With hardly any time for the Premier League season to kick-off, we, at 18 Yard Box bring to you
a series of season previews of the top sides in this league. Today, we look at
the side which finished in the 4th spot, Arsenal FC.
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| The Red side of North London. |
2013-14
Season Review
The
season that began with a disastrous defeat to Aston Villa on home turf ended
with a glorious victory at Wembley 10 months later. Arsenal managed to stay
atop for a staggering128 days but fizzled out in the second half of the season
& towards the end they were nowhere to be seen in the title race. The big-game mauling at the hands of title rivals hurt them most, thereby raising questions
about their credibility of staying top. In Europe, a controversy marred encounter
against Bayern Munich lead to their exit but they had themselves to blame for, having drawn the 2013 champions by finishing second in their group. However,
the league & champions league debacles aren’t the talking points of their
campaign. It was the FA Cup glory in May that put an end to the club’s
miserable 8 year trophy-less run.
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| The wait is over. |
Expectations
Coming
off from a stupendous end to the previous season which ended their fight for
silverware, Arsene Wenger must have his sight set for bigger things campaign.
Not losing key players is in itself a bonus for this club but the signings of
proven players like Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina and a young Calum Chambers has added more steal to the squad. In Debuchy Arsenal have signed a player who pipped Sagna in the France
line-up. However, Debuchy has got big boots to fill. The quality of Sagna’s
crosses is second to none & it would be very difficult to match that let
alone better it.
The big-money move of Chilean superstar Alexis Sanchez, rocked the transfer market & it sure sent waves all over the country. Alexis, who had a not so glorious time at Camp Nou grabbed the limelight with some scintillating match-winning displays during the World Cup. A player who is in his prime, with enough experience at the club & country level, Arsenal have bagged someone on whom they bank on to deliver match-winning performances. His versatility to play on the wings as well as in the center would be a huge boost for Arsenal having been over-reliant on Olivier Giroud last season.
The quality addition of the Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina provides the Gunners a reliable back up should Wojciech Szczesny fail to deliver consistently. Ospina's ability to deal with crosses coupled with his short stopping abilities makes him a good coup.
The big-money move of Chilean superstar Alexis Sanchez, rocked the transfer market & it sure sent waves all over the country. Alexis, who had a not so glorious time at Camp Nou grabbed the limelight with some scintillating match-winning displays during the World Cup. A player who is in his prime, with enough experience at the club & country level, Arsenal have bagged someone on whom they bank on to deliver match-winning performances. His versatility to play on the wings as well as in the center would be a huge boost for Arsenal having been over-reliant on Olivier Giroud last season.
The quality addition of the Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina provides the Gunners a reliable back up should Wojciech Szczesny fail to deliver consistently. Ospina's ability to deal with crosses coupled with his short stopping abilities makes him a good coup.
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| It's now or never for these young guns!! |
It’s also time for young guns like
Jack Wilshere & Oxlade-Chamberlain to stand up & deliver. With three
players joining the squad as World Champions, the Gooners can only hope that
their winning ways carry on domestically. Club-record signing Mesut Ozil who
didn’t have spectacular debut season in London will need to deliver to the
club’s expectations this time around. With more signings on the radar, a strong
show both domestically as well as in Europe is what the fans would be hoping
for.
While a top four finish remains a priority, this squad with a couple of additions should be able put in a better title challenge.
While a top four finish remains a priority, this squad with a couple of additions should be able put in a better title challenge.
Style of play
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| The Arsenal way!! |
Arsene
Wenger likes his team to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation. While pushing forward,
they switch to a 4-1-4-1 system with Mikel Arteta holding back. Though Arteta
is more of a no.8, he has done extremely well in the holding midfielder
position. With Giroud acting as the target man, the Arsenal midfield rely on him to hold on to the ball while they join him in attack. Last season Arsenal's defence had been far better than the previous campaigns. Having lost the ball, the midfield were drilled to mark zones so that the opponent couldnt thread a pass through. Despite this, Arsenal were guilty of letting in plenty of goals against top sides and an inclusion of a defensive midfielder would do wonders for this team.
Having said that the midfield already looks packed. Beautiful football is what this team have delivered each season. Whatever
be the result, it is very rare that one would be disappointed with quality of
football at the final whistle of an Arsenal game.
Key
Players
1. Wojciech
Szczesny
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| Making it loud & clear who is No.1 at Arsenal. |
Over the years, Szczesny
was always rated very highly by the Arsenal manager. But regular slip-ups
raised questions about his status as Arsenal’s No.1. The Pole answered all
those by putting in a solid display between the sticks throughout the last
campaign. The last decade has seen what impact keepers like Van Der Sar &
Cech have had on their side’s title challenges. So it is imperative that
Szczesny & his defensive colleagues don’t ship in too many goals. With Ospina around to remind him that his place could be in jeapardy, the Polish international would look to be more consistent.
2. Mesut
Ozil
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| Time to stand up & deliver. |
A year has gone by and
we have hardly witnessed the genius of Mesut Ozil. All the hype surrounding
his arrival has taken a beating with his below-par performances. Not only does
the club, which spent staggering amounts of money, deserve some remuneration from him, the football
viewers in general are desperate to catch a glimpse of some mesmerizing skills
this German superstar is known for. With Sanchez on board, the
Cazorla-Ozil-Sanchez trio looks a formidable one on paper.
3. Theo
Walcott
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| Catch him if you can!! |
With the competition in
midfield so high, one wonders if Walcott would even make to the starting XI. What Arsenal missed most during the second half of the season
was the different dimension that Theo gives them. He is unlike other Arsenal
midfielders. He might not be the most technically gifted player on the pitch but he offers
width & express pace like no other. With Walcott in the side, they have
something more in their arsenal. Coming off from a serious injury, it’ll take
time before he plays week in week out, but over the course of a long season it
safe to say that he’ll have a great impact on how their campaign shapes up.
Written By,
Pranav Byatnal
Written By,
Pranav Byatnal
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