Arsenal face hectic Christmas period (Part I)
After the disappointment of having the game against Stoke City cancelled on Saturday, it meant that there was a nine day break before Arsenal's next game. It means
that the players will have had two weeks to rest and regain some strength and fitness between their games against Manchester United and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786.
It also means that Arsenal will have played their two biggest rivals back to back, and the outcome of both of those games will give us an idea of exactly where they
stand. The game away to Manchester United was a pretty poor affair as it ended in defeat, however, a victory over Chelsea would go a long way towards healing the hurt that it caused. Chelsea have beaten Arsenal time and again over the last few seasons, and
it certainly won't be easy for Arsenal to get a result. However, they are certainly capable of doing just that, and the only thing standing in their way is a lack of belief in these big games.
Arsene Wenger tried to keep the game against United as tight as possible, and hoped to nick a draw or even a win. Either result would have kept Arsenal on top of the
table, and it might have given the players the confidence boost that they needed. The chance to get the season back on track against Stoke City was lost last Saturday when the game was cancelled, and it's hard to conclude if that was a good or a bad thing.
Stoke would have come to the Emirates and tried to rough up Arsenal with their long ball and physical approach, but a victory over them would have at least put paid
to the sequence of losing games in braces that Arsenal have developed. Now, that sequence has to be broken against a team that Arsenal have seemed unable to beat over the last few seasons. The last victory of Arsenal against Chelsea was a couple of seasons
ago when a http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Robin-van-Persie-c31380 brace turned around a 1-0 deficit to record a 2-1 victory for Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The weather in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749 meant that all but three of the Premier League games were cancelled last weekend, however, the most disappointed team were Man City as they lost
2-1 at home to Everton to miss out on a chance to move to the top of the table. It means that any one of the four teams can go to the top of the table in the games directly after Christmas, and the most likely scenario is that Manchester United will beat Sunderland
on Sunday to increase their lead over Arsenal to five points.
It makes the Chelsea game very important for Arsenal, as a defeat would leave them five points off the top having played a game more in that scenario. However, Sunderland
have been impressive so far this season, and they are sixth in the table. They won 3-1 away to Chelsea last month, and they have performed very well against the top teams in the league. The only problem with placing any hopes in the hands of Sunderland is
that they are managed by ex Manchester United player Steve Bruce, and he has been very generous in dishing out points to his previous employers when they have met previously.
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