Many Arsenal fans are getting worried about the fixture congestion in this final quarter of the Premier League season, but our one free weekend so far (just gone) happily coincided with our round of 32 Europa League tie double-header against Ostersund.
Now, because Leicester have made it into the next round of the FA Cup after beating Sheffield United this weekend, they have now qualified for the Sixth Round and are set to face Chelsea on the 17th March, when they should be playing Arsenal at home.
By our lucky chance, that weekend would have been our game in between the double header for the next round of the Europa League as well, so Arsenal will be free to concentrate on whoever we draw after disposing of Ostersund again this Thursday. Wenger will then be free to pick his strongest team available for the first leg without worrying about fatigue affecting the intervening League match. After the second leg the League closes down while we have yet another meaningless international fixture or two, so that won’t interfere with us either.
If we do progress to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after that then it may become a bit more of a problem, as they are set to be played on the 5th and 12th of April, and we will then be back to playing every three or four days again, with our fixtures as follows….
Sun 01/04/18 Arsenal v Stoke City
Thurs 05/04/18 EUROPA LEAGUE Q-F
Sat 07/04/18 Arsenal v Southampton
Thurs 12/04/18 EUROPA LEAGUE Q-F
Sat 14/04/18 Newcastle v Arsenal
Two easy-ish home games and an away match at Newcastle doesn’t seem too bad, but to be honest we should know by then whether we still have any chance at all of making it into the Top Four, and we can then decide what we should be really prioritising in the final stages of our season….
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We can be happy about that ,but our from 3 really need to pick, they have to be leathel like Liverpool from 3, then only our defence will come under less pressure. Arsenal can not get clean sheet , so we have to out score opposition.
Ayubameyang need to settle quickly .
Ramsey will be a miss
Wonder why Mourinho done so much complaining last season about the fixtures. It doesn’t seem all too different from CL only a day later but you play a league match day later too. Unless Mourinho loves playing before other teams but didn’t want to say that. He must like having pressure put onto the other team by winning first, he might not like the feeling of just keeping with a team win for win.
Pundits, that’s what I’d liken AFTV to. Pundits have to be a bit outrageous now and then. Same with rumours in papers. If you’re selling something then everyone knows the number one rule, you cannot take a seller at his word. That is the number one rule for any buyer. Until AFTV adopt an Arsenal fans only policy. Along with free tickets to the newbie with the top views each week. Drop Mr Merchandise and his opposite Mr DT, or at the least a drop in face time. Gift a percentage of proceedings each week to the Hearts Foundation or another just cause. Begin a plan of action, how to raise AFC’s atmosphere, they need to stop the damage that’s done and have lofty goals because I see them best positioned to turn our atmosphere around if they were so inclined. Be thankful of everything Arsenal has done for them, the family, the memories, the way of life or the break from it, the travels among friends ..And an income to boot.
We have about 5 away games at the moment, with our away record standing at 3 wins and 4 draws out of 14 games. That’s a win rate of about 21%. Draw 28%.That means we will probably only win 1 out of our 5 away games remaining and draw another 1. Assuming we win all home games bar city that will be 15 points(home) and 4 points (away). But Huddersfield and Brighton away seem easy games we might win so 6 more points away. Total point, 45 + 25 = 70 points. Liverpool only need 5 more wins to make it to 70 points. Chelsea 5 wins and a draw. We need 7 wins and 4 draws. We clearly are doomed to fail.
We are not making top four. Sorry.
qualify or not
whats done is done…nothing will change
lets take it one game at a time
support the club till the end
We have to win every game the manager stated.
Trouble is we will not.
We probably won’t win half of them.
Its the same story every season under him.
Nothing changes.
Which is why he has to go.
Europa League is our only chance.
Napoli are all but OUT after they got beat at home by Leipzig 1-3.
BVB are in serious danger getting eliminated as well if Atalanta wins at home on Thursday.
Nice might be out as well. Lazio and Zenit also lost their away matches without scoring, but they might do the job at home.
Then there are clubs like Athletico, Lyon left in the competition whom I rather not face.
the Leicester game was not, as you suggest, between the last 16 Europa League double header, it is the weekend after the second leg of the Europa Cup round! Come on get your facts right.