Arsenal FC
 

An examination of Arsenal’s undefeated season and the potential for this year’s team to return to the top of the Premier League:

Undefeated Season:
Games: 38
Record: 26-0-12
Leading Goal Scorers: Thierry Henry (30), Robert Pires (14)

This season was one that Arsenal fans will never forget. There seemed to be a belief both in the supporters and in the team that Arsenal would not lose. This belief has one that has been lacking for the past couple seasons. However, it is not only the lack of belief that is to blame for Arsenal’s failure to maintain its position at the top of the English Premier League.
There are a number of factors that have contributed to this. First, the loss of Thierry Henry and the lack of a truly successful replacement has contributed what is no an ever present problem for the Gunners. They do not have a “Super Striker.” All three of the other teams in what is known as the “big four” have a striker who is guaranteed to provide his club with a wealth of goals. Manchester United has Rooney, Liverpool has Torres, and Chelsea has Drogba. There was the single season in which Emmanuel Aderbayor had 24 goals yet, 6 of those goals came against a Derby County side that set the Premier League record for the fewest points earned in a single season. The emergence of Chamakh this season has given Arsenal fans hope that the club may have found its own star up front. However, years of reliance on the sublimely talented but injury prone van Persie have left fans wary of the potential for injury to cut a player’s season short.
Another of the list of problems that has haunted Arsenal for the seasons since their undefeated run is the lack of a clearly defined threat from the midfield threat. During their undefeated season, the Gunners relied heavily on goals from Robert Pires to win them games. Since his departure Arsenal has relied on a more team-oriented approach to scoring. Pires stood apart from his teammates because of his willingness to shoot. Nowhere was this difference more apparent then in the player bought to replace him. Alexander Helb was one of the gifted dribblers Arsenal has known yet; he rarely scored due to his resistance to shooting. He and the majority of the Arsenal midfield from the past couple seasons have seemingly bought too deeply into Manager Arsene Wenger’s style of play. Yet hope has been rekindled this year in the emergence of scoring threats in Nasri and Arshavin. Fabregas established himself as a threat in front of goal last year and if he can carry over that form then the Gunners’ midfield may surpass that of their undefeated season.
Finally, injuries have been an ever-present problem at the club. It has seemed that for the past few years that the team has almost never been able to field its top 11. No sooner does one player return from injury then another goes down. While this season seems to be no different, with major injuries already sustained by van Persie, Fabregas, Vermaelan, and others, the squad’s depth is greatly improved. The introduction of two new defenders along with Wilshere and Chamakh have expanded the quality of the first team. There is no longer the fear that Arsenal only has 12-14 quality players, instead, it appears that Wenger’s reliance on a strong youth program and an intelligent approach to the transfer market is finally paying off.