FA Cup victory seems to have awakened Arsenal's hunger as the players and Wenger himself have recently admitted in interviews. They seem to realize that the rebuilding must be finished, that fourth does not feel as good as picking up a trophy in front of screaming fans who revere you.

They now seem to realize that for all the joy and sheer pleasure a beautifully constructed goal inspires, winning a trophy supersedes all that.

Wenger once said ”At some clubs success is accidental. At Arsenal it is compulsory". The time has come for Wenger to show that success for him is no longer a fourth place finish.

#2 New signings show intent

The addition of Mathieu Debuchy and Alexis Sanchez from Newcastle and Barcelona respectively are evidence that Arsene Wenger’s men are eyeing the top prize in the land. There has also been talk of Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira joining up with Germany and former Real teammate Mezut Ozil in Arsenal’s midfield. His addition would provide much needed steel in the centre of Arsenal’s midfield, an aspect in which they were sorely lacking last season.

The arrival of Debuchy is also a plus as he looks capable of filling the Bacary Sagna-shaped hole on the right of Arsenal’s defence but the man who excites the most is World Cup star Sanchez, whose career at Barca never really took off in the way everyone thought it would during his Udinese days.

He can provide thrust, speed, penetration and, most importantly, goals to an Arsenal side which is usually liable to dither away on offense. These additions to an already solid defence and a stellar midfield could make playing Arsenal a somewhat scary proposition for any team.

#3 Striker the need of the hour

Olivier Giroud is not good enough up front. Yes, you read it right, Arsenal fans. He is simply not good enough to be the top striker in a title winning side. This is not to say he should be shipped off as he had a brilliant season by his standards. But the standard of a Championship winning side needs to be much higher. Arsenal’s troubles up top last season are already well documented.

Alvaro Morata was sounded out as a possibility but he has moved to Turin to join Juventus. Arsenal have thankfully parted ways with Nicklas Bendtner but need to bring in a 20-goal player fast. They already have a strong platform with Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and co who can create goal scoring chances all day long but chances don’t win matches. Goals do.

That is the harsh realty and a clinical finisher must be a priority for the North London club. If Arsenal do not resolve this issue fast, it could be game over for them before a ball is kicked.

#4 Is this Arsene\'s last shot at the title?

Last season must rankle in the mind of the Arsenal boss. The fact is, the title was up for grabs last season. City were sleeping till Liverpool woke them up with their serve and volleying of the league. Arsenal, had they not imploded could have easily won the title.

Arsenal led the league for a long time playing high quality football, but owing to different factors such as the big losses in the league, the old Arsenal defensive frailities when it mattered and the mismanagement of Ozil’ s health, who up to that point was looking like their new talisman, led to Arsenal barely sneaking in the door at the proverbial eleventh hour as they got into fourth spot at the expense of an excellent Everton side.

Chelsea and Manchester City, Wenger’s ideological opponents, are looking better than ever with the recent acquisitions like Filipe Luis, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa (Chelsea) and Mangala and Fernando (City).

The imminent revival of Manchester United under Louis van Gaal and Liverpool’s exploits last season point to a ferocious contest for top prizes this time around and begs the question: have Arsenal left it too late? Is Arsene late to the party? That remains to be seen as Arsene starts to ride into the sunset.

#5 Big match performances

Arsenal did not have an easy time against the Premier League elite last season as they got only 13 points from a possible 36 against the top teams as compared to 66 points from 78 against the rest of the league. Of the 13 points they did get, 6 were against Tottenham. So that adds up to 7 from the 30 left which must be considered a disgrace for a team of their size and ambition.

In fact, it was their exceptional record against the lesser teams that kept them at the top for as long as they did and led to them finishing fourth in the end. The fact of the matter is, Premier League winners simply don’t lose matches to their direct rivals by scorelines such as 6-3, 6-0, 5-1 humblings that Arsenal received from the likes of Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool last season.

Defeats like these stifle the team with pressure in the form of lost morale in addition to the points lost, Therefore improving this must be at the centre of Arsene's plans if they are to get their hands on silverware this season.