Arsenal: Is the fixture list actually a good thing?

Much has been made of Arsenal’s ‘easy’ run-in and what it means for their top-four chances. But is the remaining fixture list actually a good thing for the Gunners?

Sunday’s win really was huge. Not only did it move Arsenal into the top four, end Manchester United’s unbeaten run under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, and make a statement of the progress Unai Emery is making with this team, but it thrust the Gunners into the lead regarding the top-four race.

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With Spurs losing to Southampton on Saturday and Chelsea only rescuing a draw against Wolves earlier on Sunday, Arsenal leapt ahead of United, distanced themselves by three points to Chelsea, and clawed to within one point of their north London rivals. Quite the weekend.

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Their recent jump into the forefront of the race for Champions League qualification has led the discussion to what is to come between now and the end of the season, a forage through the fixture list and a forecast of what the final table may look like. And what has been duly noted about Emery’s side’s run-in is that they no longer play a top-six opposition. The win over Manchester United, followed by the North London Derby draw a week prior, was their last of the year.

Instead, these are the upcoming opponents between now and the end of the year:

• Newcastle
• Everton
• Watford
• Crystal Palace
• Leicester City
• Wolves (Date not confirmed)
• Brighton and Hove Albion
• Burnley

That may not seem like the most daunting line-up. Of those eight teams, only three are in the top half. This is the kind of run-in that any team would dream for, right? It is certainly the type of run of fixtures that has motivated many to argue that Arsenal are now the favourites to finish in the top four, even ahead of Spurs?

[As an aside, Spurs still have to play both Liverpool and Manchester City. Chelsea must play Liverpool. Man. Utd must play City. And Chelsea and United will also face one another, guaranteeing that at least one of them will drop points that week. The three rivals for the top-four positions have some difficult matches still to come.]

But of these eight matches, five of them are away from home: Everton, Watford, Leicester City, Wolves and Burnley. None of those matches are walkovers, not by any stretch of the imagination. If Emery’s team win four of them they will have done very well indeed. Not only are these difficult trips to make, but the Gunners have been exceptionally poor away from home this year. In fact, you could make an argument that playing Man. Utd at home is better than travelling to Wolves.

So yes, Arsenal’s win over Manchester United was huge. And yes, it does put them in an excellent position for a top-four finish. And yes, the fixture list may seem kind. But there is still a whole lot of work to do, and to accomplish it, they must face their weakness: win on the road. Let’s hope they have the cojones to complete the job.