Ben Another season dawns and there’s apprehension in the air amongst Arsenal fans after missing out on the Champions League last campaign.
Wenger’s men dropped out of the top four for the first time in his tenure and many Gunners fans called for the Frenchman to be axed.
But the 67-year-old opted to sign a new two-year deal and as the North London side prepare for the new season, we reveal why Arsenal fans can be optimistic and why they should be wary of the new campaign.
END OF SEASON MOMENTUM
The Gunners may have missed out on the Champions League places by a single point but they still had a terrific end to the campaign.
Wenger reverted to the popular 3-5-2 formation which saw Arsenal go from two wins in eight to eight wins out of nine.
And the Gunners ended the season with a trophy as they defied the odds to beat champions Chelsea in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
That good end of season form will see Arsenal come into the new campaign in high spirits and could see the Gunners lay down a marker to their rivals.
LACA NEW SIGNING
Fans demanded Wenger spent big over the summer and he got off to the perfect start by bringing in Lyon frontman Alexandre Lacazette.
The striker, who was a club record signing, is the sort of player Arsenal have been crying out for since the painful loss of Robin Van Persie to Manchester United in 2012.
Quick and clinical, many have likened the Frenchman to Arsenal legend Ian Wright. And if he can produce that type of form Arsenal will certainly be in the frame come May.
DEPTH
As one season passes into another, Arsenal tend to endure an injury crisis at some stage of the season.
Whether that be a shortage of defensive options or a lack of strikers, Arsenal’s injury list tends to be as long as a piece of string.
But Arsenal seem to have an abundance of attacking options all out to prove a point this season.
If the Gunners can keep hold of prized asset Alexis to compliment the likes of Lacazette, Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain – you can expect plenty of goals at the Emirates.
Reasons to be fearful:
UNCERTAIN FUTURES
Wenger described the situation of having players in the final year of their contract as “ideal”, but many say different.
The Frenchman’s comments contradict his own remarks from last season when he revealed the club became unstable because of the lack of clarity over his own future.
Arsenal have several key men entering the final year of their contract including Alexis, Mesut Ozil and Oxlade-Chamberlain and with all three rumoured to be wanting away from the Emirates, it could leave the Gunners in a sticky situation.
DEFENSIVE FRAILTIES
Arsenal’s defensive shortcomings are no secret to football fans and they were certainly on show for long spells of last season.
Laurent Koscielny is a lynchpin of Arsenal’s backline but has been plagued with Achilles problems for numerous seasons meaning it’s unlikely he will play every match.
And without the experienced Frenchman the Gunners are all at sea. The signing of Sead Kolasinac will add depth but without a bruising centre half to link up with Koscielny, Arsenal could be exposed again.
MIDFIELD MISGIVINGS
It has long been said that Arsenal’s failure to replace the likes of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva has been a key reason for not brining the title back to North London.
Mathieu Flamini, Denilson, Francis Coquelin, Abou Diaby and many others have tried to replicate Vieira and Gilberto with limited success.football
Wenger looks as if he’s happy with his midfield options but without any midfield general to help drive the Gunners forward, it could be another long season for the three-time Premier League champions.
