Having read the Arsenal America's preview, I was surprised one main area. The lack of full coverage of our depth charts, particularly in defense. Last season, Arsenal had 10 yes 10 starters injured at one time. Yet, the rest of the team was able to pick it up and play like champions. Arsenal will likely need that kind of push from the reserves if the team is to repeat as champs.
In defense: Upson, Luzhny, Stepanovs, and Juan all need to be ready to play at a high level. Particularly Upson and Luzhny as they are likely to see plenty of time on the pitch. Upson seemed to develop a good partnership with Campbell in their time together and I hope they can retain that this season. Luzhny - Mr. versatile. He played all over in the back but primarily outside back. Can he continue to play as well as he did last season or are his legs 'too old' at this point? Stepanovs is a penalty waiting to happen, but to his credit until the Everton game didn't make too many boneheaded moves. I hope we don't have to rely on him too much this season...
Mids and forwards: Our depth seems to be the youth players that have come up, Pennant, Toure, Volz, and Aldaire (sp?). Can they make an impact this year? They will likely see time but since none have played at the highest level it'll be a bit of a crap shoot. Hopefully they can come up sevens!
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