Arsenal endured a testing run of form throughout January, struggling through back-to-back goalless draws with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest before being stunned at home to Manchester United, losing by three goals to two. Since then, however, the Gunners have returned to winning ways and their stranglehold on a first Premier League title in 22 years has never been tighter.
First came January 31st’s difficult-looking trip to face Leeds United at Elland Road. The Yorkshire club has been imperious on home turf in recent weeks, unbeaten in five before the visit of Mikel Arteta’s men, a run which includes a victory over Chelsea and a draw with reigning champions Liverpool. Knowing that the pressure was on, Arsenal came out firing, and goals from Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyokeres, and Gabriel Jesus secured a resounding 4-0 win.
Next, it was back to the Emirates for a home clash with high-flying Sunderland. Such a clash would have been a game in which Arsenal would come unstuck in recent campaigns, but a Gyokeres brace sealed a 3-0 victory. The result extended the Gunners’ lead at the summit to seven points, and prompted online betting sites to once again slash odds on the North Londoners ending their 22-year wait for the title. The latest Bovada soccer odds now make Arteta’s men a mightily short 2/13 frontrunner to get over the line, well clear of 5/1 second-favourites Manchester City.
But as any Arsenal fan will tell you, they have been here before. In each of the last three seasons, the club has finished as runners-up in the title race, surrendering leads at the summit in the first two of those three seasons. So, what potential banana skins must Arsenal avoid between now and any potential coronation? Let’s take a look.
Arsenal will close out February with a run of three straight away games, their only such run of the season. The latter of those three games is a big one, the North London Derby against rivals Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Thomas Frank’s men have underwhelmed so far this season, and they currently sit in 15th in the table, just six points off the relegation zone. To make matters worse, they are without a league win since the turn of the year, a run of seven straight games without a win.
Their recent 2-0 reverse away at Manchester United has seen the critics gather in number, all of whom are beginning to clamour for manager Frank’s head. But as we know, form tends to go out of the window on Derby Day. Still, Arsenal have won in each of their last three trips across North London, and extending that streak to four would represent a huge moment on the march towards the title. But the tests don’t stop there.
One week on from that trip to Tottenham, Arsenal will face off against another set of London rivals, this time welcoming Chelsea to the Emirates for a crunch clash. Arteta’s men have just beaten the Blues home and away in the League Cup, securing their spot in the final in the process. If they can do the same the next time Liam Rosenior’s side visits, the title will be within their grasp.
After navigating those two London Derbies, Arsenal have a straight path through till April. They will head to Brighton to begin March, then back-to-back home games against Bournemouth and Everton, contests which should yield victories, even despite Champions League commitments. Then, however, comes the Gunners’ biggest game of the season: Manchester City away.
Arteta will lead his side north against second-placed Manchester City on April 18th, knowing that victory will all but seal the title. But the Spanish manager also knows that trips to the Etihad can make or break a season. In that vaunted 2022/23 season, Arsenal crumbled under the pressure, losing 4-1 as the Blues powered their way to a third straight title. A similar result would ramp up the pressure throughout the Gunners’ remaining five games of the season.
Should Arsenal suffer a defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side, then the clash against Newcastle United a week later will have immense stakes. The Gunners will be on home turf for the visit of the Magpies, and while the Toon Army has struggled on the road this season, they know what it takes to secure a win at the Emirates.
In last season’s League Cup semifinals, Eddie Howe’s men left North London with a deserved 2-0 victory after goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon. They would then go on to beat Liverpool in the final and secure their first major trophy in 70 years. For Arsenal, the task would be defeating Newcastle and claiming three massive points in their bid to end a whopping title drought of their own.
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