Arsenal targets haven’t changed ahead of Southampton

Arsenal looked like the better side at points when they faced Everton last Monday night, and yet by the end of the match, the score was 2-1 with the home side coming out victorious in a match that they desperately needed. It means the Gunners have now lost three of four matches, and while some of these losses come against better squads, that is of no solace for any of us.

Arsenal are still on the come up, as I said just after the loss to Manchester United, and I very much still believe that even after the loss to the Toffees. The problem is right now that a young side moving in the right direction will still fall victim to the bumps in the road that young sides are less wired to cope with than their experienced counterparts.

Players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Thomas Partey and the newly fit Granit Xhaka must help to balance the youthful exuberance that at times shines through. Yet, while the latter has only recently regained his fitness, the other three have simply played well below par this season.

There is still time for all of this to change, and change it will have to when the Gunners face Southampton on Saturday. The Saints haven’t had a great season at all and currently hover in 16th place with 16 points from 15 matches. Their boss, Ralph Hasenhuttl, is a quality coach who has just struggled to get the most out of this side all season.

Arsenal are one win from being back on track for their European targets ahead of Southampton in the Premier Lague

Yet they are not to be taken lightly, or trifled with; Southampton could down Arsenal, and in doing so they could bring a bit of fear back into the hearts of supporters across the world.

Arsenal sits in a good spot on the table, even with their recent missteps against both Merseyside outfits and the Red Devils. They are in seventh place with 23 points from their opening 15 matches and should results fall properly in the upcoming matches across the division they might even find themselves in fifth place by weekend’s end. Despite the despair, they are still on track for their targets this season.

Recent results could’ve been better, sure, but they were not, and so that is all there is to that. Moving forward, Arsenal will have to take the points they can get when available and keep the momentum growing. Should they find three points against the Saints, they will have further opportunities to stack points before the New Year greets them with another match against Manchester City.

But between the Southampton match and facing Manchester City at the Emirates, lies a London Derby with West Ham and a visit to Leeds before the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Sunderland right before Christmas. That will be followed by the Boxing Day affair at Norwich against the Canaries, before 2021 is put to rest against Wolverhampton in the Premier League.

Arsenal should be in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup – I don’t think I have to say much more regarding that – as it would devastating to fall out of that competition against the outfit far below them in the football pyramid. While West Ham is a quality opponent, they are beatable. Their recent European performances indicate that, and the Gunners shouldn’t fear them or David Moyes as they may fear some other sides across the division.

The Gunners should be finishing December off strong after two defeats opened it up, and 10 to perhaps even 15 points is not unreasonable to expect from this squad in the remaining weeks. Should they accomplish this they will then be in good spirits come the New Year, even as Pep and his Citizens loom as dastardly as ever; they will not be able to maintain this dominance forever, right?

All joking aside, Arsenal are in a better spot than recent emotions might infer, and simply need to capitalize on the schedule ahead to regain the spirit that might have died down a bit with some humbling losses. Arteta knows what this team must do, and his players know what he needs from them, and so it will be up to them to put this together in these moments coming up.