Sunday, August 14, 2016

Arsenal are back! Time to kick off the 2016-2017 season


It still amazes me how long the EPL season really is. After 9 months of ups and downs, frustrations and more frustrations the end of the season is often a great time to decompress and focus on some other sports related frustration, such as the New York Mets. The next thing you know, it's mid August and it all begins again.

Arsenal have had a relatively positive preseason with some of the youngsters getting their chance to show what they got. Chuba Akpom, Alex Iwobi and Jeff Reine-Adelaide displayed positive signs which gave fans cyring for a new striker a moment to wonder if perhaps the answer lies within.

 Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both performed well which is a major positive with both once highly touted players coming off of sub par years.


Many of Arsenal's star players were given an extended break following Euro 2016 and the Copa America. This leaves Arsenal with Giroud, Ozil, Sanchez, Koscielny behind in preparations for the new season.

 Of course this being Arsenal, the word crisis is never too far behind any team story. Injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel during preseason have left the team short in terms of options and rookie Rob Holding has a good chance to be thrown right in to the fire alongside Calum Chambers.

 Outside of Granit Xhaka and Holding, Arsenal have yet to make a significant summer signing. Of course fans have been complaining all summer long as Arsenal have been linked with the likes of:
With over two weeks left in the transfer window there is still the possibility that Arsenal will welcome new signings. However, rather than complaining and whining about what the team doesn't have it's time for fans to get behind the players that will take the pitch for the season opener versus Liverpool.


Despite all the negativity it's easy to forget that Arsenal did finish second last season behind Cinderella winners Leicester City. Of course the pundits have moved on to kissing the butts of new managers Guardiola, Conte and Mourinho. Why Mourinho is treated like he's royalty is behind me. He single handily led 2014-2015 champions Chelsea in to the relegation zone last season before being canned. ManU have made some good signings, (including paying 89 million pounds for Paul Pogba a player that Manchester United had and let leave for almost nothing four years ago) but the team were a mess last year and despite how the media portrays him, Mourinho is no miracle worker.

 Arsenal were given a tough fixture to kick things off with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool visiting the Emirates. 

 Here's to the start of the new season and to a successful Arsenal campaign.
Sunday, August 15th, 2016 Arsenal vs. Liverpool 11AM EST

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