Arsenal’s fixture list comes at all the wrong times

Playing once a week has been a drag for Arsenal supporters, those who’ve grown accustomed to midweek European action as well as some decent runs in the cup competitions have been left to feed off scraps.

On the other hand, it’s been most welcome. Mikel Arteta has had valuable time to work on various aspects of the team on the training ground, and the reduction in matches has allowed the club to shift players who had no long-term futures at the club sooner than anticipated.

There is no denying that it has helped the team’s form this season. There have been fewer injuries, freshness across the group has been maintained and consistency has been easier to come by.

Ahead of a grueling March fixture list, that is about to change.

Arsenal’s fixture list comes at all the wrong times with Leicester, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace finding form in the Premier League

Arsenal play three games in just six days, with the rest of the schedule for the season waiting for two huge matches away at Chelsea and Tottenham to have their dates rearranged.

However, it’s not just the volume of matches, it’s the opposition they’re coming up against, as well as the timing.

Starting with Leicester, despite the Foxes’ 12th place standing in the Premier League table they head to the Emirates with four straight wins in the bag. They’re finding form at a less than ideal moment.

Just three days later and it’s Liverpool to come. Unbeaten in the Premier League this calendar year, their only defeat of 2022 so far came in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie with Inter, where a 1-0 home loss still saw them progress through on aggregate.

They’re as exceptional as they’ve always been, winning handsomely in the league and claiming a Carabao Cup triumph just last month. You never want to play Liverpool, but especially not now.

As if the upcoming games weren’t hard enough, just 64 hours later Arsenal are in action away from home for an early kick-off against Aston Villa, another side who’ve conveniently found their stride in the Premier League.

Their best win under Steven Gerrard saw them brush high-flying Southampton aside 4-0 at home, which they followed up with a comfortable 3-0 victory away at Leeds. After suffering a dip in form earlier in the year, they’ve found their rhythm with Philippe Coutinho in particular looking a real threat.

After the international break is a trip to Crystal Palace, who also just so happen to be clicking under Patrick Vieira.

The caveat to all of this is, of course, that no team is in finer form than Arsenal. All the teams they are facing will be thinking likewise, and that’s exactly the position this club needs to be in. They want others to fear them.

So while there is no signal of negativity, there is also no denying that it’s far from the most welcome set of fixtures Arsenal could ask for. Especially given the minimal turnover time between these games.

It’s still all in Arsenal’s hands, but the task ahead is certainly a daunting one. Fortunately, Arsenal couldn’t be better positioned to deal with it.