With all that is going on about Cesc and Arshavin, one should be very careful on what to read and what to believe, but if all the interviews circulating around are to be taken as genuine material, then we should expect the lads to mean business from day one, next season.

Theo shows the way

It was a good learning curve for us all, but next year it is all about the trophies. Hopefully we have had the years of experience now and can bring something back for the fans.

Exactly.

One of the main problems we faced last season was that many players who were used as regulars or saw plenty of action were just happy to play. And that comes to no surprise: When a very young footballer enjoys first-team football for the first time, you can understand that he’s primary objective is not to win but to deliver on a personal level.

But, that was last year. Next season, almost all our players can look back at last season as the one in which they were used at the top level meaning that they can no longer be happy to play, to do well, they also have to win.

Manuel calls for experience, to make sure to win the first games

Overall we needed to be more focused at the start of the season. If we had all been more involved with the mission at the start of the season, it could have been a better year for us.

We need the manager to work harder to get what we need, the club to make an extra effort to make us more competitive. We need more than youth.

Regardless what your job is, you know experience can be the key and I like Almunia’s honesty here. The young ones may impress, may deliver in the early stages, but the way we crumbled when it mattered most last season clearly shows how two or three experienced figures in the squad are desperately needed. Gallas may be one of them, Toure the second but I still feel we need someone in central midfield.

And of course I also agree that we need to start well, from the first game against Everton. Two draws in the first four games and we may be trailing the leaders, whoever they will be, by four points, reason why we have to be focused straight away. Easy to say it with words of course, a complete different thing making sure it happens.

Robin says it’s not easy anymore to finish in the Top Four but shouldn’t we focus exclusively on our job?

One of the main reasons I signed was to lift a big trophy. I do not want to do it with a different team. I want to lift it with Arsenal.

That is now my main target and it would make me so proud to do it. I know it is going to be hard, because we have lots of competition, with teams like Manchester City and Aston Villa getting stronger.

Manchester City’s rehearsals are over, that was last season. And Aston Villa feeling the pressure and not holding on to that fourth place may not happen again next season. But are they getting stronger as Robin suggests?

Gareth Barry, Nils Zander, Roque Santa Cruz and Stuart Taylor put Manchester City in a much stronger position than last year, so yes, absolutely, but Aston Villa are yet to sign anybody and will be without Barry and Martin Laursen who were two of their key players last season. But then again, why should we care about what the rest of the pack is doing? I firmly believe it all depends on how we perform, I don’t want to be in last season’s position, praying for Aston Villa to let a two goal lead slip so as not to trail them by eight points.

Looking forward

It was nice to see photos of the lads in action during the first training session and also nice to see Rosicky training with the rest. Senderos is back but hopefully he will be shipped out pretty soon as he’s almost always been a liability to us. Cesc, Gibbs, Carlos Vela and Theo were all missing with the young Mexican suffering a big scare in the Gold Cup but luckily recovered.

Next week we will face Barnet in our first pre-season friendly. That’s at 15:00 in the UK, 16:00 for our CET friends. It will be interesting to see whether back-from-injury Rosicky and Eduardo will feature and who from the young ones will be involved in the action. We’ll know in seven days time.

Until then, take care.