Arsenal will start a new chapter after the departure of Robin van Persie on Saturday against Sunderland. Will Arsene Wenger's new signings help forget RVP or will they struggle to adapt?
The English Premier League will kick off Saturday at the Emirates where Arsenal will be hoping to have a better start to the season than last year. Arsenal fans had to wait until the fourth fixture to see the Gunners finally claim their first victory of the campaign.
A humiliating defeat away to Manchester United forced Arsene Wenger to make some last minute transfers, but in the end, those transfers may turn out to be beneficial in the future. Mikael Arteta's leadership and experience proved to be a good signing for Wenger and he will be hoping that he can have an even better sophomore season at the Emirates.
New summer signings Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla will be doing everything possible to help Arsenal fans forget van Persie. The three new members had a chance to show themselves to the Arsenal faithful in their final pre-season match against Cologne and they did just that. Cazorla's passing ability was notable while Giroud forced the opposing keeper into a number of difficult saves and Podolski found the back of the net on two occasions.
Saturday will be the turning of the page for Arsenal and they will now have to cope with the departure of their former captain. Sunderland will be hoping they can take advantage of not having to defend RVP, but they will now have to deal with a more potent and mobile offense from the Gunners.
Louis Saha signed a one year deal with the 'Black Cats', making him another option for Martin O'Neill. Without last seasons joint top scorer Nicklas Bendtner, O'Neill will be hoping that Sebastian Larsson, Stephane Sessegnon and Saha will be able to replace the eight goals the Dane scored last year.
A 13th place finish for Sunderland may not have been exactly what O'Neill wanted, but he will have the chance to build the team to his liking.
The last time these two met, Arsenal took both matches with a 2-1 victory. This time around it doesn't look like things will be any easier for Sunderland. Arsenal will be looking to avoid a poor start and also silence critics who believe the Gunners can't cope with the departure of Robin van Persie.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Sunderland
A humiliating defeat away to Manchester United forced Arsene Wenger to make some last minute transfers, but in the end, those transfers may turn out to be beneficial in the future. Mikael Arteta's leadership and experience proved to be a good signing for Wenger and he will be hoping that he can have an even better sophomore season at the Emirates.
New summer signings Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla will be doing everything possible to help Arsenal fans forget van Persie. The three new members had a chance to show themselves to the Arsenal faithful in their final pre-season match against Cologne and they did just that. Cazorla's passing ability was notable while Giroud forced the opposing keeper into a number of difficult saves and Podolski found the back of the net on two occasions.
Saturday will be the turning of the page for Arsenal and they will now have to cope with the departure of their former captain. Sunderland will be hoping they can take advantage of not having to defend RVP, but they will now have to deal with a more potent and mobile offense from the Gunners.
Louis Saha signed a one year deal with the 'Black Cats', making him another option for Martin O'Neill. Without last seasons joint top scorer Nicklas Bendtner, O'Neill will be hoping that Sebastian Larsson, Stephane Sessegnon and Saha will be able to replace the eight goals the Dane scored last year.
A 13th place finish for Sunderland may not have been exactly what O'Neill wanted, but he will have the chance to build the team to his liking.
The last time these two met, Arsenal took both matches with a 2-1 victory. This time around it doesn't look like things will be any easier for Sunderland. Arsenal will be looking to avoid a poor start and also silence critics who believe the Gunners can't cope with the departure of Robin van Persie.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Sunderland
