Arsenal’s run-in to potential glory this season has just been made more difficult, as they face a difficult period of fixtures towards the end of the campaign.
Mikel Arteta’s side will head into their next game against Manchester City having not played for nearly three weeks, but this is the last time they will be afforded the luxury of a break.
The month of April will be make or break for Arsenal as they aim to compete in the Premier League and Champions League, but it will also be a month where Arteta has to get his rotation spot on.
Three games now have new fixture dates, and depending on Arsenal’s progress in the Champions League, there could be even more of a headache for Arteta.
Arsenal games rearranged ahead of Premier League run-in
Arsenal have now confirmed that matches against Wolves, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been rearranged, and the North London Derby could be moved again if the Gunners progress past Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Arsenal’s match away at Wolves will now be played on Saturday 20th April, with a 7.30 kick-off time, and there will be little time to recover ahead of the Chelsea game.
The Chelsea match, which was originally arranged to be played just before the International break, will now come just three days later, on Tuesday 23rd April, with kick-off at the Emirates at 8pm.
Arsenal will then have just five days to prepare for a potentially monumental North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur, which will be played on Sunday 28th April at 2pm. However, if Arsenal progress beyond Bayern, this will likely be moved to Saturday 27th April, with a 12.30 kick-off time, ahead of a semi-final on Tuesday 30th April.
Mikel Arteta needs to rotate Arsenal squad in run-in
The final weeks of April could potentially see Arsenal play four vital, and difficult, matches in the space of 11 days.
None of these games will be easy, and the extra pressure of derby rivalry against Chelsea and Spurs will add even more nerves to the matches.
Even if Arsenal’s first XI stay healthy, this will be a key time for the reserve players to step up and deliver to maintain peak fitness conditions. Players such as Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe could play massive parts to help keep the starting players fresh, whilst also maintaining results and high performance levels.
If Arteta does not shuffle his pack enough over this period of fixtures, he runs the risk of causing burnout or injuries heading into May, as well as a potential dip in performance caused by fatigue, and he now needs to trust his squad players to deliver.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
