Arsenal have been handed a crazy end to the season after the FA rescheduled our two fixtures with Sunderland and Southampton, leaving us with five matches to play within the final 14 days of the term.
The English footballing governing body has had plenty of time to arrange our matches, with us qualifying for the semi-final of the FA Cup over a month ago, but after leaving it in limbo for this long, we have now been burdened by the decision.
Our season was already looking tricky, having lost to Crystal Palace on Monday to leave us seven points behind Manchester City in the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot, and now we will have to chase down our rivals in the toughest way possible.
Of our EIGHT Premier League matches remaining between now and the May 21st end of season showdown with Everton, we have to play five of those from May 7, starting with Manchester United. We follow that with trips to Southampton and Stoke City with two days rest between matches, before hosting Sunderland on Tuesday May 16.
Should we beat Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final, we will have to play the final at Wembley six days after the Premier League season finishes, complicating things further, although we may have to prioritise the league matches should our hopes of reaching the top four remain intact.
Manchester United’s remaining matches had looked the toughest of the top six, having trips to Chelsea, Tottenham and us left to play, and the FA have just given Liverpool and Man City a huge advantage as they look to seal Champions League football for next term.
Are we now destined for Europa League football for the first time since the competition’s creation in 2010? Should we complain about the FA’s failure to rearrange the matches sooner?
Pat J
If Wenger left i would totally embrace Europa League for a season or two.
Allegri could help us win it
Not sure if I’m right, but there’s is a considerable battle going on between Wenger and Gazidis. This could well be the problem and it is spilling out onto the field and team selection. Doesn’t make any sense that Wenger doesn’t choose Perez, right? A guy who has scored almost every time he has been on the field for us, and is now out for god knows how long with a ‘thigh’ injury … must be the longest thigh injury in history, but then it DOES make sense if Gazidis bought Perez, Wenger sensing he’s been undermined and of course it will spill out into the team and they will be affected.
Not really.
City has an identical
spacing between games.
Liverpool has 2 less league games to play
and is not in the FA Cup so 3 less games
so naturally a lot more space between games.
First the ref now the schedule.
Excuses excuses excuses.
Comon guys, it’s not the money that’s the problem at Arsenal – Not Wenger’s reluctance to spend money, not the board not giving Wenger the necessary finances etc. He spent £100 million this season alone for God sakes.
It’s all down to the manager.
We saw Leicester win the league last year – and yes it was a once in a million fairytale, but you cannot say they had a better squad than us, or spent more money than us. Therefore it must be down to the manager.
And the squad we have at the moment is plenty good enough to win the league, under a good manager. Look at Chelsea under Conte – you cannot say
Courtois is better than Cech
Moses better than Bellerin
Cahill better than Koscielny
Luiz better than Mustafi
Fabregas better than Ozil
Pedro better than Sanchez
…
Look anyway the point I’m trying to make is, in my opinion, the blame for our problems can only be at the feet of one man – Arsene
There are two men to blame.
Stan Kroenke is not fussed
about winning trophies.
None of his sporting franchises have won any thing for years.
He moved his Rams NFL side from St Lois to LA for 400 mill quid.
Rams were last in the league yet he is still building a new 1 billion quid stadium.
Just being in the league is enough to raise the value of the club.
The majority of Arsenal fans still support the two masters because
they are loyal, easily fooled or intimidated by Stan and Arsene.
Until enough of the fan base kick up a fuss
why would the gruesome twosome change?
If we had a new manager then we might hve already won the league guys. When all the top teams capitulated we could hve piped Leicester. Who knows? Wenger this days is a lost man. Did you see he was trying to complain to the fourth official vs crystal palace instead of seeing where he can change the game plan. He is just looking for excuses and when we were beat without any foul play from officials he was gob smacked as he had no way to save himself