What Arsenal need to do to win more trophies in 2015/16

3) Keep players who show results, not promise

Jack Wilshere (#10) and Theo Walcott need to prove their fitness over a full season in 2015/16

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.

Injuries to key players like Mesut Ozil derailed Arsenal’s season in 2014

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.

Arsenal must avoid another Round of 16 exit in the Champions League

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.