The factors Arsenal should have for a good stint next year

I truly confess I am an amateur and have not been a big supporter of football, except for the last two years. And as a new and proud supporter of Arsenal, I may make mistakes regarding statistics. But as I have seen this year’s premier league very closely, I can say how Arsenal have fared this time and how to stop making mistakes done in the previous season.

Throughout the season, we gunners have had our share of ups and downs. Now, when we begin a new season after the Euro 2012, where more than 10 of our players will participate in the competition, it will be a huge task for Arsene Wenger and staff to assemble the team and play for the season. Here are the points arsenal should take care of:-

1) Don’t make too many transfers

I know many Arsenal fans will not agree with me, but I think Wenger has done a wonderful job in buying adequate players for the lineup. According to me, in the summer transfer window, buying two to three players would be good enough and these should be one midfielder, one striker and one goalkeeper. The most important factor for a team to perform is the way the players are adjusted in the team and their positions in the lineup. As we have a squad limit of 25 (for players above the age of 21), according to me, the team should be as follows:

Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Rosicky, Arteta, Chu-Young, Van Persie, Podolski, Santos, Walcott, Chamberlain, Ramsey, Song, Wilshere, Fabianski, Arshavin, Mannone/new goalkeeper, Lansbury, Jenkinson, Gervinho, Coquelin, Yennaris, Miyaichi, Vela/Bendtner, Joel Campbell, Miquel, one winger and one striker.

Many may say that we should buy defenders but I think we have more than enough. Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen and Koscielny are wonderful players while the coming of age of players like Yennaris, Lansbury, Jenkinson and Coquelin bodes well for the team. If you take the case of Coquelin, he can play both as a midfielder and rightback. The other good young guns include Miyaichi, Joel Campbell and Miquel. Also, Wenger should really try retaining Vela or Bendtner.

But the most important position Arsenal should concentrate on is on the wings. The right wing has the services of the pacy Walcott or Chamberlain, but what about the left wing? True, Podolski can handle that position, but he is much better as a striker. Also, Gervinho has not really adapted to the position. Personally, I would like to try to get Benayoun permanently from Chelsea. I was simply bewitched by his style of play during his stint with us.

2) Keep the momentum

The real reason for Arsenal being only third is that they did not have a good start during the first half of the season as well as at the start of the new year. There were many important games which they lost at crucial moments of the season. Some of them include the draw to Newcastle, the defeats to Liverpool, Blackburn, Swansea, the humiliating loss to Manchester United, etc. While a season progresses, there would definitely defeats and draws along the way. But it is important that there is no panic in the dressing room and it should be ensured that the mistakes from the previous game are not repeated. There are constant cries and reminders of the trophy drought, which has reached 7 years. To win a trophy, it is important to have a good start to the season and keep the momentum going.

3) Injuries

This is the most common element in the Arsenal team. We can thank our lucky stars that RvP did not get injured this season, but unfortunately, the others were. Readers may not agree, but after Mertesacker injured himself in the premier league match against Sunderland, it resulted in two consecutive losses that saw us bow out of the FA Cup and virtually out of the Champions League as well. The injury to Wilshere at the start of the season was a huge blow. Injuries to Arteta and Walcott made us toil to have a secure Champions League berth. Therefore, it is important to keep rotating the squad so that the older players are not susceptible to injuries while at the same time, the youngsters get a good run of games and build experience.

4) Never pressurise the team

Now, this point is for us fans. Some fans and critics (including me) have a habit of criticizing Wenger or the players. In fact, this particular article is also, in many ways, criticizing the team. I once saw Arsenal fans protesting by not turning up in the stands of the Emirates stadium as good players for the team were not bought in the January transfer window. It shows that we do not have faith in the players Arsenal have. The key to a team’s success is not money, but the support and relationship between the supporters and the players. How can one guarantee that a big transfer will be able to perform? Some will be successful, while some will not. Therefore, it is important for us to support the team at all times.

These are the factors, according to me, that may turn the tables for Arsenal.