Arsenal: Why Their EPL Season Will Still Be a Disaster

Arsenal started off very slowly to the 2011-2012 English Premier League season.  With pressure starting to ease off of Arsene Wenger due to a recent league resurgence, Arsenal looks to be in great form as they close out December.  However, when looking at stats and the squad, one can only wonder how long this run of form can continue.  

The collapse of Arsenal is inevitable.  There is no way a middle-table team can weasel their way atop the Premiership...is there?

RVP

Robin Van Persie is having a very impressive season.  He leads Arsenal and the league with an impressive 15 Premier League goals in 15 appearances (14 starts).  This is obviously an incredible state; however, the team itself has only 31 total goals.  Van Persie has been saving points for Arsenal with his play thus far.

Van Persie has a history of injury problems, especially in recent years.  If something were to happen, who would generate goals for this side?  

It seems as though the fate of Arsenal hangs by the boot of the Dutch strikers' form and health.   

Weak Back 4

Arsenal has probably the weakest back four among all teams competing in the top of the Barclays Premier League.  

Arsenal has 23 goals against in only 15 games thus far (four of these have been own goals).  Wenger was force to make a few stop-gap signings late in the summer transfer window to attempt to mend this defense group.  

Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos have both had a touch-and-go beginning to their English careers.  

Belgium central defender Thomas Vermaelen has emerged this season as a leader and quality back; however, defense will still be an area that Wenger will look to address come January.  

Thin Roster

Arsenal is a team with a very inexperienced, weak bench and Wenger's side has very little options in terms of substitutions.

Park Chu-Young, Tomas Rosicky, Marouane Chamakh, 19-year-old Carl Jenkinson, 19-year-old Ignasi Miquel and 18-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are frankly pitiful bench options for a team of Arsneal's caliber.  

With such weak options apart from the starting XI, greater pressure will be placed on players like Theo Walcott, Robin Van Persie and inexperienced starters like Andre Santos and Aaron Ramsey.  This lack of quality will create a tired squad as the long haul of the English season carries on.  

The inadequacies of Wenger's squad will be come even more apparent when his hand is forced to sit his stars due to injury or fatigue.  

Busy Schedule

Arsenal's biggest enemy are the fixtures itself.  With competition for the top of the EPL table fierce this year, probably the biggest determinant for Arsenal's eventual demise are non-league appearances.  

The FA Cup and UEFA Champions League will pressure Arsenal's terribly weak roster week after week.  Arsenal will play a total of seven games this December and six in January.  This trend of fixtures will continue as long as they remain alive in both the FA Cup and UCL

*Prediction: A tired and injured Arsenal squad will eventually be exploited as they fall to a mid-card finish.

Mid-Table Finish

Arsenal just does not have the squad depth, quality and experience to compete for a Top Four finish this season.  

Unless Wenger finally empties his pockets this January, it is likely that Arsenal will not be able to keep up with the Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and the Manchester clubs for a Champions League berth next season.  

Arsenal will suffer a mid-season collapse due to injuries and finish sixth in England, behind (5) Liverpool and (4) Tottenham.