I think the way they have started to gel already makes them serious contenders, adding Cech can only help with that. If they can add another striker to the mix I would have them as favourites
Coincidentally enough, some of the bad results we did get in the second half of the season, you will find were down to goalkeeping errors, bad ones, that cost us points, a good example is that Swansea home loss, Cech would never have allowed that header from Gomez to go over the line. I also think Cech would have been able to save some of those goals we conceded VS Monaco, they weren't unstoppable goals, but our GK's are just not world class, good, but not world class.
A player like Cech with his status will also boost confidence to other players, when you have world class players in the team, it makes you feel much better and able to play your game, having someone like Cech in goal is a helluva bonus if you're a defender.
Fair points, and you obviously see more of him than me, but I wouldn't put him in the same class as Matic and the rest of the spine of the side is undeniably weaker than Chelsea's. It'll improve a lot with Cech but the defence and attack isn't close to theirs IMO. I'm guessing he was also in the team that lost at home to Swansea and drew at home to a dire Sunderland team. We'll see how he gets on next year
I'd like to be proven wrong. Just don't think Wenger is capable of it. Not sure what top striker they could get in any case.
You now have a formidable team again (still don`t rate Wilshere, though he has surprised me in his last couple of England games), I feel it is you or Chelsea for the title next season unless City or United spring some surprises.
TBH you can't put many players in the bracket as Matic, let's say we sign a Kondogbia etc, he'd still have to prove himself week in week out at that level of Matic......The thing with Coq, he has done great for us, he understands the philosophy, has a good connection with other players, so it's a risk to break that when you already have something good, you could end up getting a big money player who doesn't perform as well and then it's back to square one. Last year the litmus test for Coq was always let's see how he fairs when we face the big sides, and when it came to those big games, he never looked weak or out of his depth, but as an Arsenal fan, you actually felt somewhat secure from midfield, can't even remember the last time we could say that in any big game....Even if you compare our performances VS the big sides in the first half of the season and in the second with Coq, you see a massive difference in midfield performance, first half of season we would get easily opened from the middle VS the big sides and it never felt secure, with Coq though, we always looked solid from central midfield. The boy's done everything you could ask for and earned himself a winners medal for the FA Cup. And yes Ospina was in goal for the Sunderland game as well, he's let in quite a few goals this season which a world class GK wouldnt.
I hold the same for Wilshere, but as you said, he has surprised me recently not just for England, he's also been looking good for us, but he has to keep that level up, not just show it in a couple of games after being away for several months, coming back fresh at the end of the season when most other opposing players are not as fresh etc.
Don`t think they need a top class striker, just someone who can chip in with 15 goals/season when Giroud is injured/off form, many of their goals come from midfield. Take Hazard and Fabregas out of the Chelsea team and where are their goals going to come from? Hazard creates goals for anyone in the box and Fabregas plays Costa in, apart from that there is very little.
Benzema would be a quality signing, but Madrid ain't going to sell him. Higuan is a good option, but he's not in the world class bracket, but think he can probably do a better job than Welbeck and get us 15 goals at least. We just need a striker who can share some of the load with Giroud, Welbeck on 8 goals (3 in one match btw against a piss poor Galatasary) compared to Giroud on 19 goals who also missed 3 months is not what you'd call sharing the load. And when you look at it in league terms, looks even worse with Welbeck on 4 goals and Giroud on 14, who again missed a good chunk of the season.
Remy would be an obvious candidate but would be pretty crazy of Mourinho. Loves a splinter does our Loic.
Well we can all agree that Danny Inggs is not the solution, what a ****ter of a transfer market Liverpool are having, making signings to stay up, rather than anything else!
I agree with some of the comments about Coqs. Yes he is relatively a newbie in a position that we've been weak in for quite some time, but he has answered a lot of questions and performed at the required level. So there is not much else we could have asked for him last season, he has earned the right to play as our regular DM. The question remains do we have the required backup when Coqs is injured, off form etc? Can Flamini and Arteta come back and do a job covering or do we just go out there and get a proper cover for DM and reduce that risk? On the topic of a CF, yes we need a top class one but we could conceivably achieve our goals target if Sanchez, Walcott, Ozil and Welbeck all chip in with enough. Giroud is good to get around at least 15 goals in a season and I can see both Sanchez and Walcott get a lot too. But again, do we reduce that risk and get in a top CF or rely on others to contribute and make up for Giroud? As for us becoming a direct rival, I think with our consistent form in the second half of the season, two FA cup wins on the trot and Coqs rise and Sanchez's added class has got Maureen's head turned.
