Arsenal Community Roundtable: A Discussion with Our Analysts
Welcome to the Arsenal community round-table.
We will discuss and dissect Arsenal’s problems, expectations of the new season, transfer policy, status of the current players, and much more.
First off, I would like to express my gratitude to our community’s analysts, Deepak Israni, Callum D’Souza, Tumang Bokaba, and Mohamed Eldin Masri for their willingness to participate in this round-table discussion.
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They have burdened themselves with the difficult task of exploring the most pressing matters for the Gunners, just before the start of the new season.
Let’s not keep you waiting. Let the discussion initiate:
The new Premier League season is just about to begin. What are your expectations for the Gunners this year?
Well, like our captain Fabregas said in an interview, "Our goal is never the fourth spot, we want to win." I also expect nothing less than the Premier League title from the Gunners. We have a good squad, and we can definitely win.
I am confident that this is the season the Gunners will break their trophy drought, whether it’s in the league or in a cup tournament.
I accept we have lost key players, but a big positive is the batch of players Arsene Wenger has been working with for a couple of years now: Alexandre Song, Abou Diaby, Denilson, and Johan Djourou. They all have sufficient experience under their belt.
Last season, we witnessed what the likes of Denilson and Song can do and now with a full season behind their back, they can become seniors of the team. As for Diaby, he will be a huge star if he manages to stay fit. I pray he maintains fitness throughout the season.
It’s easy for me to say, I expect them to win the championship. But honestly unless they beef up the squad and add more depth, we wont do any better than last season.
Barring any more injuries, and knowing how quick Arsenal tends to start the season, I expect them to do at least better last season and eventually capture at least one cup trophy.
I believe that Arsenal should not be judged by the preseason performances—they played against much weaker sides, and also against Valencia with the reserves in the second half of the game.
If the young members of the squad learn from the mistakes they made last year, then I believe silverware will come to the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season.
Arsenal are meeting Everton, Manchester United, and Manchester City in three of the first four matches of the new season. Do you think a good start will signal a title challenge by Arsenal? Why or why not?
Definitely! Everton, United, and City are all good teams and if Arsenal do manage to win all of those matches, it will surely instill a lot of confidence in our players. Arsenal would then be in the driving seat.
Those encounters will reflect which way Arsenal's season will go. If they win all three, then it's clear Arsenal will be genuine title contenders. If they lose the majority, then Arsenal will be playing for the fourth spot this year.
Everton and Manchester United will be tough challenges and it's important that Arsenal do not shrink from the physical encounters of those battles. As for City, I will wait and see.
If they win all four, they might be unstoppable. I think the club learned their lesson from two seasons ago when they led the log for the better part of the season, only to crumble in the end.
Remember one thing: no one is giving them a chance. If we beat Everton, our tails will be raised with confidence. If we pass the Manchester United challenge, then we will be roaring. Manchester City is a touch-and-go for me, but a draw against them would be a disaster.
Definitely, not only will you have a good start, but you'll also avoid the stronger teams and be left with the weaker teams to collect points from.
If Wenger's boys hurt both United and City in their own backyard, then all they'll need to do is deliver the final blow at the Emirates.
Let’s address the issue of signing new players. Arsene Wenger has been labelled as a bit inactive when it comes to dealings in the transfer window. Do you agree with that? Thinking realistically, which player do you want to see at the club?
Well, I sort of agree with that. After signing Thomas Vermaelen and the sales of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor, we acquired £41 million and we still haven’t seen a bid made for a decent player. If you are counting Chamakh as a good signing, then I must say sorry, he is not that great.
I would love to see Jeremy Toulalan and Per Mertesacker joining Arsenal. A striker is not that necessary, but Alvaro Negredo, with his physical presence, would do a world of good.
Arsene is awful in the transfer market. I admit he has brought talent to the club over the past few seasons, but Arsenal have lost so many vital players; such as Vieira, Henry, Gilberto, and Toure—they need to be replaced.
I don't think Arsene has really found the proper replacements for some of them, though he has brought in some immensely talented rough gems.
I believe Wenger has to get Marouane Chamakh; he is tall, imposing, has a great work ethic, and can finish. Brede Hangeland and Blaise Matuidi are also must buy.
The same goes for Patrick Vieira, as he should come cheap. Actually, he doesn’t have to play that much, his presence will be so vital; he can be a mentor to the likes of Denilson and Abou Diaby and can lead the team.
I am not crazy about his "stealth" recruiting; it inflates their prices if you try to sign a player at the last minute. My frustration stems from his silence on potential new signings, though I still understand that talking about players you are interested in might raise unwanted attention.
For me, Matuidi would be ideal and Brede Hangelland too. Otherwise, the presence of talent in the squad is solid enough.
I'm not against selling the likes of Toure and Adebayor. I'm scared of not getting replacements.
Realistically speaking, I believe German internationals Per Mertesacker and Simon Rolfes are exactly what Arsenal need—a strong defender capable of clearing the ball who also possesses a great header, and is a brilliant defensive midfielder that could help break up the play of the opposition. On top of that he is also player who occasionally goes forward.
If Wenger isn't planning to sign any new players, I believe he should at least let Johan Djourou play as defensive midfielder, his original position.
Where do you think Arsenal’s current biggest strengths and weaknesses lay?
Arsenal’s biggest strength is going to be the attack, with Arshavin, Van Persie, and Eduardo, we have a lot of quality in attack.
The biggest weakness of Arsenal has to be its players being injury prone—we seem to lose players to injuries in important junctures of the season. If we keep everyone fit, we have a chance of winning.
There biggest strength is their passing and pace up front. On the day when Arsenal has an injury-free team, you have the likes of Asharvin, Nasri, Rosicky, and Walcott causing problems for the opposition in the centre of the park, and upfront Van Persie, Eduardo, Vela, and Bendtner are finishing the attacks.
The weakness would have to be the defensive aspect of the midfield and the defense from set pieces.
However, I believe Song can cure the defensive problems in the midfield, and if Gallas returns to the top form he has shown last season, as well as if Vermaelen manages to adapt quickly, all will be well.
Our strength, I believe, is also our weakness. We attack like there's no tomorrow.
Our strength is our ability to keep the ball, make the other team chase for it, our counter-attacking is as beautiful as it is breathtaking, but in truth we can’t defend properly. If we get that right, we will be unstoppable.
Just imagine what an Arsenal vs. Barcelona game would look like!
As usual, Arsenal's strength is in its offense, while its weakness is defense.
The defenders rely too much on the off-side trap and usually fail, Silvestre and Djourou never seem to understand each other.
Also, Silvestre is usually a left back, but Wenger keeps trying to switch the players' positions; it shouldn't be done with a 32-year-old, he's just not that fit for experiments.
According to you, which player will do great this season? Your prediction for Arsenal’s Player of the Year?
Andrey Arshavin.
Andrey Asharvin and Jack Wilshere.
Asharvin is like a magician with the ball and we saw what he could do in only a few months of EPL football. Imagine what he can do in a full season of EPL and Champions League football.
Jack Wilshere is just an amazing talent and he needs to see first team football.
It is a toss-up between Van Persie, Ashavin, and Fabregas.
I believe that would be hard to predict, you've got Fabregas and Van Persie as usual, Arshavin who is definitely the biggest nominee for the prize—judging by his recent performances, maybe Bendtner (depending on his consistency), maybe wonder-kid Wilshere.
However, in my opinion, the biggest surprises might be Rosicky and Eduardo. Both are starving for football. Rosicky might be out for five weeks now, but I believe if he finds his form, along with Eduardo, they might be the biggest surprises of the season.
Finally, there has been a lot of talk about players being allowed to leave the club for profit. Do you think Wenger is still running the club well, if not what has he been doing wrong?
Wenger is doing fine, the sales of Adebayor and Toure are highly justified. He has not, like many say, "sold the fourth position" to Manchester City.
I still trust Wenger, but leaving the club for profit isn't the way to go. However, I trust Wenger and still remain confident in the Frenchmen.
What Arsene Wenger is doing now is something he has been doing for well over a decade now. The difference is that we were winning then.
Fans can be myopic sometimes, but Arsene Wenger isn’t doing anything differently now than what he has always been doing since his arrival at the club. I promise you we will win the EPL, all those sales we'll be seen a masterstroke.
Like I said before, I don't care about the players who left. The players that aren't arriving are what really scare me. Wenger should sign a great defender and a top-class defensive midfielder, if not, then there might be a chance of Arsenal missing out on trophies yet again.
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