Do Arsenal have a Good Enough Squad for the 08-09 Campaign?

The Orlando Sentinel soccer blog has a post that points to an artcle in which the author writes that he trusts Arsene about the state of the Arsenal team regarding whether more "experienced" signings are needed for the upcoming season.

What do you think? Do we have a good enough squad to challenge for honors? What positions do you think need reinforcement? Speculations are rife about Villa's Barry or Pool's Alonso being courted to fill the vacuum left by the departure of Flamini. Perhaps they are not needed because Denilson and Diaby immediately come to mind who have the skills to slot in. But are they really good enough?

What about Adebayor who stirred up a tempest in the summer? Should we keep him? Is he good enough for a team with title ambitions? Who do we get if he is let go? There have also been rumors about Gallas leaving. If he goes, who must come in to shore up the defense?

The dearth of Arsenal football this summer and the approaching season heighten the anticipation of Arsenal supporters. The departure of key players last season adds to the uncertainty about what the squad will look like. We all have high hopes that the club will seize on the upward momentum created last season to climb higher in the EPL table but new players and the return of long-injured players only add to the suspense.

Thinking back twelve months, Arsene didn't sign any "big" name last term and the team got close enough for a title win. A lot of that was driven by the energy of Flamini. Now that he has left, I think a similar "spark-plug" must be found to keep the team moving forward. Whoever taking over the defensive midfield assignment must be a tireless worker to provide an example and motivate the rest of the team.

For two seasons running, injuries have decimated the front line. Perhaps a solution is needed to address that issue - accidents not withstanding (Eduardo and RvP). Maybe training methods must be changed or maybe more rotation (a la the Reds) is called for to ensure adequate rest. Here I get the impression that even though the squad is big, Arsene is very protective of the younger players by keeping them away from the rigor of the Premier League. The result is that the squad need to be even bigger if rotation is to be implemented. AW has a difficult job balancing between cultivating a large number of youngsters to feed the talent pipeline and not spending large amounts of money every year to keep the team consistently competitive.

Many familiar names are still in the first team. If injuries are not an issue, this squad as it is should be able to cope quite well with the demands of the new season because these players have already proven themselves to be up to the task. The addition of Nasri and Vela should add even more flair to the potent offense which scored 113 goals in all competitions last season. If the defense is strengthened, this team will go places.