World Soccer: Review of the 2007-08 Premier League season

Arsenal

Final position 3rd - 83 points.

-----------------Almunia-----------------
---Sagna---Gallas---Toure---Clichy---
---Eboue---Fabregas---Flamini---Hleb---
---------Adebayor----Eduardo (Van Persie)

Other key players: Senderos(CB), Rosicky (AM), Gilberto Silva (DM), Walcott (WR). I should also mention Nicklas Bendtner - who didn't meet my criteria of starting 10 games but played a lot as a substitute.

An ultimately disappointing season in terms of trophies - Arsenal can still look back on 2007-08 with some pride considering that they had the youngest squad in the Premier League & far exceeded the expectations most people had of them at the start of the season. We'll never know how much the injury to Eduardo at such a vital time cost them.

The star men were probably just about Flamini & Fabregas but the whole team was pretty excellent and it's perhaps easier to highlight the few "flaws".

Eboue I liked a lot as an attacking full back but didn't seem popular with the Arsenal fans in his more advanced midfield role. Senderos also received a lot of criticism at times at Centre Back while Gilberto Silva isn't likely to be more than a bit part player in the future. Replacing Flamini - let alone Flamini+Hleb - will be diificult.

For the future - probably the club with the most "possibles" here. I'm finding I'm writing a lot so will try to be a bit "selective":

Abou Diaby, Alexandre Song, Denilson & Armand Traore are probably already on most people's radar.

Carlos Vela - a star of Mexico's U17 World Cup winning team in 2005 he's been at Arsenal "unofficially" for quite some time. A winger - he spent the current season on loan at Osasuna in Spain and is likely to make the move to England for next season.

Fran Merida - along with Bojan a member of Spain's U17 side at last year's World Cup. A little bit outshone by Bojan at that tournament he was still Spain's next best player. Spent time on loan at Real Sociedad during the latter part of the season. Plays centre or left midfield. Maybe more "loan time" next season but considering Bojan's impact at Barcelona first team opportunities at the Emirates sooner rather than later shouldn't be discounted.

Nacer Barazite - attacking midfielder/second striker signed from NEC in Holland at age 17. Now a second year scholar (aged 18) he finished joint top scorer for the U18s (13 goals in 17 games) and top scorer for the reserves (6 in 15).

Havard Nordtveit - centre back who came from Haugesund in Norway at the start of the season & was immediately made captain of the reserves. Apparently has a "big reputation" & made the bench for Arsenal's final league game of the season. If the pressure to "buy, buy, buy" isn't too great he might get a decent chance to impress in pre-season & might just be a ready made alternative for Arsenal in the centre of defence.

Believe it or not Arsenal do have some promising English youngsters too:

Mark Randall - 18 y.o. central midfielder who spent time out on loan at Burnley in the Championship. Also a substitute in Arsenal's last game of the season. Arsenal's young players in general are more advanced (in terms of playing regularly in the reserves & getting senior chances) than those at other clubs.

Kieran Gibbs - another 18 y.o. central midfielder who can also play wide left. His loan spell was at Norwich. My guess would be that both Randall & Gibbs might go on long-term loans next year (either to another Premier League club or a top Championship team - Birmingham again maybe?)

Henri Lansbury (CM/WR) & Rhys Murphy (F) - I saw both of these players play for England at the last U17 World Cup. Both are only 17 and it's probably difficult to judge their "potential" at the moment - especially as both seemed to have missed a fair part of the season (presumably through injury). Lansbury did manage 5 goals in 8 games for the U18s though and Murphy 3 in 6 games (only 2 as a starter) for the reserves.

Jack Wilshere - Could he be the most promising of all? Still a schoolboy (U16) he joint top scored with Barazite in the U18s and also scored twice in four games (2 starts) when he made the step up to the reserves late in the season.

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