Arsenal FC: 5 Biggest Hurdles of the 2011 EPL Season

Then came the expected courtship by Barcelona and the raid by other clubs on the impressionable, trophy-dry players of Arsenal. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Barcelona, and several others I am sure were all at one point connected with a player from Arsenal during the summer.

In particular, the two big transfer targets were Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. The Fabregas, prodigal son transfer sage seemed inevitable, whether it be this summer or one in the future. Nasri’s transfer saga gave out a different stench.

Arsenal attempted to resign the French midfielder, but the end of season collapse, early season spotlight, and the wages offered by Manchester City turned the player’s head. Nasri clearly thought the grass might be greener in North England.

The two departures leave an Arsenal side baron of talent and quality that has been customary at the Emirates. Clearly, replacing the two midfield players’ production for the Gunners will be one giant hurdle throughout the season.

Arsenal has other things to worry about as well as the post Fabregas era gets underway in North London. The following list is composed of five hurdles that Arsenal will need to clear in order to end their trophy famine.

1. Finish August with a Bang

The summer came and went without any significant signings by Arsene Wenger worthy of any amount of hype. All the empty rumors of different transfer targets have yet to show any fruit outside of the handful of raw, youth talents brought into the fold.

A lack of noteworthy spending has seen the supporters’ restlessness surface in an impatiently unpleasant manner at the Emirates before the season even got underway.

The Gunners opened their campaign with a tough, well fought out draw at Newcastle on the opening day of the season. Gervinho made his first EPL start and the debutant wasted no time introducing himself when he received a red card in the second half.

Arsenal faced a defensive minded Liverpool lineup at home during the second weekend of the season. Wenger’s team entered the game already light when they suffered a second consecutive red card with newly promoted Frimpong being disciplined twice during the match with two cautions.

The 10-man Gunners allowed a breakthrough goal to Liverpool (on an offside’s move by the Reds) with an own goal that summed up the league’s calamitous view of the North London side in a single play.

Wenger rallied his troops to qualify once again during midweek for Champions League football by defeating Udinese 3-1 on aggregate in the Champions League playoffs. The penalty save by Wojciech Szczesny from the spot essentially allowed Arsenal to keep over £20m on the books for the upcoming year. The victory provided the Gunners with cash, confidence, and the capability to sign any top-level player that they wished to entice with Champions League play in England.

Now, Wenger must do just that. Sign players capable of making a noticeable addition to the squad in league and cup play. The current squad lacks the quality to compete in Europe and certainly the ability to challenge for the table’s top spot.

A victory for Arsenal away at Old Trafford would inject a powerful cocktail of confidence, reassurance, and trust pack into the squad. Any victory against Manchester United results in a confidence booster, but this year that boost would be go even longer than usual.

The current crop of youngsters mixed in with a few veterans remains incredibly impressionable. The funny thing about sports lies in the fact that a tight knit, confident locker room should be feared.

If Arsenal wants to produce a formidable challenge in the league, they must finish out August on an opera like, high note. Beat the defending league champions Manchester United and spend some cash on quality players.

2. Finishing in the Top 4

The very hour Arsenal read over the fixture list assigned to them for the 2011-2012 season in the EPL was the identical moment supporters forced down a big lump in their throat.

Arsenal came off a second half to a season that saw them stumble down the stretch and fall flat on their face into fourth place. The same squad that remained in all four competitions at the turn of the calendar year fell off each stage one by one during their second half free fall.

The club has endured a whirlwind of events in the past two weeks, which witnessed the Gunners lose their talisman captain and play making want away from the midfield. Both exits have spurned Arsenal supporters in the side as they apprehensively wait for their penny-counting boss to reinvest the new transfer monies.

Wenger will have his hands full keeping his squad in contention for a top four finish. The talk of a possible relegation showcases the extreme oversight of Wenger’s coaching ability, those proclamations should not even receive acknowledgement this early in the season. Arsenal has never been relegated in its history from their first promotion to the top flight of English football.

The Gunners must compete with oil-rich Manchester City, a restructured Liverpool, and a talented Tottenham throughout the season for a top four finish. Manchester United and Chelsea field squads that should have no qualms about qualifying in the top four.

Arsenal has slid into the fourth position quite often during their six-year trophy drought. The lack of experience and top class talent within the squad could prove to be a big hurdle in the way of a securing one of the four coveted Champions League spots.

3. Faltering Down the Stretch

Arsenal time after time, season after season, and spring after spring have repeatedly forgotten to tightly lace up their boots, and continue to trip over themselves down the stretch. Youth, the referees, or a key injury remained the regurgitated answer from the Arsenal boss.

In order for this team to end their trophy drought they must not shy away from the big games in the second half of the season. It seems like every match over the past two to three years that Arsenal could seize upon a golden opportunity within the league, they would somehow screw it up.

Emmanuel Eboue’s unnecessary shepherding against Liverpool after Arsenal’s go ahead penalty in extra time illustrates a synopsis of their second half stupidity.

Maybe the Cesc Fabregas saga had taken its toll on the susceptible squad. Maybe Wenger simply did not play the right players during certain matches. Maybe some players, or the entire squad as a whole did not contain that resolute burning desire in the pit of every ruthless competitor.

Arsenal lack the knowledge of how to close out big games, how to win, and how to finish title races with strong push with their old squad. Wenger has done a smart thing in my opinion.

He replaced the want away players alongside the players who lacked a contagious competitive fire. The nomination of Robin Van Persie as the new captain was no accident, or next in line promotion. Wenger clearly wants a team with more passion that puts the club’s desires before their individual goals, and a vocal leader that wears his emotions on his sleeve.

Van Persie’s role as the captain will pay big dividends down the stretch for the Gunners. His demonstrative nature will bleed through his team and fester a rabid thirst for silverware in the guts of his peers.

4. Silencing the Outside Noise

A main factor for success with this incredibly young Arsenal team resides in their ability to shutout the noise coming from outside their locker room. As I have mentioned before in this slideshow, this team consists of newly promoted youngsters who remain easily impressionable.

The British media has plenty of bloodthirsty reports that love to pry, prick, and press the different members of each club for the latest gossip or angle. Arsenal supporters will also contribute to the audible disruptions outside the player’s locker room throughout the campaign.

All the boos, grumblings, and rumblings resulting from the supporters’ unrest could bring unwarranted extra pressure to a squad that already has a full plate as it is. Arsene Wenger’s coaching abilities will go under further testing because he must maintain the spirits within the dressing room despite any letdowns.

It is up to the manager and the captain to keep a locker straight and focused on the tasks ahead. With a young squad that will be searching for continuity throughout the season, there undoubtedly lie some bumps in the road.

The young lads must show their mental strength, grit, and resolve after a poor result. Spirits must remain high and refreshingly youthful in the locker room for the Gunners. If they let any outside noise distract them.

5. Staying Healthy

Arsenal has had a rough go of things in the past few years when it comes to injuries. So much so that the lack of physio quality within the club came up in a discussion at my local Irish pub.

Put that thought in your pocket for a rainy day when I decide to expand upon that further.

The Gunners have endured quite the long list of injuries to key players. Not only do they suffer an injury, but also they all seem to re-aggravate the injury down the road.

Maybe Arsene Wenger has an eye for potential talent, and injury prone players because it sure seems that way.

Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie were easily the only two world-class players on the North London club’s roster. Yet neither player managed to stay away from the physio table for an extended period of time in the last few years. The consistent absence from play has earned Van Persie the nickname “glass ankles.”

Usually Wenger constructs a sizable squad containing almost two full squads. Interchanging second team players into the first team throughout the season allowing for rest and preventing burn out.

This season the team weighs in as light as a feather at the moment, and that’s their starting lineup. Arsenal’s bench does not bestow quality depth in case a player goes down.

Pending on what Wenger does during the final stretch of the free agency market will determine the level of depth in the squad. If the Arsenal boss brings in starting caliber talent in a couple positions, then they should maintain a roster that accounts for the players’ safety as well as their performance.

If the Gunners lose certain marquee players to injury for any extended period of time, the likelihood of them qualifying within the top four or ending their trophy drought severely diminishes in 2011-2012.