Normally it is Arsenal who are put at a disadvantage by the way that the football fixture list is worked out, as we are always involved in the Champions League and also tend to get through at least a few rounds of the two domestic cup competitions.
But for once the Gunners have been a handed a pretty easy run of games through the month of January, which is probably just as well because we were looking seriously jaded and it was costing us in the run up to the festive season.
Apart from that Premier League away game at Bournemouth it has been a pretty good month for Arsenal so far and even against the Cherries there were positives to be taken from the fightback to a draw when we looked down and out at 3-0 down.
The players are getting a week between matches at the minute and it looks it is helping them to get back to their best after putting four past Swansea without reply. At the same time our upcoming opponents have to cope with a more congested schedule than us, especially Southampton who we are likely to face next in the FA cup.
This week they have the replay with Norwich City before an EPL game at the weekend and then a massive EFL cup second leg against Liverpool before Arsenal go there, assuming they beat Norwich. So the Saints will have five games in the space of two weeks while Arsenal will have just two. We should hope they beat Liverpool or at least hold on to the 1-0 first leg lead to get to the final as I reckon they will be less focused on the FA cup if they do.
Our next game is at home to Burnley on Sunday and although they are doing pretty well it is almost exclusively at home and they also have an FA cup replay to get through this week. It is nice for a change that Arsenal are helped by the fixture list but can we make the most of it while it lasts?
Bob.
Is Giroud okay?
Yeah, good super sub.
With Giroud, he’s either on the end of something, or else he’s not. So if our supply is limited, well, do the math.
1. All true. Arsenal have a favorable schedule – at least in the near-term.
2. I have read all the football articles from the weekend and AGAIN the punditry go on and on about which club deserve to win. Football morons.
If you want to know which club deserve to win just look a the score. Unless there is a referee error……. the score tells the story.
I have checked the rules repeatedly and you only get points for scoring – not for pretty passing, not for shots on goal, not for chances created, and definitely not for possession.
After years of watching (and playing) football, they do not recognize the simplest of football realities. You only get points for GOALS. (If the ref makes errors of course this changes this everything).
No
Going by the combine heavy match schedules of both the FA Cup and the PL games for Burnley and Southampton to play, Arsenal will be expected by the Gooners to comfortably beat Burnley and Watford at the Ems. And at away at Saint Mary’s, Southampton will succumb to the superior fire power of the Gunners after they have suffered fatigue as a result of their heavy match scheduling. If Arsenal succeeded to win these 3 PL games, the Gunners position in the log will be highly enhanced than it was last weekend when Arsenal crushed Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium to moved from 5th to 4th in the table. And who knows, some of their title rivals may yet drop points again in the next weekends for Arsenal to seize the initiatives to move further up in the table.
Punditry and football analysis start and stop outside football pitch but football games are played on the pitch of play.