At the minute all the focus from Arsenal fans and players will be on the FA cup, as we prepare to face Manchester United at Old Trafford for the chance to get one step closer to defending the famous old trophy. Win lose or draw though, and the focus will swing straight back onto the fight for the top four places in the Premier League.
And what a fight that is turning out to be! There were articles in the media last week discussing who might claim the last two Champions League spots, with Chelsea and Man City assumed to be safe. All of the articles seemed to think it was a straight race between the Gunners, Man United and in form Liverpool, but as we have seen all season, things can change very quickly in this division.
There is still the matter of Southampton, who ended a poor run of results with a win in midweek. With the best defence in the league, the Saints could definitely still have a say. As could the spuds, unfortunately. Their win away at QPR yesterday may have been a touch lucky, with the Rangers boss unhappy that his side did not get at least one penalty, but it meant three points for our local rivals and kept them in the hunt.
They are now in sixth place and just four points behind Arsenal in third, so it is incredibly tight up there and just one or two bad games could see us dragged into trouble. We get the chance to increase our lead next weekend however, as West Ham come to the Emirates on Saturday. Another bonus is that Tottenham play Man United next Sunday, with a draw being a great result for us.
If we don´t beat the Hammers though, we could find the spuds breathing right down our necks.