Every season preview since the move to the Grove has declared that the upcoming campaign is pivotal to the club's future and this year's offering from the Arse will be no different.

Arsene Wenger is in the last year of his contract, our captain is on the verge of leaving and we are into our sixth season without a trophy. Winning silverware would solve all of these issues but is that a realistic possibility?

YES:

The strongest argument for suggesting we are capable of winning silverware is the lack of a dominant force in the Premiership. Chelsea look weaker than last season after the departures of Carvalho, Ballack and Cole and are all one year closer to retirement. They will still be fighting for the title but they are not the untouchable force that their squad once demanded that they be.

Man Utd have a squad which has an interesting mix of veterans and youngsters but appears to be in transition and Ferguson will not expect his team to run away with the league. Manchester City will still struggle to gel and find consistency while Tottenham have been unusually quiet in the transfer market so will find it hard to improve on last season's impressive campaign, particularly as they still have an injury list to rival ours. Liverpool may well be a more effective team under Hodgson but they lack talent and depth. Everton will also be be a threat in the top third but we have a better chance than most of these teams to pick up a trophy in May - a Carling Cup win would do little to appease Fabregas.

New signings Chamakh and Koscielny have looked decent in pre-season, with Chamakh imparticular adding a new dimension to our attack. Few teams can match our attacking variety and scoring goals should never be a problem. Samir Nasri has earned high praise in pre-season with some dominant displays from central midfield. He has always had the talent and is the Arse's favourite player to watch when he is on form, but like too many of our squad, in the past he has appeared happy with his lot with no discernable desire to improve and win medals. However, after another year without a trophy and missing out on the World Cup, Nasri has displayed a visible determination and focus in pre-season. Henry used to say he was always motivated by a burning anger and it is a feature that has been lacking in our young, well paid squad. It is no secret that the correlation between red cards and trophies has been so strong during Wenger's tenure but with an Angry Nasri, the Verminator and Cesc's and van Persie's competitiveness, we could soon be in for some long overdue red cards (and trophies).

Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have world class potential and will be pushing for a starting place. Since the 2007/08 season, Gael Clichy has been guilty of losing concentration and making the odd horrendous mistake so Gibbs' ability will put some much needed pressure on the last survivor of the Invincibles. Emmanuel Frimpong has also shown glimpses of his potential in the last month and appears to have leapfrogged Craig Eastmond in the pecking order. Alex Song will welcome the competition for his midfield place and may well benefit from being rotated more than last season.

Our abysmal collapse at the end of the last campaign disguised what had been an impressive season, particularly considering the injury problems that we had to contend with. There is no guarantee that the injury situation will get any better this year, but another year's experience and more effective striking options could be key. 

NO:

We may as well have Remi Garde in goal. We only have three central defenders, one of which is turning into the Swiss Ledley King; obvious problems with obvious consequences. Despite everything going for the Arse, if the manager doesn't buy before September, we will not be winning anything.

Conclusion:

Even if Nasri orchestrates a mauling at Anfield, the Arse will have to wait until the end of the transfer window before expectations for this season can be set.

Photo: Action Images

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