The growth in confidence doesn't stop there. Three of Arsenal's first team players (Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski & Per Mertesacker) are coming back to training at the club's training ground of London Colney as World Cup champions. Add stand-out Costa Rican winger Joel Campbell, who returns from a loan with Olympiakos & a successful World Cup for his country & you have the makings of an improved Arsenal squad already. But there's more. To top it all off: the historically stingy club has spent over £65 million this summer in signing new players! Buying World Cup standouts Alexis Sanchez (from Barcelona), Mathieu Debuchy (from Newcastle) & David Ospina (from Nice) has undoubtedly given Gooners hope that this could be the year that they re-claim the EPL title (it would be their 1st since 2003-04).
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| Mathieu Debuchy: One of Arsenal's Top Summer Signings |
And while the season effectively starts on August 16th when the Gunners play Crystal Palace, this weekend's Community Shield tilt versus defending Premier League holders Manchester City may give us a better idea on whether Arsenal are the real deal or pretenders.
If you flashback to December 14, 2013, Arsenal were sitting a top the Premier League table, with a lead of 5 points over Manchester City, at the beginning of the day. After the two teams played each other later that day, the Gunners' lead shrunk to 2 points, but Arsenal had lost much more than just 3 points on the day. City's 6-3 mauling of the Gunners revealed a lack of composure & a lack of confidence in the squad. The Gunners were exposed as impostors, & not contenders for the Barclay's Premier League crown. This started a trend: when Arsenal were faced with pressure away from home, they folded like a cheap tent. We saw this repeated in matches against Chelsea & Liverpool (6-0 & 5-1, respectively). In fact it almost cost the team the FA Cup as well, as Arsenal fell behind 2-0 to Hull City early in the final & were forced to storm back late in the match.
So why does Sunday's pre-season Community Shield match against Manchester City matter for the Arsenal? First impressions can make big impressions. Even though Arsenal are still a young side, putting up a solid effort against Manchester City will go a long way to help their confidence for the beginning of a new year & instilling confidence in the team's young stars. Getting crushed early in the season by your biggest obstacle to the EPL title on the national stage at Wembley Stadium will not be the way that Arsene Wenger will want to start the new season. That is not to mean that Arsenal MUST win. They just cannot be blown out, as they have been in the past. They MUST show resolve. The Gunners have been a young squad for some time now. But at some point, they will need to take the next step and compete with the Manchester City's & Chelsea's of the world. For many a year, Arsenal fans complained that Arsene Wenger & the board refused to spend money to improve the squad. While a back up striker and defensive midfielder could really add to the squad's depth, Wenger has splashed money to improve the squad significantly. Now it is up to the players to show whether they are capable of competing with the best. Will the boys from Hornsey Road in North London finally turn into men? We'll find out this Sunday.
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