Three very crucial games that will make or break Arsenal’s season
For all of Arsenal’s gut-wrenching plodding this season, for all of the toxicity of Unai Emery’s tenure, the Xhaka saga, irregular refereeing decisions, the disgustingly slow and vapid football on display, for all of the defensive howlers, the midfield drift and stuttering attack, Arsenal are only a handful of regular wins from a Champions League spot.
Apart from the league leaders and Leceister City, the football elsewhere hasn’t been very good or consistent. It’s as though all the big clubs were playing a game of Top 4 is lava. Chelsea has been unconvincing. Manchester United are a laughing meme. Tottenham have been rotten. The opportunity to climb up the table is clear and straightforward.
Here are the fixtures for the next three matchdays
Matchday 25
Burnley vs Arsenal
Spurs vs City
United vs Wolves
Leicester vs Chelsea
Palace vs Sheffield
Southampton vs Liverpool
**Winter break**
Matchday 26:
Arsenal vs Newcastle
Wolves vs Leicester
Chelsea vs United
Villa vs Spurs
Matchday 27
Arsenal vs Everton
Leicester vs City
Chelsea vs Spurs
United vs Watford
Of course, we could very well drop points in some of these games. When you notice that we’ve only had two wins in the last 16 games and six wins overall for the season, it doesn’t inspire much confidence. But if anything, it looks like it is time for Arteta’s Arsenal to start having results that match with their performances and if that happens within the next three games, the club might catapult up the table.
We are currently four points off Spurs/United/Wolves and ten off Chelsea. Everyone above us is playing each other at least once over the next three games. We have three relatively winnable fixtures against teams below us (Burnley away is the most daunting). No one is in good form. three wins put us right in the mix for fourth.
No one is saying it is a sure thing. Everyone is in bad form and within the mess of that, there is an opportunity present to challenge for that crucial Champions League spot. We have seen more improbable things occur in football, this wouldn’t be the first. But then the opportunity has to be taken.
An article by Agboola Israel