OK, so the fixture list has been released for next season and at first glance the word I would use is tricky, it could have been a better start for us but could have been worse as well, however, I have to admit the run in does look a bit daunting.
Let’s take the first six games of the season
Newcastle Away
Burnley Home
Liverpool Away
Tottenham Home
Watford Away
Aston Villa Home
A lot will depend on how we perform away, if it is the same level of performance as the last two seasons then it really does not matter who we are playing on the road.
Tottenham are beatable at the Emirates we know that and Burnley and Villa will also struggle to get anything from a visit to us, so in theory that is a very possible nine points.
Liverpool away is daunting for sure but you have to think that if we get it right away that we can pick up six points at Watford and Newcastle.
If we get through these six games with between 12 and 15 points I will be very satisfied.
However, anything less than nine and we could be in for a very hard slog.
Now the run in, our last six games will be
Wolves Away
Leicester City Home
Tottenham Away
Liverpool Home
Aston Villa Away
Watford Home
Well, a home game in the final fixture is positive but playing two top-six teams in the run-in is not ideal and we know that Wolves and Leicester will not be easy at all.
Put it this way, compare that run in to what we had last season and you will soon realise that is one hell of a difficult run in.
Finally, the Christmas, New year period, from the 21st December until 1st January we have four games and they are
Everton Away
Bournemouth Away
Chelsea Home
Man Utd home
That looks a tough festive period of games and I had a quick look at Spurs games in that period and they have Chelsea at home, Brighton at home, Norwich away and Southampton away, significantly easier in my opinion.
So there you have it, a tricky start to the season, a difficult festive period and a daunting run in.
Any of those three periods can define our season one way or another, hopefully, it will be positive.
6th Place finish.
Why being pessimistic before the transfer window is closed
I’m sure we would see a major overhaul before the first EPL game comes
Mmm coz wile have been here before…
How ‘sure’ are you exactly?
6th place if we badly underestimate Wolves , Leicester, Everton and Watford
The first five games are essential to set the mood of the players. The fixtures do not look good, but I think Arsenal can scare their opponents if they sign new wingers
I hope the new winger is not a wingback like Carrasco, unless if Emery plans to replace Kolasinac with him
Hudson-Odoi is available for a bargain price since his contract will expire next year and he is perfect to push Iwobi on the right side
Carrasco is a winger played as a wingback for Belgium and often in second halves of matches coz of his overall contribution in today’s market he is a good deal for his experience of winning things with atledi and Belgium..
Carrasco is not a wing back and Hudson-Odoi is not available.
Do you seriously think Chelsea will sell anymore of their players without being able to buy anyone due to being banned for two transfer windows? By the way, if things don’t go well for us I think Emery could be gone by Christmas.
Declan-I believe Emery is on borrowed time if he doesn’t get the results in the first six games.The Club will DEMAND fourth place as an absolute minimum this season and that is the right line to take.Its about time Managers at this Club were held accountable for their own performance and after the total capitulation we suffered at the end of the season the jury is most definitely out on Emery.
Phil-I totally agree with you.
Lol…which club will demand 4th place ????…those clowns on board?
You surely are not trying to say Hudson- Odoi is close in standard to Iwobi! He , Odoi, is totally different class to the hapless iwobi. WeRE iwobi English, and he could have chosen to be available for England too, he would clearly not be in with even a ghost of a chance of selection. PROBABLY WHY HE OPTED FOR NIGERIAN, i order to have a chnce of playing International football. It was never going to be with England and Hudson 0odoi will be a certain starter really soon now for England. I have no love for Chelsea either as a life long Gooner BUT I do like the whole truth!
Point of correction Jon, Iwobi opted for Nigeria because he’s fvcking NIGERIAN! His name is Alex Iwobi with a Nigerian last name and not Alex Pickford or some other English name.
Secondly, He, Odoi, is nowhere near the caliber and class of Iwobi. For starters I’d love to see how he performs when he’s not playing in his natural position. Unlike Iwobi who can adapt to multiple positions, he’ll be useless when not played out wide.
Lastly, if Iwobi had chosen England, he’ll be a sure starter in the team. There’s no CAM in the whole England team better than Iwobi.
But he could have opted for England through his residential qualification. This happens throughout football regularly in many countries. I am not against Nigeria but keen to seek the actual truth. THAT is WHY I wrote it! Your foolish opinion of IWOBIS “ability”, which only YOU perceive, marks you out a a complete nationalist with a degree of paranoia against anyone who dares criticise your hero. To seriously think he is a better player than the fast improving and chosen for England Hudson-Odoi- which Iwobi could never be, were he English, is too laughable for words.
That’s all about English players #AlwaysOverRated.. Where does it leave England? Guy! Get sense…
Any fixture with our current team is daunting to be honest..
I don’t have a problem with the fixtures but the managersame mentality has to change this season especially in away games and Arsenal as back in the years shouldn’t be chopping and changing players after every game players need momentum they need to stuck in for each other I believe in making subs but when a player come in a match and does well doesn’t mean he has to start the next match players like Iwobi and Micki are other starters but good impact players and they should remain as such and if Emery gives the Xhaka and Torerra partnership some time to gel and always have Guedouzi ready to bring his energy and dynamism than we will have a not strong but stable midfield..
The problem is not those fixtures it’s the players who we will be rellying on to make when the season starts that what will make the difference
The order of fixtures doesn’t matter as you’ve got to play everyone twice. I would prefer to play the top teams first so we get an easy run in at the end of the season like we had last season…LOL
Well that final 5 match run was supposed to be “manageable” but turned out a disaster. At one point we were 3Rd place. Top 4 would have been ours if it were manageable.
Seriously every team has the ability to beat us, even last place
I can’t possibly make any guess until I see who comes in and who goes out. And even then it’s in the air.
At the moment 6th place is very much a possibility. I supported Emery all season, but now the honeymoon is over. What happens this summer will be his biggest test
Lets not blame Emery, that budget is too small, can’t buy world class players. By end season Arsenal will a midtable team.
You can go on about this and that fixure all you like, but as along as we have the same old dead players that have embarrassed us for the last 3 years then I don’t see any positives. May be the new players will give us a different feel and outlook but as long as we still have our same old wimpy excuse filled players then expect them same old nonsense from this group.
And Emery has to fix up himself and stop being a very paranoid pragmatic mechanical bore. The football has got to improve or he will not last.
Our defence hasn’t been sorted for years. Probably since the Invincibles
For over a decade La Prefessor didn’t attempt to get a Quality Defensive midfielder. We could have beaten Leicester to the Title if he had just got a a DM and a striker. Just 2 signings
Now that we have an acceptable DM we are weaker in CB positions. A reason why we shouldn’t play 3 at the back
Actually to be honest, I’m not keen on Bellerin as a Defender. Ideally we should get a RB who is better at defending but that is NOT a priority. Bellerin should be out until November (I think), so we need a backup
I’m fine with LB
I think we should get two quality, reliable CBs if we have the money.
Start by selling Mustafi and Jenkinson. Also Chambers if we can get at least £16 million. I rate Holding higher than Chambers anyway
Just my humble opinion
OH FFS. I’m sorry
I clicked the wrong link.
This was supposed to go in the defensive frailties article
I wish we had a “edit” or “delete post” option for dumbasses like me who make mistakes lol
The start and the finish are a very similar run of games. I would’ve liked a handier start than that after the nightmare they gave us last season. Liv and Tott sandwiched in between some tough away games, it’s not ideal. Watford away will be a test to see if any improvement on last season. I thought we were away to Palace in first game, did that not get leaked yesterday. Would’ve liked the Tott game before the Liv one, but at least that happens on the run in, only problem is Tott will be away so it doesn’t work.
And lost 4 ????
What’s really interesting is …what if we don’t sign anybody and rely on the younger players?
The only difference would be Aaron Ramsey ( a very big difference I agree) and AMN deserves a chance in his favoured position.
Sooo, there we are, with seven games to play, sitting third and with the easiest run in of the other clubs vying for top four finishes.
There is no reason to think this might not happen and then, with the same group of players and manager, we actually qualify.
That is what should have happened this season just gone and yet some fans are seeing the demise of our great club because it didn’t go to plan.
Get a grip lads and watch UE and his players learn from their mistakes…this “wonderful spuds team beat us by just one point and chelsea by two and if UE gets his act together tactically and defence wise, the doom and gloom merchants will have to go back to attacking AW and the lost years!?!?!?
So glad to see you back on here Ken with things obviously now sorted. Like all Gooners I live in MUCH hope but have serious reservations about the short term ,UNTIL Emery has all his own targets installed, which cannot possible all happen this summer. I do retain complete faith in him, though I also agree he made a number of key mistakes last year, in selection,in tactics and over tinkering in general. But he was also pro active, even though at times too much so, and I do get irritated – though I should not of course – by some of the “we should sack him” posts, almost all I notice which are from young fans. There are a combination of things not right at Arsenal, mostly not under Emerys direct control and which are not strictly team matters either. But there are also many team matters which he will increasingly control, I believe, once he gets all his own men in. Do please keep in personal touch and I wish you every good wish.
Of the top six teams in last years Premier league we have the hardest start. United and City face one side of the top six in their opening six games, however, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham all face two plus Arsenal face United in the seventh game. With United and Liverpool away and Tottenham at home in the first seven games it’s Arsenal without doubt who have the toughest beginning but then again it’s never ever different, been the same for the last ten years. Last year it was Chelsea and Man City away in the first three games so we’ll just have to get on with it. I know the Premier League always give United the easiest of starts (get their beloved off to a decent start) but I’m surprised Liverpool (their second belved) have been given two of the top six, must of made a mistake, however it gets easy for them after that.