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Man Utd clash will be crucial as Arsenal look to close the gap during favourable run of fixtures

By mac14 on November 22, 2024

After an excellent start to the 2024/25 season, Arsenal’s title charge is in danger of collapsing before it really began following a disastrous run of form. As we gear-up for Premier League football to return following yet another international break, let’s take a look at where things stand and why Mikel Arteta’s men are going to have to go on a near-perfect run over the coming weeks to keep the title dream alive.

Having finished second behind Manchester City in the last two seasons, we came into this campaign full of confidence that we could finally beat the Citizens to the title. The fixture computer handed us a frightening schedule that included away games to three of our nearest rivals in the opening few weeks. However, Arsenal were up to the task and began the season in excellent fashion.

A routine 2-0 win over Wolves on the opening weekend was followed-up by an impressive 2-0 away win against Aston Villa. A controversial red card for Declan Rice robbed us of two points at home to Brighton but Arsenal recovered to beat arch rivals Tottenham 1-0 at the New White Hart Lane in mid-September. We were then seconds away from beating Manchester City with 10-men away from home, as John Stones score a barely-deserved equaliser in the 98th minute to rescue a 2-2 draw for the hosts after Leandro Trossard had been sent off on the stroke of half-time.

Despite the frustration of conceding so late on against City, seven points from away games against Villa, Spurs and City was a huge success and strengthened Arsenal’s belief that this could finally be our year. A 4-2 win over Leicester City at home was followed by a 3-1 win over Southampton and we were fast becoming many people’s favourites for the title.

Derailed

However, a shock 2-0 defeat away to Bournemouth after the October international break derailed our season. Another controversial sending off – this time for William Saliba mid-way through the first half – did the damage and Arsenal slumped to a hugely disappointing defeat thanks to two second half goals. Arsenal then had the opportunity to put things right when Liverpool came to North London and things were going to plan as we deservedly led 2-1 at half-time. We were playing well and felt in control of the game. However, Gabriel Magalhaes was forced off minutes into the second half and Jurrien Timber soon followed him. With Saliba suspended, Arsenal’s patched-up defence couldn’t hold out and Liverpool snatched a 2-2 draw in the 80th minute.

It was a huge blow and you feel the frustration of the draw with Liverpool carried over in to the Newcastle United game the following week as Arsenal produced one of their worst performances of the season at St James’ Park, losing 1-0 without ever really creating a decent chance. A tough run culminated in a trip to Stamford Bridge before the recent break. Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock in a cagey game, but Pedro Neto equalised for Chelsea and the spoils were shared.

The poor run of results means Arsenal picked up just 2 points from a possible 12, and now sit fourth in the table – nine points off leaders Liverpool. No side has every overcome such a gap at this stage of the season to win the title, so Arsenal are going to have to make history if we’re to end our 22-year wait for the Premier League trophy.

Favourable run

The good news is that few clubs have endured as tough a start as Arsenal. We’ve already played Man City, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Chelsea away from home, while we’ve also played 7 out of the other 9 teams currently occupying the top 10. Thankfully, things look a little easier over the coming weeks – on paper at least. Arsenal have the opportunity to put some points on the board and hopefully close the gap on Liverpool.

Next up is a home game against high-flying Nottingham Forest. They’ve enjoyed a stunning start to the season and showed they are a dangerous side after beating Liverpool at Anfield earlier in the season. However, Arsenal should still be confident of picking up all three points this weekend. We then take on West Ham at the London Stadium later this month and this is another good chance to put three more points on the table. We thrashed them in this fixture last season and West Ham are struggling this campaign so Arteta will want six points from our next two league games.

Perhaps the biggest game left in 2024 for Arsenal is the clash with Manchester United on December 4th. United might not be the powerhouse they once were but this is still a massive game and we still have a fierce rivalry from the Wenger vs Fergie years. This is one of the big fixtures fans look out for and Arsenal vs Manchester United tickets will be in huge demand for this game.

The stakes have gotten even higher after Ruben Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese coach is about to begin his tenure ship at Old Trafford and they are expected to be a much-improved side under the highly rated former Sporting Lisbon boss. Arsenal will be expecting a much tougher game than it looked a few weeks ago while ten Hag was still in charge at Man Utd. If Amorim enjoys a good start, he’ll be eyeing the trip to the Emirates as an opportunity to secure a statement win early on in his career at Old Trafford. For Arsenal, this will probably be our toughest test for the coming weeks so it would be a confidence-booster if we can pick up a win, and it would give us a real boost in the title race.

After the Man Utd game, we travel to Fulham before hosting Everton at the Emirates so Arteta will be targeting another six points there. We then take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park shortly before Christmas before finishing 2024 with a home tie against Ipswich Town. So we have seven league games left before the New Year and the club should be targeting maximum points. Even if we are held to a draw in one of those matches, taking 19 points from a possible 21 should have us back in the title mix as Liverpool surely have to start dropping points soon.

Arne Slot’s side have had a relatively easy opening fixture list but they face Man City soon before tough away trips to Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham before the end of the year so I’m expecting them to slip up. This should open the door for Arsenal to close the gap and we have a terrific opportunity to do just that over the next 5-6 weeks.