With kick-off looming for another EPL season, there’s no doubt Arsenal go into it with a great pre-season behind them. It’s true that every time a new season comes around, the fans of all the major clubs probably think their team can win the league. There’s a new hope each season, an optimism that sadly is not always backed by reality. But this time feels different when you look at the Gunners. They really do look good.
I travelled to Singapore from Wellington for the Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore last month, and it was a great chance to see the squad building up its fitness with a couple of good runs. The heat and humidity of Singapore is something many New Zealanders are familiar with, though the steamy conditions were far less familiar to the players of Arsenal, Stoke and Everton, who all descended on the tiny nation for a week of football and hard pre-season training. They certainly became familiar with it by the end of the week!
Arsenal looked to really push the players physically hard in training, twice a day on most occasions in Singapore. Reports coming out of the club’s travelling media team made it clear the players were being put through their paces – one image in particular, of Aaron Ramsey with his head in an ice-bucket, said a lot about what was going on behind closed doors at training.
In between those gruelling sessions, the team had time for a number of public appearances to strengthen the club’s brand and win over new fans in Asia. It’s a very professional unit, Arsenal Football Club, and these events went off well with the local fans who snapped up most of the tickets. The Singapore Gooners are a very friendly bunch, and we enjoyed a pint or two at their local pub throughout the week.
I attended the Arsenal open training session and really enjoyed watching the squad exhibit their skills, and enjoy a bit of banter with the crowd. Arsene Wenger got huge cheers and was in good form as he interacted with the fans, encouraging them to sing his name even louder. Our new signing, Petr Cech, looked really focused and almost embarrassed by the welcome he was receiving. Thanks to AFC for the training tickets!
My own personal highlight was an accidental meet and greet with some of the players during a stroll around the waterfront. As we neared the Fullerton Bay Hotel we spotted some women in Emirates flight uniforms, with a red lectern alongside them. It looked like something was going on so we sat down for a while to see what would happen next. Our patience paid off, as an Arsenal staffer arrived shortly after with a big box on wheels. He opened it up to reveal – the FA Cup! We took photos of it and then turned around to find Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny and Francis Coquelin walking towards us along the boardwalk. It turned out we had stumbled across a television shoot, where the players would perform a local martial art known as Silat, for a local programme. The players were really accommodating for the handful of fans who happened to be nearby, and they all signed jerseys and posed for photos with us before they left. I was really impressed with their approach, they were great ambassadors for AFC.
On the field it’s well known now that the Gunners beat a Singapore selection 4-0 on Wednesday night before returning on Saturday for the BAT final against Everton. Arsene Wenger put out a strong team in the final and it was here that I really started to think we were looking good for the upcoming season. Walcott looked very sharp, Ozil worked hard and I was struck by how many sprints he was making off the ball, getting into good position and trying really hard. Of course he nailed a goal and a number of killer passes too, as he glided around the field. It was Santi Cazorla who took away the man of the match award, but the crowd favourite among the Arsenal fans at least for that night, was Petr Cech. Every time he touched the ball there was a huge cheer. Fans understood what he could bring to the team, and he seemed to be fitting in well. In the end, it was a 3-1 victory and the team headed straight to the airport for London.
Since the BAT the Gunners have gone on to beat Lyon 6-0 and Wolfsburg 1-0 to win the Emirates Cup. They followed this up with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday (finally!) and now we’re all set for the visit of West Ham this weekend.
There will always be calls for more strengthening of the squad, and that’s a legitimate thing to ponder between now and the end of the transfer window. Some of the names being flung around in the British press look interesting but it’s always hard to tell what’s real and what’s not. For now, I’m feeling really optimistic that the Gunners squad is looking good for the new season. And in this case, I think it is an optimism backed by reality. Alexis Sanchez will only further strengthen what we’ve already seen in the pre-season.
So, can Arsene Wenger’s side deliver on its promise? I’m going to say yes. Let’s watch on with that new hope that a fresh season always brings. Go the Gunners!