Despite a convincing win in Turkey, there still remains a cloud of uncertainty at the Emirates. With grumblings from fans over Arsene Wenger's lack of success in the summer transfer market, coupled with injury scares and a week 1 home loss to Aston Villa, Wenger is keen on getting Arsenal back on track before it's too late. So what does he have to do to keep his ship afloat? Short of grabbing buckets and lifejackets, we've got a few suggestions:
6. Keep Theo Walcott Healthy
So much of Arsenal's future success depends on the performances of midfielders Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, but if Theo Walcott isn't fit the Gunners could find themselves out of a top-four finish by mid-season. Last year it was Walcott's quiet team-leading 21 goals in all competitions that fueled Arsenal's late resurgence to overtake Tottenham for the fourth and final spot for Europe. But playing Walcott all the time might be risky. He's injury prone; his wonky ankle puts all Gooners on edge. And so preventing a player from injury who is already injury-prone is something Wenger has no control over. Whether he sits him during winnable games or subs him off when a game is won, either way, Wenger must try to balance Walcott's output-to-injury risk.