Yep, I realise November isn’t over yet but December starts on Saturday and Europa League matchday 5 will take up the end of this week.
So, what’s in store for December – Nine flippin games is what. This is partly due to the ridiculous amount of international breaks, maybe. Injuries will abound and the clubs with the biggest squads will benefit.
These 9 games include 7 in the Prem, 1 Caribou Cup game and our remaining Europey fixture. With us still to win in Vorskla away this Thursday, hopefully Qarabag at home on the 13th December will finally be a chance to play some Academy players.
The League Cup game on Wednesday the 19th is, of course, against our loathsome neighbours from Middlesex. I’ve no real idea how we approach that tie, except to win by as many as is humanly possible.
Arsenal’s David Rocastle shows the League Cup trophy to the fans at Highbury. 11/04/1987
December kicks off, yep you’ve guessed it, against the spuds at THOF – next Sunday the 2nd, with an earlyish kick off of 2.05pm, presumably to minimise potential crowd disturbances. Three days later sees a midweek trip to Manchester – everyone gets a draw there. Can we grab a point or even go one better? These are two massive fixtures which could set the tone for the whole month.
Either side of that Qarabag fixture we take on Huddersfield at home and Southampton away. Huddersfield at home last season was a bit of a romp – hoping for more of the same this time around. St Mary’s was turning into a bit of bogey ground a couple of seasons ago; what with Szczesny smoking after almighty howlers and other such nonsense like Shane Long looking a half decent player but only ever in the one game he played against us each year. Recently, however, we’ve managed to win 2 and draw 1 of our last three down on the South coast. Definitely need to keep up that improvement.
The ground staff will have their work cut out to fumigate the Clock End lower Tier after the spud Caribou game in time for the visit of Burnley in the League 3 days later.
Our last two fixtures between Christmas and New Year involve away trips to Brighton and then to Liverpool. Both will be tricky in different ways.
All in all, a quite horrendously busy month with the only 5 day gap between matches fairly early on, after the Huddersfield game and before Qarabag. I suppose we’ll just have to take it one game at a time. 🙂
Twenty one League points up for grabs. Where we might finish in the table come the end of the season should become more obvious by the turn of the New Year.
chas
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Thank you Chas.
Love the Rocky pic. Have you noticed the state of the pitch, and in those days, the Highbury pitch was considered the best in the league!
It is a very tough month and the trip to Vorskla is a terrible way to start a significant week. Hopefully Emery will leave his most vital players in London and take the reserves. We will beat Qarabag at home and secure top place.
A December to look forward to with positively.
Thanks Chas, mouthwatering prospects starting with a Totteringham side certain they will come to the Emirates and turn us over. A hard won victory with a piece of Mesut magic is my prediction. Roll on Sunday.
Give the players coming back a run out and make Ukraine even more grumpy on Thursday with a win, making the Carrier Bag irrelevant.
Great work, thank you Chas.
If it were me, I’d make 9 changes for the game on Thursday … as Raddy says, we only need to beat them at home.
We have months like this every year .. often in December … the squad has more steel about it, and its a similar picture for the other top 6 sides, so I expect us to enter the new year still in touch with a top four place.
Arse vTotteringham could be a UK first for a football Stadium where stored “green” power is used from catering to floodlights.
Our Club has had shipping container sized batteries installed to store electricity from renewable sources.
Proud to be first…again.
Kos plays 45 mins for U23s and sees lots of the ball! Freddie played a three man defence.
Derby saw even more of the ball and won 5-0!
Thanks Chas
I just had a look at the under 23 game to see how Koscielny was getting on, not much to see from him but some of the tackles from some of the Arsenal players would make Fellaini’s recent monstrosity look reasonable. Two reds, down to nine……
There’s a fill in post for tomorrow, so you can all stop thinking about what you’re going to write. 🙂
Seems fair putting a spud in charge of an NLD.
Only Atkinson worse than Mike “fuckin useless” Dean!
Things looking dodgy in the Ukraine…….
https://www.arsenal.com/news/fc-vorskla-v-arsenal-relocated-kiev
Goal celebration – it’s all about me.
Managerial equivalent of Mike Dean’s reffing.
Chas 6.17
And now, on the pretence that she has a science degree, some are suggesting that Snatcher should be the next head on the £50 note, whatever that is!
If they thought the Country was divided over Brexit…..
I heard that the petition to have Harry Maguire riding on the back of an inflatable unicorn on the £50 had more signatures.
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