Clichy wants the title
Arsenal defender Gael Clichy says nothing less than winning the title will be acceptable for Arsenal by the end of the new season.
Arsenal have been under a tremendous amount of pressure during the last two or three seasons as the rivals around them have spent money to get into very strong positions.
Arsenal rely on working away quietly behind the scenes while their manager Arsene Wenger signs players that no one has ever heard of and then makes them world beaters in no time at all.
Arsenal need to work on a number of areas this season if they are going to win the title. They are also going to have to keep a high profile player that Barcelona are trying to sign with every single day of the transfer window that passes.
Improvements
Every person who watches football knows that when Arsenal play well they are the best side to watch in the world. Some would even suggest they pass the ball better than Barcelona. The problem is that they don't do this consistently enough.
The defence has also been a worry area for the club over recent seasons. However, the young and inexperienced players that once formed the defence are slowly finding their feet and are slowly making the team more difficult to beat.
There is still too much pressure on three or four members of the side. The entire team has to pull together to make sure that Arsenal can win the games they need to. If they rely on individuals then they will lack answers when these individuals have bad games.
Clichy said: "I remember a few years ago saying it was a time for Arsenal to win and still nothing happened. I really hope this year can be a good one and now we cannot hide behind anything - the age or the experience. We have everything to do it - so let's do it. It is always at the end of season that we are not that far (behind) and Arsenal had a good season but we didn't win anything."
Fabregas
A huge amount depends on whether the club can keep Cesc Fabregas under contract and keep him as captain for an extra season. It seems that Fabregas will move to Barcelona at some point but keeping him for an extra year would allow Arsenal a better chance of winning the league.
Fabregas is the best player Arsenal possesses at the moment because he is so good at keeping the ball and not giving it away. This allows Arsenal to attack more and leads to more goals.
Clichy added: "We have to ask ourselves the right questions, do we want to be a good team or to win trophies? To win trophies we have to be the best and that is what we are trying to do from now on. We want to show the fans that we believe in ourselves."
Advice
Arsenal are always worth a punt at the start of a Premier League season because they have the quality in their team needed to go and win the league. the problem is they always make silly mistakes that cost them big games.
A lot depends on whether they manage to keep Cesc Fabregas at the club and as captain. Many people won't even consider betting on the team if Fabregas is not a member of the squad by the time the season starts.
Don't be afraid if you want to be a little more cautious. Arsenal often start the season well and then fade away so waiting to see if this happens will stop you from wasting cash.
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