Arsenal: Is all this optimism just the same annual trap?

Arsenal’s team is looking really, really good and some optimistic claims are being made. But is this the same old trap we always fall into?

It’s official. My optimism has peaked. Now it totters on top of a mountain in a rather precarious situation. All summer I’ve been gushing over the fantastic job that Arsenal have been doing with moving the club forward at long last.

The transfer business has been swift and conclusive. Every player they got serves a very clear and specific purpose. There are no gaping needs within the team that just got ignored, as has been the case in years past.

Unai Emery is also running players ragged in training, getting them into tip-top shape. Something about the behind-the-scenes looks makes me think that they aren’t exactly used to this kind of training.

Contracts are being signed left and right, no one is jumping ship, everyone looks happy, the world is a fantastic place for a Gooner.

Not to mention they just thumped Boreham Woods 8-0. And while it was little more than a preseason friendly, it is the first time all these players are coming back together. So make of that what you will.

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So why do I say that my optimism has peaked? Because I’ve been here before. We’ve been here before. This same exact spot where everything looks great and nothing could ever go wrong and for like, two months into the season it looks great and then everything falls apart.

And so, I have to ask (though I really don’t want to), is this blazing optimism just a trap? Are we bound to collapse just like we have in years past?

Initially, I thought that it could be, but then you have to counteract that other resting state of Gooners – the impending doom state. Things really are different. It’s a whole new manager, a whole new command center, a whole new lot of things. The starting XI is two men deep at every single position.

This is actually different. These aren’t cosmetic changes trying to make the same old thing work, but with a couple different people. This is a comprehensive change. The roots have been torn out and a new tree has been planted.

Next: Arsenal Complete 2017/18 Player Ratings

No, this isn’t a trap. This is real change. For that reason, I will keep reassuring myself that it’s not all going to blow up in my face like it used to.

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