Wenger Wrong to Rubbish Arsenal Title Credentials

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger yesterday branded the touting of his side as potential Champions of England "ridiculous" on the eve of his 17^th anniversary at the club but, even if these words were uttered simply in the interests of avoiding complacency, is talk of the title so outlandish? And what would the achievement represent, given the controversial approach taken in these past few years at the Emirates?

The arrival of Mesut Ozil for £42.5m from Real Madrid on Transfer Deadline Day along with promises of more money becoming available in January has belatedly quelled fan dissatisfaction, so evident after the opening day loss at home to Aston Villa, at a lack of major recent activity and unequivocally proved the Gunners can be major players in the market.

Now, with the north Londoners setting the pace at the top of the table, following a run of five straight league victories and last weekend’s win in Wales over Swansea City extending a club record away run to 11 prosperous excursions on the bounce in all competitions, what is to say the club cannot at last overcome recurring setbacks to take home the coveted Premier League trophy once more?

As they prepare to face arguably their sternest test tonight with the visit of SSC Napoli, led by former Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez, in the Champions League, Gunners supporters are coming round to the idea of this young team as worthy winners of silverware. Should they again emerge victorious from this evening’s encounter with the Serie A title contenders, they will be starting to dream of replicating the success of Wenger’s great late nineties and early noughties sides, in more tangible terms than those for which the club is routinely praised.

Formidable strength and courage is required to repeatedly qualify for Europe’s elite competition, as Arsenal have for 16 successive seasons under Wenger, despite issues both economic and injury-related. The experience garnered by those selected from an early age as a result of these problems, such as blossoming internationals Theo Walcott, Wojciech Szczesny and the in-form Aaron Ramsey, not to mention the ever-improving Kieran Gibbs – he of that disastrous 2009 Champions League semi-final fame - allied with that brought in from outside the club, in the form of 31-year-old Mikel Arteta, the returning ex-AC Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini and Saturday’s skipper Per Mertesacker, is sure to serve them well as finishing lines draw closer and pressure increases.

It remains to be seen how the team would react in the event of injury to target man Olivier Giroud, who has impressed with his all-round ability in leading the line since signing from Montpellier last year, with Nicklas Bendtner struggling for form and fitness and attacking options in Walcott, Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and summer recruit Yaya Sanogo all on the treatment table.

In spite of these on-going ailments, Wenger and his perennial also-rans can be immensely proud of having stayed in touching distance of the leading pack, while producing a high calibre of stylish, attacking football on a skin-tight budget, even when down to the bare bones of playing personnel.

In contrast to that opening day tension in N5, what is now palpable is that Arsenal’s squad is better supported, deficiencies in the striking department notwithstanding, than first noted by most observers. Even with the aforementioned casualty list, which also features last term’s key performer Santi Cazorla, “new Cesc Fabregas” Gedion Zelalem and the much-maligned Abou Diaby, the Gunners have maintained momentum and will approach a presentable set of October fixtures with renewed optimism, especially in light of Tomas Rosicky’s predicted return today, Jack Wilshere’s continued spell without affliction and the sensational revelation of German teenager Serge Gnabry, who opened his account with an expertly-taken effort across the Severn on Saturday.

Having gone an entire summer without selling their captain or any other leading professionals, if the Gunners can now keep their noses in front and Giroud his limbs intact until the New Year, when boardroom pledges of well-earned reinforcements are likely to bear fruit, this experimental outfit ought to be well-placed amongst the front-runners in the race to secure the Premier League crown.

At that point, with the futures of main rivals Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchesters United and City and, perhaps, Liverpool each far less certain, the stability sought for so long at this traditional English powerhouse and currently in-demand elsewhere, as other leading candidates must endure the teething problems associated with newly acquired talent, whether that be on the pitch or the touchline, may prove the decisive factor that finally opens those guarded, gold-plated gates and welcomes the top flight’s thriftiest and most temperamental artists back to the studio in the skies and gives everyone’s ‘second team’ that illusive first-placed finish.