With their first pre-season game before the 2015/16 campaign kicking off on the 15th of July against a Singapore Select XI, Arsenal fans know they haven’t got to wait too long until they see their heroes in action again.
The expectation levels have shot up massively for Gooners recently following the capture of Petr Cech from Chelsea and even rival fans are claiming Arsene Wenger’s men will represent a different prospect next season.
Arsenal have the makings of a fantastic squad but it remains to be seen whether they will succumb to their all too familiar injury crisis that stopped the Gunners’ title charge in its tracks last time around.
The consensus now is that Arsene Wenger goes out and breaks the bank for an additional top quality defensive midfielder to challenge Francis Coquelin while a new striker is also brought in to usurp the opinion splitting Olivier Giroud.
The latest big name to be linked with an Emirates Stadium switch is Sporting Lisbon’s defensive midfielder William Carvalho who could be on the move to North London for £19.8 million this summer.
It remains to be seen whether the Gunners will get this deal over the line but in the meantime, our landlord has asked our resident Arsenal fans to piece together what in their minds would be their dream starting eleven next season.
Of course, our resident Gooners obliged and came up with this eleven. Do you agree with their choices?
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Click on the image below to reveal the dream starting XI for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger next season.
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Petr Cech
A piece of business that simply had to be concluded this summer has finally been agreed with Arsenal fans still pinching themselves that Petr Cech is no longer a Blue but rather a Gooner!
The capture of the Czech Republic international immediately improves Arsenal’s defensive prowess with the experienced goalkeeper more than likely to stamp out the costly errors that have blighted Arsene Wenger’s side in recent seasons.
The fact that the move is likely to have wound up Jose Mourinho inside is also a huge positive about the deal and could signal a shifting in power but time will tell on this one.
Wojciech Szczesny was found wanting on too many occasions when called upon last term but under the new guidance of Petr Cech, it is hoped that he can improve and fulfil the potential he had when breaking through into the Gunners’ first team.
Hector Bellerin
What a 2015/16 season Hector Bellerin enjoyed with the Spanish youngster becoming a firm fixture in Wenger’s plans towards the end of the season.
It actually started rather badly for the former Barcelona youth product after he was thrust into Champions League action to make his debut away at Borussia Dortmund but since that difficult night, Bellerin has prospered when called upon.
Bellerin has benefited from the injury lay off Mathieu Debuchy suffered and simply hasn’t looked back, careering up the right flank while boasting a deadly accuracy in his crossing abilities.
Bellerin represents the modern breed of full back in every sense and has given Arsenal another dimension in their attacks out of defence.
Such has been his rapid improvement, he takes this position in Arsenal’s dream XI ahead of experienced French international Debuchy who didn’t do too bad either before his injury struggles.
Gabriel Paulista
Usurping Per Mertesacker in this Arsenal dream eleven, 2015/16 is expected to be a big season for January transfer window arrival Gabriel Paulista.
Arsenal fans haven’t seen too much of their Brazilian import so far who was used sparingly behind Mertesacker last season but when called upon, he looked a tough and uncompromising character who wasn’t scared of a tackle or two.
Arsenal have craved a rugged, mean looking defender in recent seasons and Gabriel could be that man after he earned a reputation for his decisive tackling in his time at Villarreal.
Seemingly not scared to lunge in when he believes a tackle can be made, Arsenal fans would rather this type of defender was starting than Per Mertesacker who despite his leadership abilities, is sometimes found out too easily when facing speedy opponents.
Arsenal fans look forward to seeing Gabriel further improve next season.
Laurent Koscielny
Arsenal fans winced when they saw Laurent Koscielny linked with a summer switch to Real Madrid of late; that’s how much they rate their French international centre back.
Arguably one of Arsene Wenger’s best finds of all-time in the Arsenal hot seat, Koscielny was plucked from relative obscurity and is now one of the best centre backs in the Premier League and is also a senior French international.
Bringing the best out of Per Mertesacker to boot, this is the mark of Koscielny’s worth in this team with his speedy recovery runs and calm assurance making him stand out as Arsenal’s most important defender.
Still capable of a shaky away day such as at White Hart Lane last term, Koscielny is usually a model of consistency and if Sergio Ramos is to be sold to Manchester United this summer, Arsenal need to do all they can to ward off Real Madrid’s interest in their French defender.
Nacho Monreal
As far as turnarounds go, Nacho Monreal’s has been of the remarkable variety.
Towards the earlier part of last season whereby he had to be deployed as an emergency centre back following Arsene Wenger’s decision to not replace Thomas Vermaelen sufficiently, Monreal was a scapegoat in every sense, blamed by seemingly every Gooner for defensive error after error.
To be fair to the Spaniard, he had never played at centre back before and was simply a square peg in a round hole.
To his credit however, when Monreal was reinstated in his usual position of left back, he didn’t look back and is now rated as better than academy graduate Kieran Gibbs with a new found assurance and steely determination about his game.
Also looking a threat when raiding up the left flank to boot, Monreal is a now changed man having gone from deadwood status to an immediate starting eleven selection.
Francis Coquelin
We’ve talked about Nacho Monreal’s turnaround being remarkable but what about Francis Coquelin’s?
He definitely fit the deadwood category when he was loaned out to Charlton Athletic midway through the season but after an injury crisis struck the Gunners, he was recalled and well, the rest is history they say.
After a few impressive performances back in the Arsenal first team in a kind of reprieve, Coquelin was praised but many Gooners were cautious claiming it was only a flash in the pan.
However, the Frenchman maintained excellent form all the way until the end of the campaign which ultimately ended up in FA Cup triumph for Arsenal.
Breaking up the play successfully with more dynamism than the likes of Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, Arsenal fans have been crying out for this kind of midfielder for years at Emirates Stadium.
However, they had him on their books all along!
Santi Cazorla
Everybody knows that Santi Cazorla is one of Arsenal’s most important players but he took his form to a new level in the 2015/16 season.
Manchester City away stands out as arguably Cazorla’s best performance in an Arsenal shirt with the Spanish international relishing his new found role alongside Francis Coquelin where he can dictate the play from deep.
Cazorla is a player who can dictate the pace of a game and through Arsenal’s injury crisis, Arsene Wenger has now realised the merit in deploying his Spanish star far deeper than he was previously.
Atletico Madrid retain an interest in the former Villarreal man but Arsenal fans in the tavern claim Cazorla is going nowhere with the smiling Spanish star the undoubted fan favourite at Emirates Stadium.
Aaron Ramsey
Taking up a right midfield berth in our dream XI, Arsenal fans don’t like Aaron Ramsey playing here but when everybody is fit, where else is he going to slot in?
Ramsey is undoubtedly one Arsenal’s most important players having reached uncharted status after scoring the goal against Hull City in the 2013/14 FA Cup Final that effectively ended all those years of hurt and anguish.
He is a box-to-box player in every regard but with the Coquelin and Cazorla combo looking excellent towards the second half of last season, it seems Ramsey may have to get used to playing here for a little longer yet.
While the Welsh international openly admitted that it isn’t his strongest position, there were some games in which the former Cardiff City man looked right at home at right midfield and with Hector Bellerin bombing up outside him from right back, Arsenal still boast some width on this side.
Mesut Ozil
He took a little while to get going but the evidence in the second part of the campaign was that Mesut Ozil is now part way along an upward curve in his Arsenal career.
Managing to nail down a position in his favoured number 10 role in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven, we saw the best of the German international again whose assisting abilities continue to make everybody stand up and take note.
Performing fantastically in the Gunners’ 4-1 demolition of Liverpool, Ozil was at his very best that day with more and more Gooners starting to get used to his playing style.
Yes, you won’t get break-neck runs from the German or tracking back abilities in abundance but what you do get his pin-point precision passes and defence splitting through balls when it matters.
Alexis Sanchez
What can we say about this man that wasn’t already said in 2014/15?
Extremely unlucky to have been beaten to the PFA Player of the Year prize by the equally outstanding Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez enjoyed a scintillating first season in English football, striking 25 goals in all competitions.
The best thing about the Chilean is that he boasts all of the talent in the world but he is still willing to match those abilities with sheer hard work and determination.
Boasting everything in his locker, Alexis is often parallel with the Emirates Stadium turf, such is his speed when he changes direction while losing opposition defenders for fun.
Wowing Arsenal fans, pundits and even rival fans alike, everybody at the Emirates Stadium is looking forward to more South American flair from their marquee man next season.
Karim Benzema
While Olivier Giroud enjoyed a good season in front of goal last term, it is a striker of the great category that Arsenal fans truly crave.
Giroud is a good player who combines effective hold-up play with a good goal haul but the French international is simply a victim of the fact that Gooners have been used to the mercurial talents of the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp in years gone by.
One man who all Arsenal fans would love to see at the club next season is Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema who has been in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow at the Bernabeu ever since joining.
Still performing a more than admirable job, it doesn’t seem as though he’ll be leaving Rafael Benitez’s side at present with it remaining to be seen whether Real will go in for Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero.
If such a pursuit comes to pass, perhaps Arsenal can time it right like they did with Ozil and secure a simply world class signing.
