At the time of writing, Arsenal fans were being forced to wait a day later than normal for their opening weekend fixture against West Ham United which was this year scheduled for the earlier game on Sunday.
For the first time in a long while, Gunners fans are entering the new season with genuine hope that their club might be able to win the biggest prize of them all this season after signing Petr Cech and finally having proved they can get one over on Chelsea and Jose Mourinho in the Community Shield.
For some, Arsene Wenger’s men are still a Karim Benzema away from winning the title but with three or so weeks left of the transfer window, the tabloids are still awash with reports that the Frenchman could be winging his way in from Real Madrid by September 1st.
Most recently, Arsenal fans have had to put up with stick from rival fans after Jack Wilshere suffered his umpteenth injury, this time a hairline fracture in his foot and things were made worse considering it was his own team-mate Gabriel Paulista that his put him out of action.
Arsenal fans will hope no more members of their squad suffer the seemingly inevitable annual injury crisis that has blighted the Gunners and their title hopes early on as it did last season.
But with most of Wenger’s squad fit and healthy right now, just what is the Gunners’ strongest starting eleven on paper?
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Click on the image below to reveal what we believe to be the best starting XI Arsenal can field under Arsene Wenger next season.
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Petr Cech
With the Czech Republic international now the undisputed number one at Emirates Stadium, Petr Cech’s signature has been described as a game changer in many quarters.
With Wojciech Szczesny now sent out on loan to Roma in a character building mission, Arsene Wenger is intent on the Pole returning a better player but in the meantime, Arsenal finally have a ready-made world beater in Cech who is undoubtedly the best goalkeeper they’ve had since the days of Jens Lehmann.
Having scooped three pre-season trophies in just three pre-season games before the big kick-off, Cech’s preparations went swimmingly and you saw in the Community Shield that his sheer presence between the sticks will save the Gunners points they hastily let slip away last season.
Hector Bellerin
Enjoying a fantastic breakthrough campaign last term, many Gooners would select Hector Bellerin over £12 million man Mathieu Debuchy.
Although Debuchy is still rated highly, the contribution Bellerin made in the team following an injury to the Frenchman cannot be ignored.
A pacey customer who provides attacking flair, Bellerin even managed to score two goals last term and given his rapid rise to prominence, he is likely to pick up from where he left off this term.
Per Mertesacker
While many Arsenal fans were expecting January transfer window capture – and Jack Wilshere injurer – Gabriel Paulista to step into Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven this term, we still think the Gunners boss will start with Per Mertesacker.
Having been at the club longer than most now, Mertesacker is still a leader at the back and reads the game incredibly well to make up for a lack of pace.
A fantastic performer for Arsenal in the 2013/14 season, Arsenal fans still worry about their big German when Laurent Koscielny isn’t around (like at Stoke City away last term!) but when the Frenchman is playing alongside him, the pair seem a decent partnership.
Laurent Koscielny
As mentioned on our previous slide, Per Mertesacker’s best performances occur when he has Laurent Koscielny alongside him and that is the mark of the Frenchman’s game.
Having impressed season upon season to rightly being considered one of the best centre backs in the Premier League, Koscielny is rugged in the tackle while boasting fantastic recovery pace to track back against opponents.
Earlier this transfer window, there were reports that new Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez was lining up a swoop for Koscielny but with that rumour having since died down, Arsenal fans are looking forward to cheering on ‘Bosscielny’ as he’s affectionately referred to once again.
Nacho Monreal
Think back to the start of last season and Nacho Monreal was scapegoat number one after being deployed as an emergency centre back in the midst of the inevitable Arsenal injury crisis.
In fairness to Monreal, he had never played in the position before and was called upon due to Wenger’s incompetence in failing to replace Thomas Vermaelen but after he was reinstalled at left back, he enjoyed something of a new awakening.
Seeming to relish the chance of playing in his normal position again, Monreal got better and better and even scored that crucial opener against Manchester United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford last term.
The Spaniard is now definitely Arsenal’s renaissance man and considered a better option over Kieran Gibbs by many.
Francis Coquelin
As the image above shows, these are the kind of body on the line-type performances we’ve come to expect from Francis Coquelin ever since he returned from his mid-season loan spell with Charlton Athletic last season.
His temporary spell with the Addicks really seemed to toughen the young Frenchman up while making him realise that he was fighting for his Arsenal career.
In a very lucky way for Arsene Wenger, the Gunners boss stumbled upon his talents really due to the injury suffered by Mikel Arteta but in fairness to the player, he really buckled down and sustained fantastic form right up until the end of the season and in the FA Cup Final.
While many Arsenal fans were crying out for the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin this summer, it would’ve been hard to drop Coquelin from the team, such were the calibre of his performances in the second half of last season.
Santi Cazorla
Now relishing in a new found deeper central midfield role alongside Coquelin, Santi Cazorla is proving to be the Spanish maestro all Arsenal fans knew they were signing.
A decent player ever since signing from Malaga back in 2012, the Spanish international took his form to new heights last term and dictated the pace of many fixtures in the middle of the park.
Extremely clever and able to change direction ever so quickly with his two-footedness, Cazorla is able to negotiate his way out of tight spots incredibly well and let’s not forget, he takes an excellent penalty too.
A crowd favourite at Emirates Stadium, Cazorla is definitely one of Arsenal’s key players.
Aaron Ramsey
He’s already claimed himself that he doesn’t like playing on the right wing but we think Aaron Ramsey better get used to playing in the role for the time being.
Given Santi Cazorla’s new found role in central midfield and Mesut Ozil’s improvement in his favoured number 10 role, the Welshman has found himself shafted out to the right and while he’s of course better in the middle, both Cazorla and Ozil’s form cannot be ignored.
Ramsey wasn’t a total disaster in every performance he played on the right but Arsenal fans are correct in claiming they lack pace with the former Cardiff City man on the wing.
That said, Hector Bellerin can bomb on outside him to make the pitch wide and having Ramsey on the field, no matter what the position will always be of benefit to Arsenal, such is the engine on the player.
Mesut Ozil
It may have taken him a little while to get going but now, Arsenal fans are starting to see the best of Mesut Ozil.
The German international is something of an enigma and that kind of cigar footballer like Dimitar Berbatov who does things at his own pace but when it comes off, what a footballer he is to behold.
A great frustrater at the same time as well, Ozil has failed to deliver in many top four battles but one game in which he was fantastic last season was Liverpool at home where his perfectly curled free kick contributed to a romping 4-1 victory for Arsene Wenger’s men.
Alexis Sanchez
Arsenal fans haven’t seen their Chilean superstar in pre-season as yet following his triumphant spell winning the Copa America in his home country this summer but Gunners fans can’t wait to see Alexis Sanchez in an Arsenal shirt again.
Scoring over 20 goals in his first season in English football, Sanchez took to the Premier League like a duck to water and must be a dream to manage for Arsene Wenger with the player boasting all of the talent and skill in the world, yet combining this with a fantastic hard work ethic.
Scoring an absolute screamer in the FA Cup Final against Aston Villa, that one goal was Sanchez in a nutshell in respect of the Chilean being able to come up with that little bit of magic right when it’s required.
Olivier Giroud
Arsenal fans will be hoping they can replace this slide with one entitled Karim Benzema in the next three weeks or so but for the time being, Olivier Giroud is still the number one striker at Emirates Stadium.
Considering he missed around four months of the Premier League season last term, Giroud still managed to score 14 Premier League goals and given his pretty boy image, he does seem to receive a lot of stick when sometimes it’s unjustified.
Because Arsenal fans have been used to the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry in yesteryear, naturally the likes of Giroud won’t match up but the Frenchman must be acknowledged upon his own merits, most notably his fantastic hold-up play that brings other players in.
He’s an underrated player for Arsenal and while he misses some glaring opportunities, at least he’s man enough to take the next opportunity.
That said, it is clear that if Arsenal have designs on winning the Premier League title this term, somebody like Karim Benzema who’ll score closer to 25 goals is an absolute must.
