Arsenal continue to grow, but there is a long way to go

Aston Villa Pose a Big Threat – But so Does April

Into March and this Arsenal team is trending in the right direction, and will be more threatening in those coming years than in this particular match. Arsenal know how well they played against the Reds last time out and will be desperate to rid their mouths of the bitter taste of defeat as quickly as possible.

It is now arranged that after that match – win, lose or draw – Arsenal will not have another Premier League match until the start of April, and in that contest, Patrick Vieira will once again stand with Crystal Palace and between the Gunners and three more points. His side were tough on the Gunners last time out, procuring a draw on that day, and the task will be no easier in April either.

Crystal Palace’s performance against Manchester City just the other week was really impressive, especially when one considers that they already beat that club once this year, and the Gunners have yet to even score a goal against either of the top two clubs in English football this season. Going to Palace for a London Derby will be big, despite that Palace sit currently in 11th position on the league table.

From there, four matches will make up the rest of April, with matches having been adjusted already to account for the Chelsea match that was postponed earlier this year; Tottenham will likely find itself playing Arsenal in early May in what will be a very consequential match all of the sudden. But in April it will be: Palace, Brighton, Southampton, Chelsea and Manchester United. That will be no simple task.

While three more points in March would be a real positive innovation, April must have at least ten points from it, and 12 to 15 would be, of course, even better. These are tough fixtures however, and none will be easy, less most of all the final two. May too will be unkind likely, and will feature games against West Ham, Tottenham, Leeds United, Newcastle United and an Everton team that will be desperate for points at that point in the year.

Arsenal are sitting positively still in the Premier League hunt for a top four finish on the table, but they have work to do still. They must take care of Villa this weekend, and then prepare for a massive and hectic final two months of the season. Hunkering down will be essential, but with that said, this team must continue to play fearlessly and with imagination and ambition, as the team has been for great stretches of this whole season.