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Why We Can Be Champions Next Year

In midfield the double pivot of Ramsey and Arteta is another crucial reason why we have done so well in recent times. Clearly Jack Wilshere is (after Cazorla) our best player but he seems to lack the understanding (at the moment) of how to play the role next to either Arteta or Ramsey in the double pivot. But what we mustn't forget is that Wilshere came back in October, having not had a pre-season, and he has barely had the ability to play next to Arteta, despite Arteta being at the club for two years now. The summer coming up, with everyone more or less fit (a minor surgery aside) will give the coaches and Wenger the chance to analyse and, again, congeal the team and make them more familiar to each other and the roles they play.

Regardless, the double pivot of Ramsey and Arteta to me looks absolutely class. The way they combine energy, tackling, passing and reading of the game works brilliantly. People tell me that we lack just a tad of creativity with that double pivot and whilst I agree that at times both Ramsey and Arteta play safe too much, I want to see what a summer of teamwork can do to that. Both Ramsey and Arteta are very creative players. Clearly the potential is there. People might also ask whether a duo of Ramsey and Arteta is good enough to win the league. Well first of all, compare it to the current league winners. Cleverley and Carrick (their most common CM duo). Is that really better? I think not. And also look at how the double pivot of Ramsey and Arteta has helped shield the defence. Do we still need a big, strong destroyer in there? I don't think so.

The two areas, unusually, where my worries lie is in the two most attacking parts of our side. Some of our stand out performers this season (Cazorla, Walcott) play in that area, and yet I am not wholly convinced. At times the synergy seems lost. Walcott, for instance, hangs inside too often, where we lose width and the element of pace from his side. Giroud drifts wide to accommodate all that buzzing creativity behind him, but then that creativity gets no outlet. Equally, when Giroud is not playing, we cross the ball (at times very well) and have no one to head it in. A summer of working together will make this better, but there seems a fundamental flaw.

For instance; I am a big fan of Tomas Rosicky and in the run in his energy and enthusiasm, not to mention his desire to throw himself about, was absolutely vital. Yet he goes missing in matches, and doesn't contribute enough in attacking sense to our play. His position needs to be looked at. We have Jack Wilshere who can play in the attacking midfielder in a 4-3-3 but then Cazorla needs to play out wide. At times this season that has worked well but at times it also has looked a bit ungainly. It all depends on the signings we make. Do we want another winger? If we sign another striker (which seems likely), will we shift Podolski out wide? A lot of these answers will depend on signings but to me clearly we have the personnel to occupy all the positions comfortably and to make our attacking more efficient and more consistent. Too often this season it was hot or cold. I'd rather we are lukewarm most of the time rather than both hot and cold.

What can be clear so far is that the basis we have is absolutely fantastic. The team is filled with quality and with players slowly getting to know each other. A lot depends on the summer. What we need, and what I keep mentioning, is the addition of quality, stardust, to the ranks and for the improvement of our depth in certain positions. The club seem very intent on signing a couple of good players, and with the massive exodus going on in youth, reserve and senior ranks perhaps the penny has dropped on the need for quality. Personally I think that we have rowed with the oars that we had for all that time because of our financial situation, which was not exactly precarious, but Wenger being Wenger was frugal and careful. Some day Gooners will be mighty thankful.

All that besides this summer is important not just for signings, but, as I keep mentioning, for the stability which we haven't seen in years. The squad is relatively harmonious and stable. No big names (Sagna apart, and that is a far different situation than the last two seasons) seem to be departing and with all players fit the coaching staff can finally get to the instilling of tactical unity and true understanding of the roles for the players. Much of my optimism is based on the presumption that this summer will see an improvement in those areas but that presumption feels far from unrealistic. With Wenger we still have one of the finest managers in the world, the coaching staff has always been very good and with Steve Bould and Neil Banfield Wenger seems to have finally gotten two direct advisers who not only compliment him, but challenge him. Much of a season's ground work is done in the summer and I feel very confident that this summer our squad will improve, in quantity, quality, harmony and (tactical) unity.

Many others things seem to be going our way. With Arteta, Vermaelen, Mertesacker, Podolski and Cazorla and others we have, by all accounts, a couple of big voices and personalities in the dressing room. With the English core we have a bunch of youthful players with good heads on their shoulders and Arsenal in their hearts. No longer are we a club of potential alone, some of our best players are in a settled stage of their career. Indeed, someone like Arteta or Rosicky is looking to wind down. I have aired the opinion before that what went wrong after the Invincibles is that the older players left too soon. Wenger seems to not be making the same mistake with this generation.

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