In the summer there are only two real things for any Arsenal supporter to looking forward to. The first is the comings and goings of transfers and almost equally as important is the release of the annual fixture list. Today one of those was completed as the 2013/2014 fixture list was released by the Premier League.
There will already be plenty of arm chair prognosticators talking about and trying to project who Arsenal should beat and what the list holds for them in their quest for silverware aspirations. Frankly, it’s a worthless task to do. The fact is until all the squads have started in earnest their transfer activity trying to do that is impossible. When you look at it only two of the title contenders have done any business and they weren’t anything of real note. So we won’t go into that there.
But it’s clear that 3 or 4 months in particular stand out as especially tricky and the first up is the month of August. As fixtures go, Aston Villa (h) and Fulham (a) likely to make many people shudder too much but with the added complexity of the UCL qualifier stuck between the two and between Fulham (a) and Tottenham (h) August, which normally has three matches has 5 in a 3 week period. If there was ever an impetus needed to get the transfer dealings done, it’s this tricky run of fixtures.
As for the North London Derby, it almost seems like a case of premature e*********n. No doubt the NLD will still come with all the grit it warrants but you want these matches to have more to them and more on the line. Early in the season it’s hard to see either Arsenal or Spurs being in midseason fighting form. It’s a North London derby with little significance other than the pride that will come with beating our local rivals (and that’s still a good thing.
November and December offer their usual tricky problems as Arsenal face off against Liverpool at home and United away to kick of November. The conjested fixture list that is December is tricky under normal situations but sandwiched in the middle is ties against Manchester City(a) and Chelsea (h). We’ve not overlooked Everton but the fact is it’s kind of hard to understand how they will be under new manager Roberto Martinez.
While February once again features back to back ties versus Liverpool (a) and United (h) its March, as usual that likely will hold the key to Arsenal’s season. It’s a 3 week gauntlet spent primarily on the road as Arsenal face off against Tottenham (a), Chelsea (a) and City (h). 9 very tough points. How it will turn out is any one’s best guess. At least the match with Spurs will have meaning. Dead in the middle of the season with the season winding down, points against Tottenham and Chelsea not only will Arsenal local pride and continued London boasting rights it likely will have ramifications (hopefully) in whatever league challenges we have.
As is the case with the last 3 seasons, Arsenal fail to end their campaign at home. The last home match that ended the season was 2010. After that it’s been one road trip after another. We can only hope that this season, there won’t be the nailbiting conclusion we need. Hopefully Arsenal go into the last match secure in the knowledge that whatever the goal is has been met and the supporters can close out the season without the worry of wondering what anyone else has to do.
Now, about those signings?
The full fixture list is below with key matches highlighted.
August
- 17/08/2013 15:00 Aston Villa (h)
- 20 (21)/08/2013 UCL Qualifier 1L
- 24/08/2013 15:00 Fulham (a)
- 27(28)/08/2013 UCL Qualifier 2L
- 31/08/2013 15:00 Tottenham Hotspur (h)
September
- 14/09/2013 15:00 Sunderland (a)
- 21/09/2013 15:00 Stoke City (h)
- 28/09/2013 15:00 Swansea City (a)
October
- 05/10/2013 15:00 West Bromwich Albion (a)
- 19/10/2013 15:00 Norwich City (h)
- 26/10/2013 15:00 Crystal Palace (a)
November
- 02/11/2013 15:00 Liverpool (h)
- 09/11/2013 15:00 Manchester United (a)
- 23/11/2013 15:00 Southampton (h)
- 30/11/2013 15:00 Cardiff City (a)
December
- 03/12/2013 19:45 Hull City (h)
- 07/12/2013 15:00 Everton (h)
- 14/12/2013 15:00 Manchester City (a)
- 21/12/2013 15:00 Chelsea (h)
- 26/12/2013 15:00 West Ham United (a)
- 28/12/2013 15:00 Newcastle United (a)
January
- 01/01/2014 15:00 Cardiff City (h)
- 11/01/2014 15:00 Aston Villa (a)
- 18/01/2014 15:00 Fulham (h)
- 28/01/2014 19:45 Southampton (a)
February
- 01/02/2014 15:00 Crystal Palace (h)
- 08/02/2014 15:00 Liverpool (a)
- 11/02/2014 19:45 Manchester United (h)
- 22/02/2014 15:00 Sunderland (h)
March
- 01/03/2014 15:00 Stoke City (a)
- o8/03/2014 15:00 Swansea City (h)
- 15/03/2014 15:00 Tottenham Hotspur (a)
- 22/03/2014 15:00 Chelsea (a)
- 29/03/2014 15:00 Manchester City (h)
April
- 05/04/2014 15:00 Everton (a)
- 12/04/2014 15:00 West Ham United (h)
- 19/04/2014 15:00 Hull City (a)
- 26/04/2014 15:00 Newcastle United (h)
May
- 03/05/2014 15:00 West Bromwich Albion (h) – last home game of season
- 11/05/2014 15:00 Norwich City (a)
