So with their first victory over a Jose Mourinho led Chelsea, Arsenal fans must have started to feel that all-too-familiar ray of hope rising within them that this might finally be THAT season.

Only for The Hammers to crush those hopes in one pretty swift blow though delivered over two halves. It's interesting to see how, within the space of a week, the Gunners fans have gone from being believers in the title project to swearing at their manager and posting memes on the internet. But for fans of other clubs who would be rather bemused by all this, it's an all too familiar sight: Arsenal fans start of the season calling themselves title hopefuls then, in the space of a few weeks, the dream disappears and they find themselves challenging for the FA cup (which, thank goodness, they've been able to clinch for two straight seasons now). Again Arsenal fans had declared themselves title hopefuls after defeating Chelsea in one match but this time the season had barely started before the Gunners title hopes started showing signs of shredding leading fans of other clubs to declare in tones dripping with sarcasm; "this really is Arsenal's season".

Of course, the Gunners can't take the loss at home to West Ham on opening weekend (shameful as it is) as a sign that the title challenge is over. There are still 37 matches to go, afterall, and the Gunners may still fancy their chances but Arsenal's old problems still remain and those problems, so often their undoing in previous seasons, could still mar a possible strong push for the title.

The fact is that, for quite a while now, Arsenal have not been taken seriously as title contenders. Infact, since at least 2007, Arsenal have only been considered as also-rans - the adolescent that fancies itself worthy of adult company but still gets sent out when discussions get serious. Even Manchester City, not too long ago considered a provincial club in the mould of Tottenham and Aston Villa have since become serious regular title contenders. One could argue, of course, that City have ridden to that reputation on the back of Middle-Eastern millions, but Arsenal can hardly be considered a poor club, far outstripping pretty much all the other clubs in the league outside the top five, including neighbors Tottenham. So why aren't the Gunners able to mount a succesful challenge?

For a while Arsenal has not had a complete team. - a team with noted quality in every position. In fact, the last time Arsenal fielded a truly complete squad in terms of quality must have been in 2006. Since then, the North London club has found itself lacking in one position or the other, from serial goal keeping changes (which doesn't seem to have ended seeing as previous first choice, Wojciech Szczesny was allowed to join Roma while they acquired a washing out Petr Cech from fellow London club, Chelsea) to an inability to field a decent string of strikers. Since Thierry Henry's first departure from Arsenal, the club has had only one good striker of note in Robin Van Persie. And since HIS departure to Manchester United, Arsenal seem to be aiming for "good" in the striking department as evidenced by it's lineup of Olivier Giroud, Yaya Sanogo, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott, none of whom come close to Van Persie in terms of quality, not to talk more of the sublime Henry.

And it's a quality deficit that seems unending. Since 2006, Arsenal have produced more than a few quality players. But either they peaked too late to make a complete team of quality players (Van Persie, though his was mainly down to injuries), or they were sold at their peak (Nasri, Fabregas, Song, Van Persie) or the lost it by the time the club started acquiring other players of some quality (Vermaelen). Arsenal has consistently been ridden with quality imbalance over the past few years, a problem manager Arsene Wenger has made no attempt to solve in the past transfer window, opting to pretty much retain the same team asides loaning out Wojciech Szczesny and Yaya Sanogo and acquiring the services of Petr Cech (whose debut is the kind you wash down with the strongest vodka you can find so you can forget it permanently). Arsenal still has no quality striker (don't count Danny Welbeck as anything more than a good striker), no quality defensive midfielder/deep lying playmaker, no real leader in the team (Sanchez is an amazing player, not exactly a team leader) and, in Petr Cech, I see the goalkeeping revolving door continuing to rotate.

And that's the problem. In Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Laurent Koscielny and Santi Carzola, Arsenal has the core of what could be a strong, title challenging team (I hesitate to mention Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil because their form on any given day seems to be dependent on what side of the bed they woke up on). But like a chess player missing the queen, rook and bishop, Arsenal have more than an uphill task to win the title when faced up against more complete teams like Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.

So while it was great for Arsenal to win the Emirates cup and lift the Community Shield (it being against Chelsea made it much sweeter), it is just timely that they've been given a strong dose of the bitter, bitter medicine called reality (best taken twice a week on weekends and midweek) in the form of a home hammering by the Hammers of West Ham. If this doesn't make Arsene Wenger take note and make some changes in the last few weeks the transfer market remains open, then, my dear Gunners, you guys might be walking alone this season.

Arsenal? What is arsenal?

Don't insult my club OK? Both @op and the nigga above me here..
Una eyes go soon clear to the literal meaning of the word " ARSENAL"

chocolateme:
Don't insult my club OK? Both @op and the nigga above me here..
Una eyes go soon clear to the literal meaning of the word " ARSENAL"

Lol, nobody is insulting your club. It's just plain reality. Arsenal is just not complete enough to compete. Let's just do a little comparative analysis of the strikers and goalkeepers. Manchester United still have De Gea (although his stay at the club is uncertain at the moment), Chelsea have Courtois and City have Hart. Petr Cech's performance yesterday just tells you the Cech of 2007/2008 is not the one you guys purchased. In attack, Chelsea have Costa and Falcao (Although Falcao is kinda washed up, i'll still pick him over Giroud), Manchester United have Wayne Rooney and City have Aguero. Between an on again-off again Giroud, a Walcott that's perpetually dealing with injuries and a Welbeck that's nearly but not quite good enough, Arsenal just doesn't compare. Let's not even go into midfields. You guys have a lot of catching up to do quality-wise. Just that your manager is too Ijebu to make them happen.

spittake:


Lol, nobody is insulting your club. It's just plain reality. Arsenal is just not complete enough to compete. Let's just doa little comparative analysis of strikers and goalkeepers. Manchester United still have De Gea (although his stay at the club is uncertain at the moment), Chelsea have Courtois and City have Hart. In attack, Chelsea have Costa and Falcao (Although Falcao is kinda washed up, i'll still pick him over Giroud), Manchester United have Wayne Rooney and City have Aguero. Let's not even go into midfields. You guys have a lot of catching up to do quality-wise. Just that your manager is too Ijebu to make them happen.

I warn you!! Stop wailing.. monkey no fine, im mama like am like that.

chocolateme:
I warn you!! Stop wailing.. monkey no fine, im mama like am like that.

You like as una no dey carry league?

spittake:

You like as una no dey carry league?

not like that but we are still doing press ups.. I miss Sagna

it is still very early for all this. This is just the inception stage.

Yeye question

Gunner4lyf myself, but I agree with OP. Dangote should juat buy the team and spend billions of £ on acquisitions to make it competitive again. Maybe he could get some corrupt Nigerian officials to launder some of that looted billions through Arsenal.

Amazing!!!!





Nice post op! How I wish you could be on the thread ''2015/2016 EpL Title is between Arsenal and Liverpool'' to wake the OP from dream of book makers to reality.