Why Arsenal are dangerous opponents

Cech is poised to give the youthful Arsenal brigade a new mature look. PHOTO BY AFP

The tell-tale signs are there, invisible only to those afflicted by Biblical blindness. After eleven years in the doldrums, Arsenal are finally ready to mount a serious challenge for the English Premiership title. So where are the signs?

Firstly, the Gunners are cash-rich. Freed of the albatross that was the loan that built the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger finally has the cash to compete with the big boys for marquee signings. Just this week, club director Lord Harris said the club have the cash to sign almost anyone, including football deity Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.
It is a continuation of a trend that begun two years ago. Those who don’t pay attention to detail keep harping about how frugal the 11-time English champions are with cash. Yet, if you examine their net expenditure over the last two years, the North London club has, for example, outspent traditional moneybags Chelsea by a ratio of three to one. The actual figures are Arsenal 105m pounds to 37m for Chelsea.

You know you have arrived when you can raid Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea for world established stars like Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech. The arrival of these stars is a far cry from the period between 2005-2012 when a plethora of choice players had to leave in order for the club to balance their books.

Psychological factor
Former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli used to say fans only boo good players. Fans can identify a formidable rival when they see one, and thus don’t waste their time on journeymen. In a similar vein, rival managers only waste their energy on worthwhile opponents. A good test of Arsenal’s new found status came this week when Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho accused the Gunners and Manchester United of trying to buy the title. In the two years since the Portuguese’s return, he has been focusing his mind games on Manchester City.

Besides, the Gunners start the season as double FA Cup winners. Their impressive end to last season, ruthless demolition of Aston Villa in the final plus arrival of Cech has enamored Wenger’s belief this could be their year. Matter of fact, I don’t recall the debonair Frenchman going out of his way to categorically state that they are ready to challenge for the title, as he has done this time round. This will rub off on the players in a positive way.
Lest we forget, this is a manager who was ready to compromise his puritan approach to get results. The old Wenger would never have sacrificed the game’s aesthetics to register blood and iron victories as he did at Old Trafford and the Ettihad Stadium.

Good pre-season
Do away with the tendency to dismiss pre-season games as nothing more than glorified friendlies. The momentum you carry from the off-season usually shapes the season’s outcome. Regardless of which players he has fielded, Wenger’s charges have gone about their preparations with a ruthless efficiency last seen ten years back. During the Barclays Asia Trophy, the Singapore XI were brushed aside by academy products Chuba Akpom and JJ Okocha’s nephew Alex Iwobi. Everton fared a little better , though they were ultimately laid bare by Santi Cazorla’s vision. This was followed up by imperious wins over Olympique Lyon and Wolfsburg in the Emirates Cup where yet more mercurial talent was unveiled.

By using Cazorla sparingly, La Roja manager Vicente del Bosque is missing dynamite. The world’s most complete two-footed player has morphed into the league’s, perhaps even world’s, outstanding deep-lying playmaker. I strongly differ with Gunners record scorer Thierry Henry who claims Arsenal need four more players to challenge for the EPL title. Along with Mesut Ozil, Petr Cech, a maturing Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez, pint-sized midfield dynamo Cazorla will help Arsenal challenge Chelsea for the title. Such is my belief in the quality of the coffee brewing at the Emirates Stadium, I am actually tipping the North Londoners to prevail over my beloved Chelsea in tomorrow’s Charity Shield.

To round up, it is pertinent to emphasise that Chelsea remain title favourites as Jose Mourinho remains the league’s best all round manager. I am looking forward to seeing the impact of African stars Bertrand Traore and Victor Moses who have both returned from loan spells. However, Manchester United’s spending and Arsenal’s revival guarantee this will be the tightest race in years. Let the games begin.

LUCKY FIND?
Mathieu Flamini admits Arsenal have ‘got lucky’ with Petr Cech and urged his team-mates to make Chelsea pay for the decision.
Flamini was stunned to find Jose Mourinho had not done more to stop Cech’s £10m move across London from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates.
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