A new football season in England is upon us. The new season of the Premier League kicks off on Friday, August 10 with Manchester United hosting 2016 champions Leicester City at Old Trafford, and for the next nine months, we shall experience exhilarating football from one of the greatest leagues in the world.
All 20 teams in the Premier League will have different season objectives, the newly promoted teams would seek to continue enjoying the glamour and financial rewards of the top-flight by retaining their PL status, average to mid-table teams would seek to avoid an implosion which would see them battling relegation, similar to what happened to Stoke City last season, while the biggest small teams (the Burnleys, Evertons and West Hams) would battle it out for the left over European spots.
At the very top of the Premier League hierarchy is a group of teams so far apart from the rest of the league in quality and finances that they have an almost mini-league among themselves, and led to the christening of the term ‘The top six’.
Each of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham have aims of finishing top of the league (in higher degrees for some such as Man City and Liverpool), and all undoubtedly have aims of finishing in the top four and securing Champions League group stage spots.
Though they all have the requirements to mount a genuine top-four challenge, the limited spots available means that two teams must drop out.
Whilst they are collectively termed the ‘top six’, the truth is that some clubs in the six are significantly stronger than others, while the rest have more glaring weaknesses.
Let’s look at the two factors that we think can help Arsenal immensely in the upcoming premier league season.
Home form
Arsenal’s away day blues in the Premier League are well documented, winning just 13 matches from a possible 38 away from home in the Premier League over the last two seasons. It is a wretched stat which has cost the Gunners dearly in recent years, particularly last season where they won only a measly four games at away grounds, infamously going on a five-month run from December of last year without an away league victory until a final day defeat of Huddersfield.
Last season, the Gunners finished a miserable 12th on the away table standings, scoring just 20 goals from 19 matches and conceding 31.
In contrast, they have been imperious at home, winning 29 of their 38 home matches in the same time-frame and finishing third on the home table in each of the last two league seasons.
Last season, Arsenal won an impressive 15 matches at home. They scored a remarkable 54 goals (the second highest behind Manchester City), and had the third-best home record in the league behind the Manchester clubs.
Arsenal’s form at the Emirates has been imperious in recent seasons, and it will be a key factor in helping the club achieve its set objectives for the season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubammeyang
The Gabonese international is Arsenal’s record signing, following his £56m transfer from Borussia Dortmund last January.
In Aubameyang, Arsenal have one of the best strikers in Europe, and he forged this reputation in Germany with Dortmund, where he scored 141 goals in 213 games across all competitions for the Signal Iduna Park outfit, including a 31-goal haul in the 2016/2017 season where he finished as the Bundesliga top scorer.
Likened to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry due to their similar playing pattern and speed, the 29-year-old Aubameyang impressed in his debut half season, scoring on his first game in an Arsenal shirt in the 5-1 rout of Everton in the Premier League, and ended the season with ten goals in just 13 league appearances.
Having the advantage of starting a new season fresh, and using the pre-season break to gel with his teammates, it most likely would only get better for Arsenal with Aubameyang, and the fans can be treated to the sight of a centre-forward banging in goals in a manner not seen since Thierry Henry himself graced the pitch in Arsenal’s colors.