Will fatigue play a part in Arsenal clashes with Stoke and Everton?

Arsenal are going great guns at the minute, still unbeaten in the Premier League since the first game of the season and with just the EFL cup loss to Southampton to add to that early defeat by Liverpool. The Gunners are up to second in the league table as well and after Arsene Wenger played a very strong side in the Champions League away to Basel he was richly rewarded with a first European group win in years.

However, we really need to keep the recent run going and his decision to field the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil in Switzerland on Wednesday will be questioned if Arsenal struggle with their energy levels this weekend. The legs of the Gunners are likely to be testes over the next few days as well.

First up we have an in form and confident Stoke City coming to the Emirates and while Arsenal will have had just two days to recover from the Basel game, the Potters have had no such issues as they are not in Europe and were knocked out of the EFL cup in September.

The Potters might have a poor record against us at home but they will be up for it and Mark Hughes will not stand for anything less than full effort. Assuming we get through this match with another win, Arsenal then have another EPL match on Tuesday against Everton, another team with nothing but the league matches to cope with since September.

So while we are all delighted about topping our UCL group, could Wenger’s team selection mean that fatigue will play a part in the next two games?

Bob.

Tags Basel Wenger

4 Comments

  1. Fatigue is always a concern, but that is why we should exploit our strength in depth. If Wenger gets this tactical battle on the team selection issue right, it should minimise the disadvantage of playing extra games.

    I feel fatigue will play a bigger part in the game against Stoke than the game against Everton. Fortunately, we are at home for the game against Stoke, where we should also have the boost of the fans as the ‘twelfth man’ and the confidence of being on a winning run. I imagine that Wenger will likely use some players that were not exerted in the midweek victory against Basel.

    I see Everton being at a slight disadvantage in the following midweek game (despite them playing at home). Where as our players should be used to the cycle of the weekend followed by the midweek game, it might come as a shock to the system for Everton, particularly in the dying quarter of the game.

  2. Come on guns!
    I believe we could put this through @ the Emirate. We need this win to keep the momentum going. I have this feeling Chelshit will drop points this weekend. So let’s keep up with them.

    Also, the room is dry most times. Where are the guns?
    Wish the lads the very best this weekend enjoying their beautiful game. Hope to see Perez handed a role this weekend.

    1. They’re only human. If they are tired…they are tired. Money has nothing to do with fatigue. Having a professional attitude, on the other hand, is what is to be expected from elite players. Therefore, one would expect that they would manage their lives in a way that they would not burn the candle at both ends.

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