Scrutiny of Arsenal's 2014-15 campaign

Arsenal started by lifting Community Shield at Wembley
outclassing Manchester City 3-0

   Curtains are down. And they got that down in style with a scintillating showing at the Wembley to bask in the sun of glory of the FA Cup for a record 12th time. No doubt the ending was good but has Arsenal made progress in 2014-15 in comparison to 2013-14 is a question raging over social media which cannot be answered in less than 140 characters.

   Riding on the happy waves of winning silverware and sight of open bus parade with Jack Wilshere voicing his opinion about their neighbour eclipsed by the mighty reds of north london, it's easy to be of the view that this season was successful.

   Albeit with similar or maybe a l'il better fortunes, this campaign panned out like reversal of the previous one. On the back of a strong finish to 2012-13 season, last year we started strong and were at the summit for 128 days before wheels came of and we lost our way but eventually scrapped a forth place finish fending off the challenge from Everton. This year the start was slow and we were out of the race of the championship even before the winter set in. As Christmas approached, the results and performance improved and were on course for a second place finish till the mini blip in the final furlong forced them to settle for the third place.

   Third place is surely better than fourth but considering the fact that Liverpool, runner-up of 2013-14, endured a season of regression it can be stated that gunners only managed to capitalize on the failing of the merseyside's outfit. Moreover, deficit of 4 points in total accumulation over this season makes us believe that Wenger's men haven't taken a stride forward but rather they've been standing still. The view above their shoulders hasn't changed besides the crown of champion moving from head of one blue to another.

Arsenal now have perfect blend of youth and experience in their squad

   However, the theory that you have to beat the 19 other teams to win the league instead of bettering the haul of total points comes to the rescue of the Gunners. In that stead, they have made progress by being better than 17 teams this season as compared to 16 during last season. And yes, third is intrinsically better than fourth as it also seals a direct entry in the most coveted tournament of the continent, that is, UEFA Champions League. So, a tick in the box! This is the better fortune I mentioned about earlier.

   Their luck in other competitions remained more or less the same. Despite of favourable draw, the progress beyond round of 16 in UCL was not written in destiny. They'll have to carry weight of that monkey on their back for fifth year in row. They lost not because of inferiority in their footballing qualities, but because they forgot the basic principles of othe game. The big regret, remains!





   This has all been the tangible and visible aspects which terms the success of the team. Now, let's move on to the groundwork and the elements of foundation which dictates future success.

   Firstly, team building. Arsenal started this campaign with a top heavy and rocky bottom team. The number of offensive players was in surplus. The counts of defensive mind and body was unhealthy. Wenger addressed that issue in the January window by roping in two players. One for making immediate amends who was asked to hit the ground running and other for near future. The welcoming reinforcement received applauds from all. The squad which ended this season is looking better equipped to win the next league title than the team which started this season.

Francis Coquelin - Success story of the season

   The think tank of the management also addressed one very crucial and stingy problem; Injuries! Shad Forsythe in the position of Performance Enhancement chief was appointed. His effect started showing slowly and coincided with the good form of team in second half of the season. Well, what was his effect?? The number of injuries went down and player returned stronger and better from the rehabilitation. Ozil is an example of that. To go a little further in appreciation of the man at the helm, it is worth mentioning that in the early weeks of April, Arsenal had every player fit and available for selection for the first time in last few years.

   Moving on to immeasurable on-field factors which make a team better, Arsenal have become more tactically astute. They put up some polished and wonderful football this season to feast your eyes on against the big teams which was unexpected from them prior to start of the season. So they have certainly overcame a mental block. A sign of progress!

   Also an overhaul of facilities at academy and training ground is also in pipeline. However, its effect will be seen after a long time as it was the case with La Masia. Johan Cruyff laid foundation for that in early 90s but it is showing its true colours now after more than 2 decades of toil. We'll need to be patient and wait a long time to see some real success on this front.

   The concluded season can indeed now be termed as successful and that of progress. And now certainly, Arsenal have a springboard and enough weapons in their armory to hunt for success.

Arsenal successfully defended the FA Cup beating Aston Villa 4-0 in the final