The team visit a ground that has left such a mental scar for many fans around the world and probably some of the players and given the negativity surrounding the club with unsettled players it could be one of the worst grounds to have to visit on an opening day. But that depends on which glasses you are peering through. A solid and convincing team display and victory could wipe the slate clean for the players to take part, a chance to unlock the shackles that are attached to certain players who will not

Only now does the new season feel real. The time when I can thankfully discard the 24/7 talk about the transfer window. The hype around transfers thanks in part to outlets like Sky Sports news has given transfers almost more importance then the football itself in the minds of some.

That is certainly not the case for me. This is what it is about, 11 Arsenal players regardless of what name is spread across their back against 11 opposition players.

The team visit a ground that has left such a mental scar for many fans around the world and probably some of the players, and given the negativity surrounding the club with unsettled players it could be one of the worst grounds to have to visit on an opening day. But that depends on which glasses you are peering through.

A solid and convincing team display and victory could wipe the slate clean for the players to take part, a chance to unlock the shackles that are attached to certain players who will not be taking part and a chance to give the team the platform to kick on and show the quality that they so obviously have.

While many are fretting about the absence of Cesc Fabregas, I am more worried that Jack Wilshere will not be featuring for us this afternoon. It is a long season and there is certainly no point in taking any risks with such a young talent on the opening day of the season but I think the presence of Wilshere would have done so many people the world of good, a chance to show the future of the club and forget about what we used to have.

I have the same feeling about Wilshere that I had last season for Samir Nasri. He looks focused and a level above the last time we saw him in the Premier League. Let us hope that it is only a minor injury that will not become a Vermaelen or even worse a Rosicky type of ongoing issue.

While many fans turn their nose up at Tomas Rosicky due to his indifferent performances after the beginning of last season, I am personally excited to see the Czech International prove that he still has that mojo underneath that floppy hair of his.

He has looked sharp in pre season and looks more like the 2008 version than the one who was utterly disappointing in his cameo at St James’ Park.

Arsene Wenger looks to have given the experienced Czech his third position for the club. He started on the left in place of Robert Pires, playing the occasional game on the right. He was then moved into the offensive playmaking role but had inconsistent results, judging by the pre season, it looks as if Wenger has given Rosicky the chance to take a step back and play as the second central midfield player, a role that seems perfectly suited to his quick passing and link up play. While he may not have the killer end product in terms of goals and assists, it is hard to argue with his footballing brain and his ability to keep our game ticking. He rarely lacks work rate so I am hoping to see Rosicky excel in that position alongside Alex Song this afternoon, unless Arsene Wenger has other ideas and chooses to stiffen up our midfield by adding the tenacious Emmanuel Frimpong in his place, an interesting idea for away days against tough midfields but you would imagine that our football could suffer to some extent without the guile of both Wilshere or Rosicky.

While we are all hoping that an extra central defender comes into the club in the next few weeks, I cannot help but be very excited at the prospect of watching Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen partner each other in the center of defence. Two tigerishly aggressive defenders who are quick across the ground and who could probably be one of the most creative midfielders in 70% of the Premier League’s teams to date. Yes, neither are 7ft.9 but I believe they have the correct attitude to forge a top partnership.

While we are on the subject of defending, it will be good to get a real glimpse of our set piece work. I expect plenty more talking and a more aggressive attitude in beating the opposition in the air but arguably more important than all of that will be how we implement our pressing game.

In our trip to Asia we worked very hard at it and it looked good. It looked to ease off when we returned to London for the Emirates cup but I am hoping that with the season getting closer, Arsene wanted to save some legs and focus more on the combinations of the players.

Whether it be Newcastle, Swansea or Manchester United the team have got to fight for the shirt in the exact same way for every moment if they are to achieve success.

Out of all our summer signings, I imagine that only Gervinho will start the game and I expect him to make a big impact today and for most of the season. While I would say Samir Nasri is the more talented of the two, I think Gervinho’s game will complement the rest of the team better as he adds much needed directness to our attacking play.

Gervinho’s position will depend on the form and fitness of Theo Walcott vs Andrey Arshavin. If Walcott is fit and starts then Gervinho will start from the left, if Arshavin gets the nod then Gervinho will play on the right. The rotation and link up between the likes of Gervinho, Walcott/Arshavin and Van Persie will be vital to our attacking play. Our speedsters should mean that Robin will no longer be isolated for any long periods of time.

I think we have a very strong team overall but if I was to point at a concern then it would be having too much responsibility on the shoulders of Aaron Ramsey who has been inconsistent this pre season. I expect Rosicky and Ramsey to rotate more frequently than anyone previously did with Cesc, Wenger may expect his midfield to share the creative responsibility instead of relying on one player.

Mean Lean’s Predicted Line Up

Predicted scores will be disposed of because a) I am massively biased and b) I am usually well off the mark but I do expect the team to win today.

We have been holding back over the pre season and now is the time to put it all together. Many players out there today will have plenty to prove and I expect them to show that we are still strong without Cesc and Nasri.

I cannot wait to see the Arsenal back on the pitch again.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS.