Robin van Persie’s recent assertion that Arsenal are serious contenders for the Premier League title this year, while giving a slight sense of optimism at the expense of reason, does illustrate how he’s relishing the responsibility of leading the  line in the absence of the now departed Thierry Henry.

And in the broader context, it shows the belief within this young squad. RVP's confidence is doubtless reassurance to an army of Arsenal fans who know that much of this season's aspirations rest on the shoulders of the 24-year-old Dutchman.

The departure of Freddie Llungberg to West Ham has marked the end of Arsene Wenger's cull of the ‘Invincibles’ side who memorably went a full season unbeaten. In its place, the club now field a youthful team brimming with skill, pace and often sublime passing but somewhat short on experience and at times lacking the killer instinct  – a fact highlighted last season by the number of games they managed to lose to sucker- punch goals after outplaying the opposition for 90 minutes.

'If this year is to be different to last, then not only Hleb but also Fabregas and Rosicky need to start hitting the back of the net'


Running a rule across the current Arsenal squad reveals more options in every department than the ‘team in crisis’ newspaper headlines throughout the summer might suggest. At the back there is good cover in all departments. In goal the brilliant but mad-as-a-brush Jens Lehmann has a solid if slightly bewildering looking deputy in Manuel Almunia. The addition of Bakary Sagna is an improvement on the attack-minded Emmanuel Eboue, whose blistering pace down the right wing has often been at the expense of his remembering his primary responsibility to defend.

Wenger has seen fit to make an asset of a liability by playing him in front of Sagna, in the full knowledge that he can sit back into the right-back position if required. The failure to materialise on rumoured sales of Justin Hoyte and the versatile Mathieu Flamini is also good news for Arsenal fans. And if William Gallas can give a season where his ability to express himself on the pitch matches his ability to talk, then he’s in for a very good season indeed.

In midfield, much rests on Cesc Fabregas and Gilberto avoiding injury, with any kind of long-term layoff being virtually unthinkable. Abou Diaby, despite the comparisons to Patrick Vieira, is a huge prospect but not yet the finished article. Denilson has demonstrated that he can do a job but Alex Song is at times betrayed by his inexperience. In pre-season Aleksandr Hleb has been more impressive in a slightly advanced more central role just behind the main thrust.

But it’s the lack of goals, in this instance from midfield, which illustrates the main challenge facing the side. If this year is to be different to last, then not only Hleb but also Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky need to start hitting the back of the net at the rate which, on paper at least, they are more than capable of.

And it’s the ability to score goals that’s the main question hanging over Van Persie’s assertion that Arsenal can win the league. Statistics, if we need them, show that the lack of end product in the final third was the club's downfall last year, not just in the Premiership but also in the Champions League. Are there enough goals in this side to mount a serious challenge?

Despite the purchase of Eduardo Da Silva, Arsenal are undeniably lagging behind their top-four rivals (not to mention Spurs) when it comes to the number of top-class strikers at their disposal. Van Persie is a clinical finisher, but any injury to him, particularly if it coincides with Emmanual Adebayor’s departure to take part in he African Nations Cup, could leave Arsenal’s attacking options looking decidedly threadbare at a crucial part of the season. Eduardo has looked good but he is certainly not a replacement for the talismanic Henry. If he can adjust to playing at Premiership level, he has the potential to be the type of goalscorer that hasn’t worn an Arsenal shirt since the days of Ian Wright.

Nicklas Bendtner is another young player who faces a similar challenge. His height gives Arsenal another dimension (particularly from set plays) but although he impressed on loan to Birmingham last term and has looked good in pre-season, the fact remains that he is untried at this level and could probably benefit from another year’s experience.

Theo Walcott is another Wenger-type player – full of pace and promise, but the hour has come for him to start delivering the goods. It seems Arsenal are still at least one proven goalscorer light, and despite Wenger's assurance that he has enough forwards, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see a new face come in.

It is clear that Arsenal’s season will be dictated by their ability to field a first-choice team, to score goals from midfield and by whether relatively unproven players can deliver the goods at crucial moments. On their day, the side are a match for anyone in Europe, but sending boys to do men’s work on a wet and windy night in the north of England could prove, as it did last season, to be an entirely different proposition.

In the season ahead, Arsenal will doubtless be much admired by opposing fans. They will play some blistering football and take some prize scalps along the way - but can they win the Premier League? I would have thought probably not. Top four? Definitely. Top two? Who knows. Wenger speaks glowingly of his young proteges and their great team spirit but I suspect when he sips his claret over dinner and mulls over the season ahead, it’s with an air of hope more than expectation. Secretly he may feel that it’s in the Cups that his best hope of silverware lies.

Certainly within the Arsenal ranks there are players summoned to the call of greatness and it will be intriguing to see how far they can go. It will also provide much-needed respite to all the boardroom intrigue that has taken up so many news column inches of late. It promises to be an enthralling campaign.