As the new season approaches, it seems the bookmakers have all but closed bets on either of Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea winning the league.

Spurs, it appears, are a good bet to bag fourth position, and Arsenal, surrounded by a whirlwind of unfortunate events, and with their lack of ambition evidenced by a meagre summer spending spree, will be relegated to mid-table obscurity. And if they do not beat Sparta Prague in the Champions League qualifiers, the end of the Arsene Wenger reign could also soon upon us.

One could be forgiven for assuming that Arsenal fans are resigned to a summer of speculation and tension ultimately not resulting in any achievement of note. This will be a season where Arsenal fans will sit in anxiety over every result unable to assume a win over a less assured opponent, while Manchester United thrash Bolton.

'This will be the season that will define Arsenal. It will either make or break Wenger’s faith in his youth policy and style of football'


But wait! Hasn’t it always been a clarion call by Arsenal supporters that they boast the best youngsters in the land? And that with such promise among their ranks, they will be able to stand their ground against the big three and Spurs. The likes of Denilson, Abou Diaby, Theo Walcott, Armand Traore and Johan Djourou proved their worth last season. And with a year under their belts, will they not be better?

Opponents who scoff at that rationalisation will point to that old saying about having a bird in hand. Arsenal, for all their qualities in youth, have consistently fallen short. And this season, “short” really is the operative word for an Arsenal side lacking height, strength and that intimidation factor. Denilson, for example, in the recent Amsterdam Tournament, looked really like a boy playing in a man’s world. Yes, Arsenal won both their pre-season tournaments, but any hardened fan will tell you that a season is a lot more than two or three largely non-competitive games.

Arsenal it seems will not be playing up to any expectation. But that would be far from the truth.

This will be the season that will define Arsenal. It will either make or break Wenger’s faith in his youth policy and style of football. For years Wenger has believed in having a young team teeming with talent who play direct football. He has never embraced a formation accommodating wingers, and therefore he has never endorsed having a target man of any sort in the opposition box. All his players have been groomed to play with the ball on the ground and from one end of the pitch to the other. Long balls and desperate clearances to Row Z are for the unsophisticated. Arsenal are royalty. They play football for the gods.

This is the season where the Gunners will have to prove themselves. It is no longer acceptable for them to play beautifully and create so many opportunities and then miss them. This is the season where Arsenal will also know that opponents preferring to address their beautiful game with ugly football cannot rattle them. They have had three years since their unbeaten season to prepare for this campaign.

This is the season where each and every youngster will have to stand up and be counted. It is not acceptable for them to cry and cuss when Sam Allardyce's army pushes them down. This is the time to get back up and push back with double measure. This is the season when Jose Mourinho must learn that a lead taken by Arsenal is not so easily pegged back with just 10 men. And Peter Crouch needs to know he needs to do more to score against Arsenal than just stand still and wait for long balls to come his way. It is no longer an option for Arsenal players to hide their shortcomings and failures behind their youth and inexperience.

Players like Philippe Sanderos can no longer be forgiven for defensive lapses like the one he suffered against Lazio in the Amsterdam Tournament – especially when he will be expected to provide cover when Kolo Toure is away for the African Nations Cup in January. Justin Hoyte, so highly regarded, will have to prove why his manager did not sell him when so many of his contemporaries in the youth team were jettisoned.

For the experienced players who have yet to prove themselves, the likes of William Gallas will know they have to come out and lead. Maybe that’s why the boss was toying with giving him the captain’s armband in the summer. He has to take the pain and not whine like a little boy lost. He needs to stand up like a footballing Rambo, take the fire and fire back, and the same goes for Aleksandr Hleb and Tomas Rosicky.

Their honeymoon period is over. They must now produce the guile, thrust and goals expected of them. The fans will never forgive them if they continue their football ballet against the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who must have been laughing at their gentile dance steps of last season.

This will be the season where the Arsenal youth will either fall or fly. And of the famed Arsenal youngsters who stand on the brink of greatness, none is more willing to embrace it than Robin van Persie who will seize the the opportunity to shine following the departure of Thierry Henry. At the very least, he is a brilliant player with a devastating style that intimidates defenders.

He is a forward Arsenal hasn’t had since the days of Alan Smith. But more than that, van Persie has what all winners have, and that is a burgeoning, almost desperate desire to win. You can see it in his eye and his manner on the pitch. He wants to win, he needs to win. In that way, he resembles Wayne Rooney in his single-minded attitude driving his team at where it hurts the most for opponents.

And better yet for Arsenal, he is not alone. Cesc Fabregas always had that winning mentality. You can see it clearly when he plays. Now the both of them are supplemented by the tougher, harder-working and cannier Eduardo, the battle-hardened Gael Clichy and the surprise package of the summer, Nicklas Bendtner.

Some may say Bendtner isn’t a surprise. Those who followed Birmingham’s progress last season know what he is capable of. But Wenger has always looked for more than just skill. In Bendtner, he has a winner. Look into the boy’s eyes when he plays and you see it, fearless, with a desire and the same need  as Cesc and RVP. And it may well be a spark that will light the way for the new Arsenal generation.