The promise of the 2008/2009 season came and passed. With so much promise in the young team, the addition of a certain Samir Nasri made us believe that we had what it took to win a trophy since 2005.
What we never counted on was the lost of players to our very thin squad. Coupled with an amazing outburst by former captain Gallas and a long term injury to new captain Fabregas, the young squad was not able to overcome the instability and lost its way early in the season. It took 4 months or so to stabilize the ship and we went on an effective unbeaten streak but did not have enough experience or form to bring back the trophies.
So what do I think we need for the new season? A new coach? No way, Wenger is the man. A new stadium? Well, the Emirates does seemed unlucky for us but its not going to happen so lets forget about it. New players? Yes, we need and we need 2 in my opinion without considering any sale of player.
First up is the big hole in our central defence. There is no Adams or Keown or Bould to scream, shout or cajole the young ones to watch their men during corners. There is no Patrick Vieira or Edu or Parlour to cover for the defence when counter-attacked. We need a big strong guy and Haageland fits the bill. The Norway captain is 6 foot 5, imposing and has leadership quality. He is experienced in the Barclay’s Premier League and certainly fits the shape of a center back; not unlike Adams.
The next position is the defensive midfielder position. A couple of names come to mind such as Esteban Cambiasso, Sulley Muntari and Miguel Veloso. A lot of people may be shocked by my choices but realistically, Arsenal does not have the financial power to fight off other rich clubs if we went for the other names such as Alonso, Sneijder or Mascherano. Between the mentioned 3 choices, Veloso would be a great choice to add to the team if he could get used to living in London. The problem with trying to get Cambiasso is the same issue of acclimatizing while at the same time, Inter might not be willing to sell their defensive midfielders. In an ideal world, with the combination of luck and fortune, I would be able to get Muntari and he would sit right in front of the defense like a wall and give support to our playmaker, Fabregas. In addition, I believe Song will learn a thing or two off the beast.
With the purchase of these 2 key players, I certainly hope for good fortune in the injury front. Nobody would have known what the outcome of our title run is if Rosicky, Eduardo, Fabregas, Gallas and Adebayor were not out for such a long time. In fact, Rosicky was out for the whole of last season and still listed as doubtful for the start of next season.
All said, my first team for the 2009/10 will be (starting from goalkeeper and right to left): Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Haageland, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Muntari, Nasri, Adebayor and Arshavin. On the bench, we will have RVP, Song, Vela, Gallas, Bendtner and Mannone.
With this team, I believe we can win the title and possibly one of the cups as the hunger is there. Mixed with a bit of skill and experience, we can bring back the glorious years.
Go Arsenal!!!
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