Double title trick will test Wenger

Should this be the case Wenger would become the first Arsenal manager to successfully retain the title.

But there are pitfalls and defending the crown is a daunting test of a squad's durability, discipline and team spirit.

There are three key elements which will determine whether Arsenal can hold on to the Premiership trophy next season. They are . . .

"We won the title twice when I was manager and on each occasion we found the following season difficult," recalled former Arsenal manager George Graham. "First of all, everyone wants to beat the champions. When you visit them, it's their cup final. You have the status and if they can knock you off the pedestal there's some reflected glory in that.

"So, everyone you play tries harder. This means that you must try harder too. You have to be ready for the challenge, week after week. You need to be especially resilient otherwise it wears you down.

"You have to face the fact, too, that sometimes individuals in your team take their foot off the pedal. You have to keep them sharp and hungry for more. It's not easy when they've won it once or twice already."

In Wenger's favour, of course, is a dressing room in which the prospect of defeat simply doesn't exist. The harmony-residing deep within his squad is the force that binds the players together. You rarely hear a whisper of discontent from within Highbury's walls these days.

This is partly because Wenger has chosen his signings with care. Technicalability is essential but so, he believes, is a mature personality and a commitment to the cause.

He will further strengthen his squad this summer - Feyenoord's Robin van Persie is high on his shopping list - but in truth it's difficult to identify areas of weakness. The first-choice XI are good enough to secure six of the outfield places in the PFA's Premiership team of the season and the quality of the understudies means Wenger can rotate with confidence when he feels it's necessary.

Stuart Taylor, recovering from a shoulder injury, will be back to provide goalkeeping cover for Jens Lehmann next season and the emergence of Gael Clichy and Philippe Senderos could add significantly to their defensive options. The Champions League, annoyingly elusive, will again prove to be a serious distraction. Wenger wants to win it because, while he claims the 38-game Premiership is a true test of a team's ability, he knows Champions League success is the ultimate seal of approval among Europe's top coaches.

But what may, in the final analysis, determine whether Arsenal retain the title is the quality of the threat posed by Manchester United and Chelsea. The conquerors of Arsenal in the FA Cup and Champions League, they both have the financial resources to buy a team of Championship-winning potential.

But, as Wenger has shown this season, turning potential into achievement requires considerably more than a fat cheque book.

Can he do it again next year? I wouldn't bet against it.