After a disappointing defeat to Manchester United, Arsenal are still two points clear at the top of the table. November has been traditionally a poor month for the Gunners as it’s the month where they have dropped the most points. However, three games into the month, Arsenal have collected six points from a maximum of nine. Adding to the positivity is that the three games mentioned were against Liverpool, Dortmund and Manchester United (two of them away from home). So it’s not really a bad month for Arsenal in 2013.
There are still three games to be played though, but the good news is that they are not really as hard as the earlier three.
Here are the fixtures for Arsenal until the New Year:
NOVEMBER: Southampton (H), Marseille (H), Cardiff (A)
DECEMBER: Hull (H), Everton (H), Napoli (A), Man City (A), Chelsea (H), West Ham (A), Newcastle (A).
As you can see, December looks to be a difficult month because Arsenal face Napoli, Man City and Chelsea back-to-back. So what should Arsenal aim for? I think Arsenal should aim for maximum points for the rest of the games in November. Even though Southampton visit the Emirates, I believe that Walcott coming back should be a boost and could fire Arsenal to three points. The same case goes with Marseille because a lot is at stake in that game; a draw for Arsenal should be enough to see progress to the round of 32.
For December, I’d like to see Arsenal take 12 points from a maximum of 21. It looks like a bad target, but bearing in mind that a draw against both Man City and Chelsea is not too bad. Arsenal can only afford one defeat throughout December.
Here is a fact: The team who tops the Premier League table during Christmas traditionally goes on to win it. Therefore, Arsenal should be careful and maintain their focus, because a sudden lapse in concentration may cause Arsenal to end the season empty handed yet again.