Last year's springtime surge towards an inevitably futile title challenge had many Arsenal fans thinking their decade-long wait for a league triumph was entering its final year. But The Gunners' typically stuttering start has brought many fans back down to earth after enduring an August of poor displays and transfer inactivity.
The latter, which came to an accustomed quiet conclusion on Tuesday evening, had Gooners up in arms over the failure to strengthen the squad, despite the shrewd addition of Petr Cech, as all their rivals reinforced in numbers.
Though without the lacklustre start Arsenal have had, it would be hard to still imagine the uproar over Arsene Wenger's decision to keep faith in those that ensured him another top-four finish in the Premier League. If Arsenal were sitting at the top at the moment on 12 points, Wenger is a genius. Being on seven right now makes him a very easy target.
Part of the cause for the stuttering start has been bad luck - Aaron Ramsey will still be a little cheesed off about his disallowed goal against Liverpool, while in the games against West Ham and Newcastle United - in which Arsenal accrued three points - the faults have been with individual performances, yet Wenger gets the blame for failing to bring in new personnel.
There seems to be an assumption that new means good, but if you need any proof that's a load of baloney, just ask Radamel Falcao or Roberto Soldado, who demonstrate the difficulty of finding class in the transfer market - whether you pay 26 million or less than a nickel for it.
It is thought that Wenger made fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema his top transfer target this summer, and why not? Benzema has been often overshadowed by sharing the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo for six seasons and would arrive at Arsenal as the main man, no question. A player with a proven and prolific track record - just what the Gunners needed for a title charge. But Real Madrid were never in a position to sell.
The frustration over the failure to buy a quality striker has been the bane of supporters over the summer. An alternative may have been in the shape of another French youngster - no, not United's new 36 million-pound man - but Alexandre Lacazette, who offers the pace of Theo Walcott and the finishing of Olivier Giroud as he scored 29 for Lyon last season, signed a new contract in August.
Giroud has come under very harsh criticism since he signed for Arsenal in 2012, which has been incredibly unfair. After helping Montpellier to a historic French title, Giroud initially arrived to play alongside Golden Boot winner, Robin Van Persie before his bitter departure to rivals, Manchester United.
Giroud was never going to replace RVP from the word go (if a daunting miss on his debut was anything to go by), but 17 goals in his first season in the Premier League showed a lot of potential for a player often derided by the Gunners faithful, who by then, had seen their club enter an eighth year without a major trophy.
Having secured his half-ton for the club in February as well as delivering the sublime back-heel assist that finally ended Arsenal's barren run and crowning the defence of the FA Cup in May with what is now his trademark first-time, near-post finish, it is difficult to say anything other than the boy's done good.
The defining statistic? Giroud has scored 59 goals for Arsenal - exactly the same as what his predecessor achieved for Manchester United. And just look at him now...
All this means is that Olivier Giroud has been nothing more than a convenient scapegoat for unhappy Gooners that ache for a league title. And the irony is, it's not the lack of goals they need worry about.
Wenger's decision not to act on the striker shortage under the circumstances are justified, even with Danny Welbeck's injury leaving options even more scarce in that department. Why get another one in to sit on the bench? Why waste funds on second-rate alternatives? Wenger has said it is an area that lacks in top quality at the moment, and he's right - you can't go into a shop with £100m and buy a top striker if there aren't any in stock. On this front, common sense has certainly prevailed.
Paul Merson made clear his thoughts recently and argued that the fans are being "cheated" after the manager's refusal to bring in top quality goes against the idea of creating the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium. Make of that what you will, but Arsenal fans want to see quality as much as Portsmouth fans do - and they won't give a damn how much it costs, or where they get to watch them.
But while Wenger defied fan calls to strengthen up top, the decision not to bolster up the defensive midfield was irresponsible, to say the least. To leave the vulnerable Francis Coquelin as the only defensive barricade in midfield has Arsenal's title challenge already walking a very thin tightrope - and that's before you consider The Gunners' injury record - given Coquelin's disciplinary worries.
He cannot use the same argument as he did for his striker situation when it is a matter of making up the numbers. A defensive midfielder better than Mathieu Flamini or Mikel Arteta - an attacking midfielder by trade. Surely there is somebody available. Better or worse than Coquelin, it matters not. Someone who can do his job when fatigue, injuries, and suspensions bite - and they will bite - this is Arsenal, after all.
Arsenal would not be in this situation had they been as fast out the blocks as Inter Milan - who were lightning-fast to recruit Geoffrey Kondogbia from the Monaco team that embarrassed Arsene's side in last year's Champions League. And Inter aren't exactly the giants of European, or even Italian football they once were.
So the world-class quality may not be available, but in this case, second-best will have to do. Arsenal now face a repeat scenario of their central-defensive woes before Wenger waited until January to sign Gabriel from Villarreal, who ultimately looks like a good buy. Whether Le Prof waits until January or next summer to finally reinforce his midfield remains to be seen.
To conclude, it has been a case of good and bad for Arsenal in the transfer market. Signing Petr Cech could prove crucial in the long-term but opting not to strengthen elsewhere represents a gamble that simply must pay off.
Come On You Reds!
The latter, which came to an accustomed quiet conclusion on Tuesday evening, had Gooners up in arms over the failure to strengthen the squad, despite the shrewd addition of Petr Cech, as all their rivals reinforced in numbers.
Though without the lacklustre start Arsenal have had, it would be hard to still imagine the uproar over Arsene Wenger's decision to keep faith in those that ensured him another top-four finish in the Premier League. If Arsenal were sitting at the top at the moment on 12 points, Wenger is a genius. Being on seven right now makes him a very easy target.
Part of the cause for the stuttering start has been bad luck - Aaron Ramsey will still be a little cheesed off about his disallowed goal against Liverpool, while in the games against West Ham and Newcastle United - in which Arsenal accrued three points - the faults have been with individual performances, yet Wenger gets the blame for failing to bring in new personnel.
There seems to be an assumption that new means good, but if you need any proof that's a load of baloney, just ask Radamel Falcao or Roberto Soldado, who demonstrate the difficulty of finding class in the transfer market - whether you pay 26 million or less than a nickel for it.
It is thought that Wenger made fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema his top transfer target this summer, and why not? Benzema has been often overshadowed by sharing the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo for six seasons and would arrive at Arsenal as the main man, no question. A player with a proven and prolific track record - just what the Gunners needed for a title charge. But Real Madrid were never in a position to sell.
The frustration over the failure to buy a quality striker has been the bane of supporters over the summer. An alternative may have been in the shape of another French youngster - no, not United's new 36 million-pound man - but Alexandre Lacazette, who offers the pace of Theo Walcott and the finishing of Olivier Giroud as he scored 29 for Lyon last season, signed a new contract in August.
Giroud has come under very harsh criticism since he signed for Arsenal in 2012, which has been incredibly unfair. After helping Montpellier to a historic French title, Giroud initially arrived to play alongside Golden Boot winner, Robin Van Persie before his bitter departure to rivals, Manchester United.
Giroud was never going to replace RVP from the word go (if a daunting miss on his debut was anything to go by), but 17 goals in his first season in the Premier League showed a lot of potential for a player often derided by the Gunners faithful, who by then, had seen their club enter an eighth year without a major trophy.
Having secured his half-ton for the club in February as well as delivering the sublime back-heel assist that finally ended Arsenal's barren run and crowning the defence of the FA Cup in May with what is now his trademark first-time, near-post finish, it is difficult to say anything other than the boy's done good.
The defining statistic? Giroud has scored 59 goals for Arsenal - exactly the same as what his predecessor achieved for Manchester United. And just look at him now...
All this means is that Olivier Giroud has been nothing more than a convenient scapegoat for unhappy Gooners that ache for a league title. And the irony is, it's not the lack of goals they need worry about.
Wenger's decision not to act on the striker shortage under the circumstances are justified, even with Danny Welbeck's injury leaving options even more scarce in that department. Why get another one in to sit on the bench? Why waste funds on second-rate alternatives? Wenger has said it is an area that lacks in top quality at the moment, and he's right - you can't go into a shop with £100m and buy a top striker if there aren't any in stock. On this front, common sense has certainly prevailed.
Paul Merson made clear his thoughts recently and argued that the fans are being "cheated" after the manager's refusal to bring in top quality goes against the idea of creating the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium. Make of that what you will, but Arsenal fans want to see quality as much as Portsmouth fans do - and they won't give a damn how much it costs, or where they get to watch them.
But while Wenger defied fan calls to strengthen up top, the decision not to bolster up the defensive midfield was irresponsible, to say the least. To leave the vulnerable Francis Coquelin as the only defensive barricade in midfield has Arsenal's title challenge already walking a very thin tightrope - and that's before you consider The Gunners' injury record - given Coquelin's disciplinary worries.
He cannot use the same argument as he did for his striker situation when it is a matter of making up the numbers. A defensive midfielder better than Mathieu Flamini or Mikel Arteta - an attacking midfielder by trade. Surely there is somebody available. Better or worse than Coquelin, it matters not. Someone who can do his job when fatigue, injuries, and suspensions bite - and they will bite - this is Arsenal, after all.
Arsenal would not be in this situation had they been as fast out the blocks as Inter Milan - who were lightning-fast to recruit Geoffrey Kondogbia from the Monaco team that embarrassed Arsene's side in last year's Champions League. And Inter aren't exactly the giants of European, or even Italian football they once were.
So the world-class quality may not be available, but in this case, second-best will have to do. Arsenal now face a repeat scenario of their central-defensive woes before Wenger waited until January to sign Gabriel from Villarreal, who ultimately looks like a good buy. Whether Le Prof waits until January or next summer to finally reinforce his midfield remains to be seen.
To conclude, it has been a case of good and bad for Arsenal in the transfer market. Signing Petr Cech could prove crucial in the long-term but opting not to strengthen elsewhere represents a gamble that simply must pay off.
Come On You Reds!
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