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It is a popular opinion that Arsenal played some of the best football in England and all of Europe this season, and that doesn’t come as a surprise. Arsene Wenger’s side has always been defined by an attractive, possession-based style of football; the only difference this season being that they have converted this possession into goals and victories.
The season didn’t get off to a good start for Arsenal, falling 11 points behind the eventual champions, Chelsea, after just the first eight games. In the last 30 games, however, the Gunners matched Chelsea step for step, grabbing 64 points to the champions’ 65. The turning point in Arsenal’s season seemed to be the integration of youngster Hector Bellerin at right-back and the return of Francis Coquelin as the holding midfielder, the latter being Arsenal’s best player in most games.
2014/15 was a season of progress for Arsenal
Wins against Manchester City and Liverpool in the league and an emotional victory against Manchester United in the FA Cup, with a Danny Welbeck winner, made for an exciting latter half of the season for their fans, with Arsenal eventually finishing third in the Premier League, guaranteeing Champions League football and successfully retaining the FA Cup with a convincing 4-0 victory over Aston Villa at Wembley.
The signing of Alexis Sanchez was a masterstroke, the Chilean fitting into the Arsenal side immediately and contributing with 25 goals in his debut season in England, including a goal in the FA Cup final. The improvement in the team’s shape, drive and balance is visible with forwards falling back to defend, even as Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have gotten stronger and stronger as a defensive pairing over the season.
Wenger has showed flexibility in his selections this season, choosing to play David Ospina over Wojciech Szczesny in early January, the former signing with the club in the summer after some terrific World Cup performances. The Colombian has provided a no-nonsense calmness to the Arsenal back four, making the defence sturdier and less likely to make a mistake than it was with Szczesny between the sticks.
Nacho Monreal also saw himself shine in an unfamiliar centre-back position during an injury crisis that took out half of Arsenal’s defence. He cemented his position in the side in his traditional left-back role ever since. As with previous seasons, injuries have been a constant worry for the side, but the return from injury of the likes of Theo Walcott and Mathieu Debuchy among others will bulk up the Arsenal squad, adding crucial numbers.
The work has just begun for Arsenal and that’s why the manager’s job starts early this season. With Wenger in his 20th year of management at Arsenal, it is imperative for the side to carry forward the momentum and excitement that surrounds the club. Here are the 5 key things Arsenal need to do before and during the 2015/16 season.
1) Keep Arsenal’s player core intact
Arsenal ended the 2014/15 season with a solid core after Wenger added both quality and quantity over the last couple of seasons. The likes of Ozil and Sanchez could prove to be match winners in crucial games, especially against fellow top four sides and in Europe.
But over the course of an entire season, it will be Aaron Ramsey - the engine of the side, Francis Coquelin, the centre defensive pairing of Koscielny and Mertesacker, and either Wojciech Szczesny or David Ospina that will play a huge role in determining Arsenal’s success. It is critical that Wenger doesn’t let any one of these players leave the club without having a like-for-like replacement ready.
The Frenchman has a history of letting his key players go just as they are about to hit their peak, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri being two famous examples. But with the club’s finances now in check, it will be interesting to see if Wenger decides to sell before he buys in the transfer market.
2) Smart transfer management
Arsene Wenger has been known for his intelligence in the transfer market over the years, and he will need to use all his experience and negotiation skills to acquire players this season, with teams all across Europe hoping to sign the same players and willing to spend massive amounts to acquire them.
Francis Coquelin, a previously pushed aside squad member, has defined Arsenal’s resilience and belief in the second half of the season, but the physicality and anticipation he brings to the side will surely be missed if he is absent for any part of the term with injury.
Also, with a number of players in midfield – Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Mathieu Flamini – in the latter stages of their career, some tough decisions will have to be made as to when and which younger replacements are to be brought in. Arsenal need another holding midfielder who slots into the team in Coquelin’s absence, and if rumours are to be believed, Arsene has made this position his number one priority.
It’s the striking department that might need some real Arsene Wenger magic if Arsenal are to challenge for top honours. A lengthy absence for Olivier Giroud at the start of the season coincided with a barren run of results for the club, winning only 3 of the 9 games when the French striker was out with a fractured foot. A goalless final quarter of the season was indicative of the player’s loss of form, and Arsenal will need to find a suitable challenger to Giroud, being short of any other prolific striker to support the 28-year-old.
3) Keep players who show results, not promise
For years now, Jack Wilshere has been touted as England’s next best central midfielder, and he has certainly shown glimpses of his talent over the years. Injuries have held back the youngster, who finds himself more and more on the bench for his side than on the pitch when fit.
The story isn’t very different when it comes to Theo Walcott. Having missed a big part of the 2014/15 season with injury, Walcott scored in the last two games of the season, including breaking the deadlock in the FA Cup final and a hat-trick in the last Premier League game.
The manager will have to find the best position for Walcott, who may find himself behind Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wings, and second choice to Olivier Giroud up front, or further down the pecking order if reinforcements are brought in.
If Arsenal are to do well in all competitions next season, the players of Walcott and Wilshere’s calibre need to spend more time on the pitch, rather than the bench. The process of team-building begins by stripping away those players that aren’t capable of producing results for Arsenal during the season.
There are also players in the last year of their contracts, just like Walcott, who might be headed away from the Emirates stadium either before the season or after. It is unlikely that the midfield trio of Rosicky, Flamini and Arteta will be handed new contracts, especially after an injury-ravaged season for the captain Arteta, and incapable performances by his understudy, Flamini, and may even be sold in the summer transfer window if there are replacements available.
4) Hit the ground running and keep running
As mentioned earlier, Arsenal fell behind the pack in the first quarter of the season and weren’t able to catch the leading twosome of Chelsea and Manchester City. It is crucial for Wenger and his side to build momentum early on, challenging the other top teams from the very start. Winning games against lesser sides and performing well against the fellow front-runners.
In the 2013/14 season, Arsenal lead the Barclays Premier League for a major part of the season, only to fizzle away when it mattered most. Having not mounted a serious title challenge since they last won it over a decade ago, the Gunners need to pace themselves efficiently, keeping players fit and morale high, especially if they wish to challenge in Europe and win the domestic cups as well.
5) Effectively change strategy; go further in the Champions League
It is well documented that Arsenal has had a tendency to drop points against the big clubs over the last 10 years, but wins against the two Manchester clubs signals a change in attitude and willingness from the manager to change the team’s style of play. Arsenal were willing to let their opponents have a large portion of possession, sitting back and waiting for the right opportunities to score.
With the new Champions League seeding rules coming into effect new season, Arsenal will be in Pot 2 of the group draw, and could potentially be in the same group as Champions League holders and La Liga champions, Barcelona, or German champions, Bayern Munich. This makes it that much more important for Arsenal to adapt to the opposition, change their strategy and proceed into the knockout stage.
Their patience and maturity will be key in helping Arsenal take points off of their immediate rivals and proceed to the latter stages of European competition and doing better than previous seasons in the league. Lack of silverware compared to the clubs around the has somewhat blemished Wenger’s incredible reign at Arsenal and the club should be aiming for domestic or European success this time around.
The 2015/16 season promises to be a long and exciting one for an Arsenal fan, but even before we hit the start of the season in August, there is a lot of shopping to be done and deals to be made. It will be interesting to see if Le Professeur gets the right players in the off-season to create a title-winning side or if Arsenal are yet again close but not close enough to be champions of England.
