Can Arsenal win the title this season?

Arsenal full back Gael Clichy has spoken publicly about the Gunners’ title prospects for the season ahead, and has rightly concluded that they can no longer hide behind the excuse of youth and inexperience should they fail to recapture the Premiership crown they last won back in 2003-2004. However, with Chelsea starting as title favourites and Manchester United not far behind, can Arsenal realistically challenge for top spot in the season ahead?

The North London side were in serious contention for the title right up to the middle of April last season, when a defeat to Tottenham and a second half capitulation against Wigan finally did for them. However, perhaps of greater concern for Arsene Wenger will have been the fact that they failed to take a single point off either Manchester United or Chelsea during the season, highlighting a gap in class which simply has to be narrowed if they are to stand any chance of winning the league.

There is no question that frustration is building amongst the Arsenal squad and supporters, with only a league title likely to quench their thirst for success. A victory in the FA Cup or League Cup is likely to be seen as merely a consolation prize, whilst a tilt at the Champions’ League looks like a remote possibility given the manner in which they were outclassed at the Nou Camp last April. So do they have a squad capable of mounting a serious challenge for the biggest domestic prize on offer?

The transfer window is yet to shut and it’s widely anticipated that Wenger will look to do some more business before it does, but to date he has been typically cautious in his dealings. As was widely anticipated, Marouane Chamakh has arrived for free, whilst Wenger has laid out £8.5 million for the services of French centre half Laurent Koscielny, recouping £6 million of that in the sale of Eduardo da Silva to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Wenger will expect Chamakh to provide a suitable attacking foil for Robin Van Persie, who he will hope can stay fit for the entirety of the season given the extent to which they missed his services in the last campaign. Similar to Thomas Vermaelen in the last transfer window, Koscielny is relatively unknown, but like the Belgian he will need to quickly live up to his price tag following the departure of William Gallas, Sol Campbell, Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre.

The main talking point of the summer however has of course been Cesc Fabregas’s proposed move to Barcelona. Following a prolonged tussle and with both sides having their say on the matter, it appears that Arsenal are set to keep their captain having been unwilling to negotiate with Barcelona on a sale. Whilst this is likely to be widely perceived as good news amongst the club’s fans, there is an element of doubt as to whether he will continue to deliver his best when his heart seems set on a move away.

Elsewhere, Wenger will have familiar concerns. The goalkeeping situation has yet to be resolved but needs to be put to bed before the transfer window shuts. Mark Schwarzer, Mark Stekelenburg and Federico Marchetti have all been mooted as potential solutions. Further central defensive reinforcements also look to be required given the glut of depatures in that position, as well as Koscielny’s relative inexperience. Phil Jagielka and Per Mertesacker are the players that have been linked.

Further up the field, doubts continue to persist over Alex Song in the holding midfield position. Whilst competent, he has yet to put in the kind of commanding performances that Arsenal fans became so used to when Patrick Vieira was at the club. Elsewhere, the likes of Tomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott need to develop from bit part players to consistent performers who can provide reliable attacking support to Van Persie, Fabregas and Andrey Arshavin.

In order to compete at the top of the league, it is clear that Wenger needs to make a couple more shrewd purchases and work intelligently with the squad that he has at his disposal. Whilst the title race should be every bit as tight as it was last time out, Arsenal need to address the imbalance of results against the top two sides, or else the Premier League trophy may once prove to be out of their reach. Whilst it takes a brave man to bet against ‘The Professor’, it is all easy to see how Arsenal might come up short once again.

July 29, 2010