Silvestre - We've improved in all departments
The title is almost certainly beyond Arsenal's reach this year, but it should be within their grasp next season.
That's the view of Mikael Silvestre, and he should know. The French defender has four Premier League medals from his time with Manchester United and has seen enough in his first season at Emirates Stadium to suggest that Arsenal can mount a sustained challenge next term.
Arsène Wenger's side are unbeaten in the top flight since November - a run stretching back 16 games - and Silvestre believes that Arsenal's young players have made a significant improvement.
"They are definitely better than when I arrived," he told Arsenal.com. "There have been some patches where we couldn't get the consistency but now with the confidence and the number of goals we score, even if we had some draws in the Premier League, overall the performances have been really good. All the players have improved in every department.
"It has been very good progress. We can see that in the build-up of our game and in our attacking positions. Also, every player knows his job better than they did at the beginning of the season. That makes the team play better."
Silvestre is convinced by Arsenal's quality but he has warned against the perils of a sluggish start when the 2009/10 campaign gets underway. The Gunners lost five of their first 14 Premier League games this season and, according to the Frenchman, a repeat performance would leave them with too much to do.
"We've got to believe that we can challenge next season," said Silvestre. "If we build on this season, which is not finished yet, there is a lot of reason to think that we must challenge from day one for the title.
"You have to make a quick start, of course, because all the best teams take points. As soon as you drop two or three points, the gap is really big."
