From all the commentary since September 1st, the transfer window was exceptional for those in the marketplace who believe in the primacy of transfers in attaining competitive success in football. As a result the mainstream media and its fellow travelers milked every ounce of sensationalism they could, jubilantly proclaiming that English clubs had smashed through the £1bn transfer barrier. With Sky and BT Sport paying a record £5.136bn for Premier League TV rights from 2016-17, clubs had the motivation to buy and the sellers were only too happy to oblige. If, as the mainstream media has proclaimed, more spending results in better footballers, then surely a £1,435,420,000 outlay in 2016 should result in a doubling of the quality of the football compared to 5 years ago when only £627,881,000 was spent that summer. Hmm.
Applying the logic of the mainstream media to Arsenal, surely the club should be odds on to win the 2016-17 title. Take a gander at the following table of Arsenal’s last six years in the transfer market:
| Purchased | Sold | Net | League Pos | |
| 2016/17 | £92,900,000 | £6,750,000 | £86,150,000 | ? |
| 2015/16 | £15,000,000 | £1,800,000 | £13,200,000 | 2 |
| 2014/15 | £95,600,000 | £30,200,000 | £65,400,000 | 3 |
| 2013/14 | £42,500,000 | £10,000,000 | £32,500,000 | 4 |
| 2012/13 | £52,300,000 | £43,700,000 | £8,600,000 | 4 |
| 2011/12 | £53,225,000 | £70,700,000 | (£17,475,000) | 3 |
Source: transferleague.co.uk
One does not need a statistical degree to observe the trend. Since the infamous summer of 2011/12, when both Messers Fabregas and Nasri decided to seek much greener pastures, Arsenal Football Club has rebounded from the nadir and is no longer a selling club. Except for 2015/16 it has been very active in the transfer market. In my opinion, the three most eye-catching years, apart from this year’s window, were 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2011/12. The first two are clearly significant for the acquisition of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez respectively but to me 2011/12 is most telling. Despite the sensational declarations by the commercial media and its faithful echo chamber in the blogsphere of the failure of Arsene’s “project youth”, despite the infamous trolley dash on deadline day of summer 2012 (to this day the signing of Park Chu-Young is used as a stick to ridicule the manager), despite declarations of the “end of an era”, despite the outpourings of doom and gloom, Arsenal came 3rd in the League surpassing media darlings like Spurs and Liverpool.
To me the summer of 2011/12 is the emblematic of how much the emotions of the public is a “contrarian” indicator. Exacerbated by the media, the collective doom and gloom by Arsenal fans especially after that 8-2 thrashing by Manchester United, with the Arsene barely having a decent XI to confront the exultant hordes at Old Trafford, was diametrically contrary to the reality that the club was still being led by its most successful and by far most consistent manager ever in its history.
All of the foregoing is again leading back to my initial point. Surely, if Arsenal is spending and, better yet, using its money to acquire quality players, how come the media and Arsenal blogs haven’t become more optimistic about our chances of winning the title this year. From what I have read and heard on podcasts a new narrative is taking shape. While it is recognized that £90 million have been spent on new players, good old inferiority complex is back at work. Now it is convenient to remember that Arsenal’s spending has been dwarfed by the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United, who themselves spent around £170 million and £150 million respectively, and even more significantly they have new managers with superior ability.
One Arsenal blogger, who will remain nameless as this quote is merely being used for illustrative purposes, concluded:
“but with superstar managers such as Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte taking up top jobs in England, along with the fact that Arsenal are already 5 points behind the early pace-setters, it is looking like as hard a season as any to finally bring home the league championship.”
In any serious analytical work, the baseline for any prediction must be the consistent performance of the variable under study. For example a professional who studies the lunar cycle will confidently predict with 99.9% certainty that while on August 31 we had a new moon with 1% visibility on August 31st, he/she can predict with 99.9% certainty that there will be a full moon on September 16th. Unlike the physical sciences, where the laws of nature have been well established and generally taken for granted for their predictive value, in the area of human behavior, football being one, the predictions by our pundits are worse than the weatherman and more akin to fortune tellers and palm readers.
Fortunately the statisticians have developed rigorous tools which enable us to make predictions with a certain level of confidence. I have a preference for the investment world where no true professional will invest in a stock without a minimum 95% probability of success. Anything less and he or she will eventually lose their capital (seemingly one or two of these losers strike gold, eventually become a useless tv-pundit). My previous blogs on Fear and Despair and Lucas Perez explains the contrarian indicators which a professional will bet against.In the case of Arsenal we have data from 20 years of Arsene Wenger’s management. In my view it should be divided into two eras, based on the significant differences in financial resources that were available. First was the Pre Emirates years, when going up against the wealth of Manchester United and the managerial nous of Alex Ferguson, Wenger except for the first and last year, never came less than 2nd, three times coming first including the immortal, unbeaten year. By 2005-06 the break-up of the Invincibles was well underway as the club reduced investments in big transfers to focus on paying for the new stadium.
Pre-Emirate Years
| Year | Wins | GF | GA | GD | PTS | POS |
| 96-97 | 19 | 62 | 32 | 30 | 68 | 3rd |
| 97-98 | 23 | 68 | 33 | 35 | 78 | 1st |
| 98-99 | 22 | 59 | 17 | 42 | 78 | 2nd |
| 99-00 | 22 | 73 | 43 | 30 | 73 | 2nd |
| 00-01 | 20 | 63 | 38 | 25 | 70 | 2nd |
| 01-02 | 26 | 79 | 36 | 43 | 87 | 1st |
| 02-03 | 23 | 85 | 42 | 43 | 78 | 2nd |
| 03-04 | 26 | 73 | 26 | 47 | 90 | 1st |
| 04-05 | 25 | 87 | 36 | 51 | 83 | 2nd |
| 05-06 | 20 | 68 | 31 | 37 | 67 | 4th |
Apart from the remarkable record of consistently top level outcomes, another of the many reasons to post the table is to demonstrate that to win the title Arsenal have had to achieve at least 26 wins and to score at least 73 goals per season, with one exception in either category. In 97/98 we won only 23 games but still claimed the league title and in 05/06 we had as many as 25 wins but came 2nd to Chelsea who, at the time, was the sole sugar daddy club able to fire £50 pound notes across the lawn of almost every top-flight club in Europe. Contrast the foregoing with the Emirate years to- date.
The Emirate Years
| Year | Wins | GF | GA | GD | PTS | POS |
| 06-07 | 19 | 63 | 35 | 28 | 68 | 4th |
| 07-08 | 24 | 74 | 31 | 43 | 83 | 3rd |
| 08-09 | 20 | 68 | 37 | 31 | 72 | 4th |
| 09-10 | 23 | 83 | 41 | 42 | 75 | 3rd |
| 10-11 | 19 | 72 | 43 | 29 | 68 | 4th |
| 11-12 | 21 | 74 | 49 | 25 | 70 | 3rd |
| 12-13 | 21 | 72 | 37 | 35 | 73 | 4th |
| 13-14 | 24 | 68 | 41 | 27 | 79 | 4th |
| 14-15 | 22 | 71 | 36 | 35 | 75 | 3rd |
| 15-16 | 20 | 65 | 36 | 29 | 71 | 2nd |
We all know that in the relatively barren years at the Emirates, title-wise, Wenger has consistently kept the team in the top-4 but one key metric from the Highbury days, number of wins has fallen by an average of 9%, from 23 to 21. The data indicates that the number of goals scored was not a significant predictor of league success; an average of 71 goals per season in both eras. Not surprisingly, the data confirms that the closest we came to matching our Pre-Emirates success was the Eduardo year when we amassed 24 wins but could not hold onto our lead after tragedy struck the team. The data is suggesting we need 26 wins, six more than last year to be in with a shot.
How much of a big ask is that? Between 06-07 and 07-08, we had 5 more wins and earned 15 more points. If Perez has anything like the impact of Eduardo, I suggest we are in with a big shout regardless of Pep, Mourinho and Conte. If we are to go by the data, never bet against Wenger’s consistency.
Positively Arsenal 
Couldnt agree more anyone thinking the league is won or lost after 3 games is insane.
I think it will be a fun season and they will be more competitive than last year as in closer points wise to the title
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Interesting as always. Keep it up.
Like you said. If Perez is anything like Eduardo impact wise we are in for a treat.
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Good morning Shotta and another formidable review of data. I suspect the quiet start in responses may be due to many readers this September Monday morning struggling to get a grip of the detail. I know I was.
What surprised me was the goals scored not being much different in recent seasons to those back in the opening years of Arsene’s reign – my impression is that we don’t score as fluently or frequently as we once did. That may however be either wrong or I’m comparing it to other big teams who appear to rattle up 3-0/4-0 scores more regularly. I shall look it up.
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I could do with a shotta blog every day, great work !
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kroenke out, its 5 years since he became majority shareholder and he has only allowed something over £350M to be spent on new players, a mere 29 or so senior signings, how are we expected to win the summer dick swinging transfer window competition with spending like that. It mightn’t be so bad if the club was spending money on infrastructure such as the academy, hale end academy, and even relaying the emirates pitch, buying a stats company, hiring new fitness, medical, and analytical staff, but we clearly are not even doing that. This club is an embarrassing shambles, now where is my A4 printer.
I need to go on AFTV and complain that Ian Wright who was overseas working for ITV, Thierry Henry who was overseas working for Belgium FA, Dennis Bergkamp who was overseas working for Ajax, and Tony Adams was overseas working in China, were not taking part in the legends match on Saturday, its clear as day that the club did not want any of them to take part, as Wenger don’t like to be challenged. Oh for 15 minutes of fame.
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Thank you Shotta for your remorselessly fact based unemotional approach to football. Andy Nic has pointed out how we all allow our perceptions to dominate on occasions. None of us goes and looks stuff up we just assume that we always used to be 4 – 0 up at half time and cruise to inevitable victory. Just as those with a more negative disposition assume we will always flatter to deceive and always under achieve regardless of the facts.
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Steww and Andrew – When conceiving this blog I had no idea where the numbers would take me. The initial concept was a thesis that Wenger was remarkably consistent Pre-Emirates and After. Unlike the mainstream media and most our fellow bloggers I decided not to allow emotion to dictate my findings.
As explained in my previous blogs, I rely on the tools of professional investors who, if they are to be successful, must rely on data to profit from the greed and despair that is so abundant in the market place, which is my proxy for football fans. In the past I gave only a partial quotation, allow me to share the full quotation from the followers of Herzfeld and Drach:
“In the silent statistical world, there are no headlines. There are no narratives. No excuses. No hope and no despair. Just data.
“The human experience of investing, however, is full of all of the above. The data is there too – often cherry picked to reinforce emotional responses.
“Even when we try to adhere to the data, an awareness of the more emotional aspects of investing can cause us to cling to that data which is more evocative.”
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And as the gutter press is full of ‘ecocative’ negative data regarding Mr Wenger so it transpires that untruths are widely parroted by the haters.
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I guess the understanding is that people can be easily manipuated via their emotions.
When i first went online to look for AFC content is was to try and get a greater understanding of the difficukties the club naturally faced in the post-satdium/post-oligarch world of football. I think many were the same, however the only answers that they found where those written u in the funny papers and their echo chambers.
So thanks Shotta for providing a valuble and formidable (slightly scary tbh! We’re in NOTH territory here…) record for supporters of Arsenal Football Club.
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[…] Source: Now Mr. Wenger Is The Inferior Manager […]
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Who has been fiddling ?
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Dont FIDDLE
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Apparently Arsenal was interested in Perez since last january according to the IB Times with quotes from the player:
…, Perez surprisingly revealed the Gunners interest in his signing eventually piqued during last January’s transfer window, before adding that he “couldn’t leave” Deportivo then.
“The Arsenal offer came just days before the end of the transfer window. But I knew about the interest of Arsenal for a long time. They showed interest in me during the January transfer window but then I couldn’t leave,” Perez said. “They also showed interest in me after the end of La Liga (earlier this summer). But then, they have their way of working and the offer came only days before the end of the market.”
IBTimes UK can confirm that Arsenal approached the striker in January after he had a flying start to the season at Deportivo, scoring 12 goals in the first 16 games of La Liga. However, the versatile forward “couldn’t leave” Deportivo because Fifa regulations on status and transfer states that players can only feature for two clubs during a season.
How about that sensationalist narrative from early to late August that dithering, negligent Wenger had no alternatives and had lost the ability to attract players to the club. Those of us who now understand how the transfer markets work would not have been emotionally exploited by the media and our prevaricating bloggers; the club moves late in the market to avoid a bidding war with the big spenders.
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Guilty mi lord! I was fiddling trying to understand how the reblog feature works.
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On the past two seasons our goals scored have been almost the same as the eventual champions, 68 for Leicester/65 for us last year, 73/71 for the hated Chelsea the previous season.
Before that though the picture is a bit more varied.
Goals scored by the champions in each on the seasons before Jose’s men wn the trophy in 2013/2014 were as follows;
102, 86, 93, 78 and 103.
We were 34 goals behind Citeh in 2013/2014, then 14, 19, 6 and 20 behind the eventual winners.
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A Jamaican fiddler, whatever next?
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Give me a drum and bass George. You know what works.
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Great article once again SG. I am even more optimistic about our season than usual (optmistiest?) ! The reason for this is that our level of cohesion as a team should be far greater than that of the teams that are at our level, that is that can realistically win the championship. The core has now played together for a few years, are at a mature age and a few key additions have been added. There are no glaring holes in our lineup and I do believe we are ready to kick it up a notch.
As for us “dropping” 5 points (cue the usual doomsday whine) well it was unlikely that we’d go 38-0-0 wasn’t it! You’d almost think that anything less was unacceptable ! I saw us play 2 decent teams with us far from having all our core players involved and it has been far from all bad. Young Holding seems like a gem, Xhaka will be a good addition and I like what I’ve seen of Theo, how I wish he fully regains his top form.
So only a few more days yet, Saturday can’t come soon enough!! COYG!!
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Premier League: Family of Man Utd legend Sir Matt Busby told to ‘move on’ as club reclaim directors’ box tickets
90Min By Lekan Shode
4 September 2016 17:21
Family of Man Utd Legend Sir Matt Busby Told to 'Move on' as Club Reclaim Directors' Box Tickets
Manchester United have reportedly taken away directors’ box matchday tickets from the family of legendary boss Sir Matt Busby, according to The Sun.
The report claims the club told the family to “move on” after telling them that the gold plaque on a directors’ box seat for Sir Matt has also been removed.
During his 25-year spell with the club, the legendary boss won a total of 13 trophies that included five league titles. But the crowning moment came when he guided United to their first ever European Cup in 1968 – just 10 years after the horrific Munich air disaster that claimed 23 lives, including many of the first team squad.
The Scot, who died 22 years ago at the age of 84, enjoyed a close relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson before his death and it is understood Sir Alex was keen to keep the Busby legacy intact at the club.
Sir Matt’s children, Sandy Busby and Sheena Gibson, died in 2014 and 2015 respectively, but United’s reported removal of the directors’ box tickets means Sir Matt’s seven granddaughters will not be able to gain access to the box.
It is understood tickets and hospitality will still be offered to the family, but the Busbys are thought to be devastated with their treatment at the hands of the club.
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you know the way that the malcontents lapped up the dislike in St Louis for Stan Kroenke after he moved the Rams from St Louis back to Los Angles, well I’m not surprised that they have not uttered a word about how it has gone down in LA, as in their first game back in LA, a pre-season game, the Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28–24 in front of a crowd of 89,140, a record attendance for a pre-season game
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Shotta man… continue the good work… a hard working arsenal like team of excellent bloggers much like our current tean.. strength in depth.
Eddy i have always known that AW hardly panic buys… even Ozil could have come to arsenal 4 years earlier but chose ot go to real first.
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summary of Liam Brady’s analysis of the Serbia v Republic of Ireland 2-2 draw tonight.
Martin O’Neill is a long ball manager, always has been, so why act surprised when he has Ireland playing long ball football. Also Trapatonni got slaughtered for playing long ball football, despite making no secret of that was how he had them playing, yet O’Neill is given a free ride by the media cos he is the manager they wanted.
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Jeorge Bird @jeorgebird 23h23 hours ago
Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer (18) made his senior debut for Algeria against Lesotho. (Via @AmarildoB98)
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I thought Trapattoni got slaughtered because Ireland kept losing Eddy ? Jack Charlton was a total long ball merchant, occasionally without the ball, but like MON he had the knack of coming up with a few results. Sainthood followed.
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ireland qualified for the euros under trap, and he still got slaughtered, but mon does the same and he is a hero of the media.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-hDFv1UbA
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PROLIFIC NKETIAH SIGNS PROFESSIONAL TERMS WITH ARSENAL
Arsenal youngster Edward Nketiah has been rewarded for the tremendous impact he has made at U18 level by being awarded his first professional contract with the club.
The 17-year-old, who joined the Gunners from Chelsea as a schoolboy, was sensational last season as he scored 24 goals in 28 appearances for the U18s, while he has three goals three games at that level so far this campaign.
A clinical striker who is also capable of linking play effectively, Nketiah broke into the Arsenal U21 side in the latter stages of last season and will hope to feature for the rebranded U23s this campaign while also making an impact in the UEFA Youth League.
Nketiah signed his deal last week, with official confirmation expected from the club shortly. His progression to professional terms leaves Kostas Pileas, Nathan Tella and Joe Willock as the remaining second-year scholars.
Posted in Uncategorized on September 6, 2016 by Jeorge Bird.
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afcstuff @afcstuff 44m44 minutes ago
Highest paid managers (per year):
1. Guardiola £15.3m
2. Ancelotti £12.6m
3. Mourinho £12.3m
4. Wenger £8.9m
5. Enrique £7.2m
[Telegraph]
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afcstuff @afcstuff 17m17 minutes ago
Former #afc player Nicklas Bendtner is close to joining League Cup opponents Nottingham Forest. [@antoikonomidis]
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I see that the purveyors of D**M (emotive click bait) have latched onto the Wilshere loan move like a starving mutt that’s found an old chicken bone on Tottenham High Street.
Nevermind the World Cup winning physio who helped organise a camp to minimise the amount of walking etc that the German World Cup winning team used in the heat of a S.American Summer is now a part of AFC.
Nevermind that as an athlete JW has had two seasons without a run of games at the top level.
Nevermind the funting Football…
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OptaJoe @OptaJoe 5h5 hours ago
7 – Seven different clubs have won the English top-flight title since Liverpool last did in 1990. Variety.
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DD doesn’t rate Clichy! There’s a story there.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: FORMER ARSENAL PLAYER ADRIAN CLARKE
SEPTEMBER 6, 2016AFCSTUFF LEAVE A COMMENT
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afcstuff.com is pleased to bring an exclusive interview with former Arsenal player, Adrian Clarke discussing the biggest topics of debate surrounding the club following the opening month of the season. Clarke played as a professional at every division including 6 years at Arsenal, where he came through the youth ranks. He is now involved with the club as a presenter and co-commentator on the official online video channel, Arsenal Player.
Q: With Xhaka, Mustafi and Perez being signed this summer, have Arsenal addressed every gap in the squad that they faced at the end of last season?
AC: Yes, I think the most obvious weak spots have been addressed during the summer window, which is really pleasing. If you look at the squad now, there are at least two quality players battling it out for each position and that’s really important. Those three roles needed beefing up, most people agreed that, so it’s great that the management team recognised it, and acted accordingly.
I know that these three signings weren’t as eye catching as Manchester United’s for example, but all of them are first team ready and capable of slotting straight into the starting XI. That’s perfect, because Arsenal didn’t need back ups. It’s all about adding genuine competition for places, which is crucial.
These aren’t kids or players past their best either; they are guys who should be approaching their peak years – and this is the biggest move of their respective careers too. We should see plenty of confidence and hunger to impress. I’m excited about all three.
The only ‘gap’ might be a winger that goes past players on the outside, especially down the left – although Welbeck can do that of course.
Q: How do you see the centre forward situation shaping up with Alexis being used there recently along with the acquisition of Lucas Perez?
AC: I see Giroud and Perez battling it out for the right to lead the line. Initially I’m sure Oli will get the nod, and it’s then down to him to ensure the manager can’t afford to leave him out. He’ll know that if the goals dry up, Perez will be given his chance. Having another goalscorer on the bench, might just extract 10% more out of both men too. They will be well aware that they need to hit the ground running every time they perform.
Their differing styles will also help the manager. In certain matches he may see Perez’s movement and pace as the better option, or if a game isn’t going according to plan he can now chuck on a replacement that’s of the same level, who will give the opposition a completely different headache. He can rest and rotate in midweek contests too.
As for Alexis, his display at Watford proves he can play as a central striker. When he moves that intelligently, with that much hunger, he’s going to tie any rearguard in knots.
Do I see him playing ahead of Giroud and Perez as a centre forward? Not really. Most of his appearances will be from the left or right wing.
Q: With Elneny and Xhaka arriving this year to add to existing options, how will Arsene Wenger accommodate the midfielders at his disposal this season?
AC: He’s going to have some seriously frustrated midfielders on his hands. Should everyone stay fit, the manager will have selection dilemmas aplenty! Mind you, we have said this before and it’s never turned out that way with the treatment room quickly filling up, so let’s not count our chickens!
I think Xhaka is in pole position. He defends and creates with equal aplomb, and I like his disciplined positional play too. For me, Coquelin is his natural back up, with Elneny and Ramsey (the two athletic runners) vying for a place next to him if Santi Cazorla has a dip. Sometimes the boss may choose a classy double pivot (Cazorla and Xhaka) that control games with their passing, but on other occasions he may require more legs in the engine room. That’s where Elneny and Ramsey come in.
That said, I do envisage Rambo being used out wide a fair but. Arsene Wenger wants him in the side, and handing him a roving role from the right may be his best chance to start.
We may even see a 3-man midfield, with Alexis and Ozil roaming around in front?
Q: With the loan of Calum Chambers to Middlesbrough and Jack Wilshere going to Bournemouth, are you concerned about the future of Arsenal’s “English Core” players?
AC: I’m not concerned, but they do need to have big seasons. It’s clear the manager wants homegrown players in his team/squad, but the English lads have to prove they are the best options at his disposal. Over the last couple of years they have collectively slipped behind some of their teammates and that’s solely down to form. I don’t think they have been poor, it’s simply that others have kicked on.
To stay as an Arsenal player for the long term (and I know the painful truth of this) you have to be a truly exceptional footballer. There is no crime in being good, but not quite great enough. It’s a fine line that every player treads.
I honestly don’t think there’s a lot to choose between most of the squad, so it’s all to play for. If the English core are going to fulfil their potential at Emirates Stadium they have to step up and make sure they are too good to be left out.
They need to play regular football too, though. With that in mind I’m pleased to see Chambers and Wilshere getting game time. Now it’s down to them to show why they are signed up to one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Q: Are there any players in the current Arsenal squad that you feel are underrated for their role in the team and may have a bigger part to play this term?
AC: Danny Welbeck is the most underrated player at the club. Injuries have hampered his progress, but he’s a player that can lift the team just when they need it. I know we’d like more goals from Danny, but his pace and directness are a massive plus. He puts opponents on the back foot.
Whether he’s deployed down the middle or out wide, when he’s fit and firing again, Welbeck will have a major part to play in the business end.
He’s a top man that’s good for dressing room morale, and his skill set is also under appreciated.
Q: The importance of the club captain has been a topic of debate with Per Mertesacker the latest player to take the armband. Which players stood out as leaders in your time at Arsenal and what qualities did they provide?
AC: During my time as a player we had a dressing room full of leaders. It was a squad full of men, that didn’t tolerate anything less than 100% effort. In different ways, Ian Wright, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Dave Seaman, David Platt and Martin Keown were all natural figureheads that had something to say, but this was the Tony Adams era so there was never any debate about the armband!
Tony didn’t suffer fools gladly, he was fiercely determined, extremely vocal, encouraging, inspirational and the type of defender that led by example with his football. He was the perfect skipper. It’s a real shame that the modern game doesn’t have as many strong characters like him. The Gunners were fortunate to have him.
Q: Do you believe that Arsenal have the strength in depth this season to match that of the most likely title rivals in Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea?
AC: I think you could argue that Arsenal have a more balanced squad than all those teams. In most positions I’d say that the ‘back ups’ were of a better standard. So depth wise I don’t think there’s a problem.
The crux of the matter is mental toughness. Can the Gunners churn out wins when they’re not playing well? Can they deliver 7 or 8 out of 10 performances most weeks?
United, City and Chelsea have more players that have won titles, so in that respect they are on safer ground I guess.
This is hopefully the season when Ozil and Alexis both hit it off at the same time more often. It needs to be the year when Koscielny stakes his claim to be the best defender in the division. It must be the campaign when Giroud, Walcott, and Ramsey prove the critics wrong with 30-plus performances of note. If those things happen, we’ll be hard to stop.
I don’t think Arsenal have anything to fear from their rivals. We did finish above all of them last season, after all!
The key now is to have fewer slip ups. That will come down to mental resolve, more than squad depth.
Q: What lessons can Arsenal collectively learn from falling short last season in their pursuit of silverware this season?
AC: They have to meaner at both ends of the pitch.
Last season Arsenal squandered too many opportunities in front of goal, and made too many individual errors without the ball, to finish top of the tree. The very best sides are always ruthless and that’s an ingredient the side lacked to some degree.
The talent is there. The quality of football, we know, is excellent. It’s being united as a unit, and staying ice cold in the big moments that will make the difference.
Will we raise our game against the Big Five and defend with great heart and intelligence?
Can we take the chances that will inevitably come our way against Chelsea, Spurs, City, United, Liverpool, Leicester and co?
Those are the questions – and I hope the answers are yes.
As long as the collective spirit is there, and those opportunities are grasped, Arsenal will be in the mix.
You can follow Adrian Clarke on Twitter (@adrianjclarke) and see him every week presenting ‘The Breakdown’ and ‘The Match Day Show’ on Arsenal Player.
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Anyone watch Xhaka & Switz. beating the newly crowned Euro champions?
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Last season, from the start, and as it went on , Arsenal were either title favourites, or close to it.
This season, completely beneath the radar. Could play to Wengers advantage, not many are reporting it, but we have a generally excellent…..and well balanced squad
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SlovenianGooner @slovenianGooner 2h2 hours ago
Xhaka missing next game or two for the Swiss. Knowing we’ll need him. Elite mentality.
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mandy Arsenal were not title favorites early on last season, at the start man city, chelsea and man utd all shorter odds than AFC, after 6 games man city were declared the new invincibles. Of course after we did not win the title history was rewritten and Arsenal were deemed to have been title favorites all season, and being such, were the only team that “let” LCFC win the title.
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Agree Ed, not at the start, but Chelsea soon showed signs of implosion, Utd were van Gaal all over, Spurs were doing ok, but we all know how it ends with them. City had an amazing start but would after we beat them at home, the narrative, it was ours to lose.
Think we had an excellent chance last season, but injuries to key players did us, as well as Leicester performing.
But this season, hopefully, less injuries, and a stronger squad. We are being underestimated, tbh I prefer that, this team are always under pressure, but maybe the superstar manager love in reduced this pressure just slightly.
The pundits have been purring over Utd, they have had an easy start, even by their standards. The next few weeks will be interesting.
My money’s in Middlesboro!
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Another excellent article. Thanks Shotta.
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Good morning Positivistas,
I shall whisper it quietly but we appear to have got through the international break with no injuries to our players, and some of those who have been a bit short of match fitness have enjoyed decent exercise in their countries’ colours. Add to that Xhaka’s red card last night which will keep him out of the next three Swiss international games and all in all a satisfactory few days.
For any who have not seen it take a few seconds to track down the incident for which Granit earned that second yellow and his marching orders. For the victim, Portuguese victim I can only feel eye-watering solidarity. I hope they are feeling better this morning son.
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Kelechi Nwakali who is reported to be going on loan to Maastrick for the season, was part of Arsenal first team training today, some reports say Arsenal still trying to sort out a work permit for him, not sure if that means in the uk or in holland
http://www.gettyimages.ie/detail/news-photo/kelechi-nwakali-of-arsenal-during-a-training-session-at-news-photo/599846974#kelechi-nwakali-of-arsenal-during-a-training-session-at-london-colney-picture-id599846974
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“Aquí no te sientas, Mou”
According to Marca! With a free chair next to Mr Wenger, someone was not welcome.
It would seem that the current manager of Real Madrid, was not comfortable with two former managers of Real Mad.
By the way, kudos for SG, for the facts and not the fiction..
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Late to the Shotta party, I know, but I was saving the latest contribution to the world of sensible for when I had time to do justice to the piece.
And well worth the wait it was too – keep ’em coming Shotts!
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My boy NOTH resurfaces. The world is at peace.
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Crystal Palace F.C. @CPFC 8m8 minutes ago
BREAKING: #CPFC are delighted to announce the signing of @mathieuflamini!
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Good luck to the Flamster down at Selhurst Park – he is a sound professional and a shrewd addition to any lower end PL club.
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Well another top notch piece by our very own Shotta, many thanks.
I’m abroad on business and haven’t had much time to kill. I’m getting very excited for our Arsenal this season.
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