I did a poll a couple of days ago asking what people thought would happen in the forthcoming season if no more signings materialised for Arsenal. And it seems that a large majority think nothing much will change in the league table from what we’re used to.
Now is that just complacence on the part of the Arsenal fanbase, or is there good reason to think we can still compete with teams who have spent a fair bit to strengthen themselves this summer?
Man Utd haven’t changed much, but they were a fair bit ahead of us last time. On the other hand, they’ve not got Awex in charge any more, so it’s quite conceivable they’ll drop off a bit. Only Arsenal and Liverpool in English football history have maintained a period of domination after changing manager.
Chelsea have Jose back in the chair, which on paper looks good for them. He’s won it before, he knows what to do, and he’ll have the media eating out of his hand for a few months at least.
Man City have bought – as usual – but a new manager there is an unknown quantity in the PL, so more of a risk. But they clearly have the quality to challenge.
Spurs have spent well on paper, though there’s no guarantee of success from that. Bale may bale, which could make a difference. I think they’ve done their buying in the expectation of him leaving, so they don’t need to go on a mad rush in the last week. It’s the right plan, but as I say, doesn’t mean success. The team has to gel – that’s where football managers earn their money.
Everton are no stronger than last time and still might lose a star or two.
Liverpool, assuming they keep Suarez, are on paper about the same as last year, though Gerrard is growing rapidly less effective and there’s no one near his level to replace him. Personally I don’t rate Rodgers as a manager of a big club, so I don’t see them as a danger to Arsenal.
I heard Pat Nevin on the radio this evening postulating that Swansea could even get into the top four. I don’t think so. And nor will anyone else not mentioned so far, the league is not that fluid.
Which brings us back to Arsenal. My feeling is that Arsenal lack the depth of squad to make a sustained challenge in the League and the best we can hope for is some good runs of form to keep us in the top five once the initial jostling settles down. The current squad is perfectly capable of that, but without the depth to bring in players when others are injured or off form it could be a struggle.
So I predict this at the end of the season:
- Chelsea
- Man Utd
- Man City
- Arsenal
- Spurs
- Liverpool
- Everton
Should I hope I’m proved right, or hope I’m proved wrong? The first world problems of being an Arsenal fan, eh?
Here’s what everyone voted in the poll:
Twitter: @AngryOfN5
angryofislington 
8.38% = deluded.
‘Seventh to tenth’ and ‘fifteenth to twentieth’ are also deluded.
we will sign players after we qualify for the champions league and even if we dont
I’m one of the 8.38% = deluded.
and proud
arsenal. will be behind Liverpool
we will be lucky to be about mid-table and out of the ECL too
HATE HATE HATE ! negativity what is th matter with you ?4th? 4TH?? WHAT dont get bogged down with reports !! we are champions 1st season in 8yrs we not selling players and you have us fourth find a new drug dealer !!!
I fear we will drop out of the top 4 with spurs finishing ahead of us. They have signed good players and now have decent strength in dept which we lack. I think united will drop off a bit in fact I think the strain is starting to show on blue nose jnr with his rant about united being deliberately handed a tough start to the season. Talk about explaining your failure before it happens. I see sir alex having to lead the boy by the hand at some stage leaving united in the top 4 but def not champions. So that leaves city and chelski. I think the special one hasnt got the players he had the last time around and this may show up some weaknesses, as for city I just dont know pelegrini is a total unknown. We beat them soundly last weekend but its was a pre season game and thats all it was I think too much was made of it on our part. So I guess im saying champions either city or chelski, id lean more towards chelski tho, third place united or spurs and then us in 5th if we are lucky. And dont be surprised if we drop points against villa this weekend, we’ve no arteta and I fear ramsey if fit will not like being the main dm in a competitive game. Well thats my lot u think im being pessimistic but I actually think that our squad as it stands is so threadbare that im actually being optimistic. Just to clarify I hope im completely wrong and we lift the league the champions league and at least one of the 2 domestic cups but I doubt it.
You right my guy. That is how is going to be. Only on one condition. Which is if we dont buy any player. We need 2 or 3 players or more than
i hope spurs finnish second …………………………………………….then we will be champions (unless they play 14 defensive midfieldrs)
Frankly speaking it will be difficult for us to beat the spuds for a top 4 next season. We know our squad which lacks depth and consistency as we have seen in the past few seasons. As I said we need a good cover for scezesny, a DM, and a world class stiker. The next season is the bset opportunity for arsenal and arsene to lift a trophy but it doesn’t seems that wenger is willing to use the opportunity. I don’t know what he is thinking but for me time is up for our killer trio(Gazidis,wenger and Kroenke).
30.88% deluded!, If i’m honest the management will only start spending when it’s too late, if Fenerbache knock us out the qualifiers, the panic resulting from this result will kill us, I personally think liverpool and spurs will make life much more difficult than we really expect this season.
who the feck cares..we’re just an American franchise like mcdonalds and honestly a burger is great…lets keep on making money for the hollywood hooker kroenke and hos lying j*w nazidis…The Arsenal is no more..we have lost…we’re ruined…we’re just a selling money maing machine…and wenger..hehe..what a fool…he is just a deluded old fart who is…trying his best to rip us off…he’s just a pile of shit…
RIP Arsenal
Nobody forces you to watch the Arsenal soap opera – turn it off and go and watch something else.
Phil , With respect, I could’nt care less about what your poll revealed. We are hours away from the start of a new season with no signings and a number of injuries to key players. It beggars belief to think that as far back as June we were excited by the prospect of signing Higuain. And all we have to show for it is one young lad signed for nothing. This is about the Arsenal, and it’s about us the supporters . I am past caring about the bunch of wasters and losers who have dragged this club down to their level of greed and indifference. Wenger has been part of that orchestra . He has facilitated the demise of the team An Arab airline, a greedy American and a bunch of small minded little tossers who should never have been let near the club.have bled it dry. There is no money available, It’s all lies and until Wenger spends big I won’t believe anyone who says different. If I sound angry I bloody well am.. I think that we have been peddled lies about a transfer kitty and the clown who is masquerading as a manager has been party to it. Nine seasons without a trophy, a history of selling our best players and a total disrespect for the people who are Arsenal , the fans ,says it all . Ambition my arse
That is what I think exactly. I think that Wenger will not sign a new contract because he is going to take the heat for the lack of spending and fall on his sword. But thankfully, someone else sees Wenger’s complicity in the Big Lie.
Laudrup’s recent comment about not selling Michu this late in the window even for “ridiculous money” is spot on. Which sane manager would sell a star player with no time to replace him? This is what Wenger fails to realize each season – he waits until it’s too late to get real quality, then the inevitable injuries or weaknesses are exposed and he panic buys. The last 14 days of the transfer window is NOT the time to search for “top top quality”.
It shouldn’t be rocket science. Identify your targets early (with backups for each target), give that list to a negotiating team who won’t take no for an answer, and Wenger STAY THE FUDGE AWAY from negotiations.
I truly believe Wenger has no intentions of dabbling in the transfer market during this period. Notice he is after players he knows he has the faintest hope of prising away from particular clubs.
He will only act as always if the squad gets a good trashing. But the Wenger plan is to wait the cheaper option at the end of the transfer window.
No transfer activity will be seen till the 1st leg of ucl qualifier is done, thats my thought.
To think that the fans would be happy with a fourth placed finish is a indication of just how poor we rate our own performance. I would think that we would only be happy when challenging for top honours not a top half finish! Why do we accept such a poor result? Is it because we know that at present we will be lucky to finish in the top half,or is it that we are so deluded by the managers inactivity and excuses we dont expect anything better? Come on,dont accept mediocraty ,demand a better brand of football and better players from the french idiot!!!
Arsene saying we are in the market is a old saying. He keeps on promising the fans we will buy quality and then buys the cheaper or a free player like Chamakh, Squillaci, Park etc. Is that the quality he needs at Arsenal, the players who himself doesnot even consider to be on bench. He has cleared out the dead wood and now we do not have the numbers as well. Whether we will win the premier league or any other Cup. …….?. We already have the injury problem and are down with the first match coming up in hours. God knows what is Arsene thinking….or not thinking?
Arsenal 4th without top additions to the squad? Are you basing that on reason or on hope? We only just made 4th last year.Will just not happen this year. In trophy seeking terms we are mismanaged and Wenger is negligent. Wake up Phil, something is WRONG at the club.
It looks to me like we will buy. However, going into this game with so many injuries is a joke. We are one of the richest football clubs in the world. Maybe number one if you consider only clubs that dont use out side investment.
Yet we have a rediculous bench for the next game. Ideally santi should be rested. Day 1 of the season and thats a risky move. Its a worry.
Look as much as I dont want to disrespect you, you are missing the worrying trend we’ve been seeing all summer. Players are coming out and adamantly saying no im not interested in moving to arsenal as soon as they are linked. Before they used to side skirt and say stuff like well I have a contract with my club, im just concentrating on the up coming season, we’ll see but its not up to me etc. Now its arsenal, im flattered but no. We’ve just lost gustavo to wolfsberg, wolfsberg are like what wigan or some shit? Now he wouldn’t have been my first choice for a dm but he has chosen mid tablw mediocrity over joining our club. That is whats worrying me.
I agree entirely that the squad lacks depth but i’d just caution that we don’t wish to spend the summer clearing out average players only to bring in more. Whilst Wenger’s far from my favourite person at the moment, he’s not wrong when he goes on about “top top top signings”. Some of the names i’ve seen bandied around this summer have been comically average. If this team is to improve it needs better players, not simply more of them. Personally, while i’m not happy at the evident lack of progress this summer, i’d rather have 2-3 world class players on 2 September than 3-4 average players on 16 August; long-term, we’ll be a much better squad for it. Time will tell whether that’ll be the case though.
I agree but after being beat by villa on the opening day at home im livid. Kosser was sent off, gibbs went off injured, tv5 is injured; monreal is injured and ignasi miquel is out on loan. That leaves the bfg, jenko and sanga as our only available senior defenders. Now as I dont us to buy mediocre players id like to at least have someone half decent as back up. Kolo anyone? I fear now that wenger will buy ashley williams and he simply is not good enough, I dont care if he single handedly wins the champions league hes 29 hes never been heard of before last season and if he was even half decent someone else would have shown even a passing interest in him. Hes ok for swansea but not for us. But its not just lack of depth that’s worrying. Firstly why the fuck did podolski sit on the bench today? Hes our only world class forward id like to see him as our striker ahead of big long generic French guy or at least on the wing. And why did cazorla not come on earlier or even start? Yes he was in the confederations cup but arteta is out injured and the rest of our midfield are kids we needed him today. Rosicksy is talented but hes no leader. Not only that but caz is the one guy we have who can single handedly win a game for us. The squad and the managerial decision making are flimsy flawed and simply not good enough. We are now the laughing stock of the premiership. Isnt it just as well we didnt play chelski today.