Gooners' Views is a new series of articles where Gooners express their views on everything related to Arsenal.
This is after the moderate success of Rivals' Views, where fans of many other clubs managed to express their opinions about their respective clubs.
I managed to catch up with Maire Ofeire and Joe Guarr, two very promising writers on Bleacher Report, and asked them about how Arsenal will fare this season, among other things.
1. Which trophy/trophies do you think we have a chance of winning?
Maire: I have always had a belief that Arsenal can challenge for the Premiership under Arsene Wenger. Last season, Arsenal were accused of "falling away" and not been a "real challenge" to Chelsea or Manchester United, yet the Gunners only finished four points off the top.
I'm not buying into the whole media fear that Arsenal are weaker this season. In my view the only real loss is Mathieu Flamini. Alexander Hleb is overrated. If van Persie can stay off the injury table and Rosicky, Eduardo, and Diaby make a comeback then Arsenal will have a very good squad.
I think Arsenal have the capability to challenge for any of the four cups they are involved in and I think we will win one. If I have to pick one it would be the FA Cup, where I think Arsene will blend in the best of the young guys who are playing in the Carling Cup with the likes of Fabregas, Toure, Adebayor playing their part as well.
Joe: I don't think any trophy is out of the question at this point in the season. The team definitely has the talent to contend for the Premier League title, though right now they lack the consistency.
The youthful squad that Wenger has put out in the Carling Cup proved their worth with a 6-0 demolition of Sheffield United, thanks in no small part to Carlos Vela. Arsenal also plays a style that's well-suited for European competition, so I expect them to advance deep into the UEFA Champions League. A decent number of these players were around for their run to the UCL final in 2006, so they know what it will take.
The only thing that worries me is with so many youngsters in the squad, fixture congestion could begin to take a toll on Arsenal towards the middle and end of the season. That said, Hull is showing right now that youth does not necessarily equal failure. Arsenal still has a legitimate shot at a great deal of silverware this season.
2. Which youngster do you feel most excited by coming through the ranks at Arsenal?
Maire: Ask this question to fans of other clubs and they would find it easier to answer such is the wealth of talent at Arsenal. Who do you pick? Vito Mannone? Harvard Nordtveit? Keiran Gibbs? Mark Randall? Henri Lansbury? Fran Merida? Jay Emmanuel-Thomas? Nacer Barazite?
For me, the name that excites me most is Jack Wilshere. He has been at Arsenal since 2001 and when he played against Sheffield Wednesday he was by no means daunted by the task. I have a feeling he will be gradually brought into the first team by Wenger, similar to Walcott.
Joe: There's so much great youth talent here at Arsenal that it's hard to choose. It's even more difficult to apply the "youth" label when I'm older than Cesc Fabregas, their best player (though only by a year.) If I were pressed, I think I'd have to say Jack Wilshere.
Wenger seems to think very highly of his talent, and he's already popped in a few goals in friendlies and one in the aforementioned Carling Cup tie. I'm definitely excited to see what a lad with Wilshere's considerable talents can do under the guidance of Wenger.
3. Will we recover after our initial slip-ups in the Premier League?
Maire: I believe so—well, if you don't have belief what have you got left? Each team goes through a bad patch but people just seem to write off Arsenal. I think in a strange way it might work to our advantage as the team may respond better come February or March to being three points behind as opposed to three points ahead.
To some degree, last year Arsenal were built up by the media for a big fall thanks to the fantastic start we had. This year it may work better for us to stay within three to four points of the leaders and slip in under the radar somewhat.
Joe: There's no question that Arsenal will recover from their early season slip-ups. With all due respect to Roy Keane's squad, this team simply has too much talent to keep dropping points against the Sunderlands of the world.
Fabregas is talented and hungry and should provide the leadership necessary to get the club back on track. If Wenger is able to add a couple of pieces during the January transfer window, I'd expect this team to remain around the very top of the table into late April and May. I think last season showed that Arsenal is not too far away from success.
I'd like to thank both Maire and Joe for co-operating with me, and taking time out of their busy schedules to contribute to the first edition of Gooners' Views.
Will Arsenal win anything this season? Maire and Joe had their say, you can have your say too - just drop in a comment and let us know!
