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Next Week Could Define Arsenal’s Season
The 2015/16 season hasn’t quite gone to plan, has it? Arsenal were entering this year with a huge wave of momentum. Two successive FA Cup victories had given this team the confidence to win. Francis Coquelin had finally fulfilled the long awaited role of the enforcing defensive midfielder and the addition of Alexis Sanchez had invigorated the attacking talent in the squad.
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The signing of a world class goalkeeper in Petr Cech this summer helped maintain the rising optimism around the squad, and Wenger has consistently expressed confidence in his squad. This has led to many proposing that Arsenal will win the Premier League this season. Optimism, confidence and expectations were high around the Emirates. What a difference 2 months makes.
Arsenal are currently 5th in the table. Not a terrible position, but certainly not an impressive start. Manchester City stuttered against West Ham last week, but have still set a blistering pace at the top of the table. Their local rivals led by Louis Van Gaal also look dangerous. Although Chelsea have suffered dreadful opening form, they were victorious last week at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho will most certainly not allow them to play so poorly in the coming weeks.
Arsenal’s title challenge is under threat, and their form must improve. Quickly. Leicester away this Saturday is a must win match. Already 5 points behind the leaders, Wenger and his Gunners cannot afford to lose any more ground. This is a key matchup, and with the team out of form, it is big upset waiting to happen. Claudio Ranieri has been able to create an impressive Leicester team, playing at high tempo with lots of pace. This is exactly the type of team that Arsenal typically struggle against. With Manchester United next weekend, this match is crucial in making a statement for the coming season.
Speaking of Manchester United, this leads me on to the biggest match of Arsenal’s season so far. Yes, Chelsea was a London derby, but in terms of the whole season, losing to the Red Devils would put Arsenal 6 points behind them. Win, and they are all square. Arsenal have struggled against Manchester United in recent years, but playing at the Emirates will be a massive boost. Unfortunately, this Arsenal team does not score many goals, at least not yet. A clean sheet against Martial and Rooney is far from secure. 6 points from these 2 games revitalizes this season. Lose either game, and we could be waving goodbye to a title challenge in October.
While the Premier League form is indifferent, the Champions League has been downright dreadful. Losing away to Dinamo Zagreb is inexcusable if Bayern Munich are to be challenged for group victory. The performance was dreadful, and the result even worse. It showed off many weaknesses in the squad, and did pose lots of potential issues if key injuries were to occur. This coming week will be key to the successes of the season in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
In between playing Leicester and United, the Gunners host Olympiakos in a crucial Champions league tie. Lose this, and progression from the group will be in great jeopardy. That will be a tragedy. Arsenal have struggled in the Champions League recently, often qualifying 2nd from the group and facing a European giant in the knockout rounds. It will be even worse to not progress from the group.
This is a crucial for Arsene Wenger to get right and make a statement for the remainder of the season. After the summer optimism, it has been a disappointing start to the season. But pick up 3 victories come next Sunday, and the 2015 season could still be a major success.
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