Last season was invariably a disaster for Arsenal as a club, finishing 6th in the Premier League, ducking out of all major cups, and topped off by being Arsene Wenger’s final season at the club.
While every fan should try and remain an optimist, last season was tough for the hopeful, but will next season be different? I believe it will be, here’s why:
No one can deny that the attacking line-up for the Gunners looks remarkable on paper. Led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbing a remarkable 10 goals and 4 assists in just 13 Premier League appearances, things look promising.
As well as this, the Gabonese front-man is supported by a host of talents such as Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan with even further depth in the likes of Danny Welbeck.
Even with all this talent up-front, no team can rely solely on an attack, and last season proved this, without a solid base in midfield and consistent chance creation, no team can come out on top.
Under Wenger, Granit Xhaka was often playing as a sole defensive midfielder, which left him in a bad position to work as a playmaker and made it near impossible to be an effective defensive addition. With Lucas Torreira confirming he will sign for Arsenal soon, Xhaka can play freely in a paired role, allowing the midfield to play a strong and creative game.
With Torreira coming, the defence will surely benefit from the support in midfield, but not nearly as much as the benefit of new signings Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner. The North London side’s defensive record was arguably the biggest factor in the team’s failure last season, conceding a terrible 51 goals, more than any other top 6 side.
The experience coming in with these two experienced defenders could be absolutely vital in the League conquest after the summer, this defence could be bolstered further if Turkish Wonderkid Caglar Soyuncu signs for the club, adding depth and talent.
On top of all of this, having new keeper Bernd Leno could be a game-changer, after Petr Cech had a very mixed season last year, making several high profile mistakes. Overall, it is obviously far too early to call anything, but if it’s going to be any season, it’s this one.
