After the mauling of Manchester City in the Community Shield Arsenal fans will be more positive than ever about their Premier League chances. If you add an F.A. Cup trophy and a little-known player called Alexis Sanchez to the mixture, there are many reasons to look forward to the season.

We only have to look back a year ago to see the turmoil that can be created by losing an opening fixture convincingly. A loss to Crystal Palace could cause a similar agitation, but I don’t think anybody is seriously contemplating those same dark clouds.

In a no doubt more competitive league than ever, it would be a marvellous achievement if The Arsenal were to conquer. At the very least fans will be expecting a prolonged battle that will go to the wire and yet more silverware.

New season - More firepower

With the signing of Alexis The Gunners have added a new dimension to their attacking prowess. That being said, once again much of Arsenal’s firepower will rely on keeping players fit. Walcott will be integral and over-reliance on Giroud is still a concern.

It is clear that Wenger will be looking to the younger Frenchman to help with the load. Sanogo may well have his moments throughout the season, but has yet to prove he has the quality to chip in with goals on a regular basis. Joel Campbell also looks to be a promising asset and will hopefully add to the quality of depth we have been missing.

The loss on Vermaelen means we do have to add more defensive cover. The addition of the versatile Chambers has looks promising but there is perhaps a lack of depth at the back. With Champions League qualifiers added into the August monthly fixture list, it will no doubt be another jammed packed season for the Gunners.

The fixtures

Crystal Palace (H) - Pulis, a manager that loves to ruffle the feathers of the Premier League elite. With Arsenal especially he has done good job in doing so. Despite plenty of decent new additions, I can’t see his Palace side causing too many problems at the Emirates on opening weekend.

Everton (A) - Always a tricky fixture traveling to Goodison Park. Sandwiched in-between a Champions League qualifying tie against Turkish side Besiktas, whom Arsenal have never faced before could make things trickier. Having said that I fancy the Gunners to make a strong start to the season, and Everton have failed to strengthen substantially from last year’s campaign.

Leicester (A) - Newly promoted Leicester will have somewhat of a baptism of fire on their first season since 2004. Playing Arsenal and Chelsea in their first three games will be a tough introduction. I fully expect Arsenal to take the three points to consolidate a decent start to the 2014/15 season.

Big five looking for strong start

It will be a challenging start to the season for a majority of the big five, which could lead to a shaky start for a few. Arsenal’s away trip to Goodison could prove problematic, but I’m predicting comfortable wins against Palace and newly promoted Leicester.

The competitiveness of the Premier League grows ever stronger with at least five valued contenders for the title.

Van Gaal’s United will no doubt be looking to take advantage of their arguably less challenging start. The Dutch maestro will be hoping to stamp his authority on the Premier League early on, although I predict that the Van the Man effect will eventually fade as the season progresses.

Chelsea look the best prepared for a title challenge and apart from United have the easier opening games. With the arrival of Costa and Fabregas, a signing that is still felt by all Arsenal fans in the pit of their stomach, it’s hard to see who will be topping them this season.

Liverpool and Man City will be playing each other in only the second game of the season, and I expect the Blues to come out on top. With the loss of Suarez it will be difficult for them to challenge this year, despite huge investment in a squad that was overall relatively weak.

City have strengthened at the back with the signing of the Frenchman Mangala. Having also given key players new contracts, the have strengthened the squads resolve. Whether they have done enough and key players will continue to perform for them remains to be seen.

Predictions

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