Tough run-in the hallmark of 08/09 fixture list
Add comment June 17th, 2008
Assuming no significant changes are made to the schedule the Premier League unveiled today, our final six games of the season will read as follows:
Liverpool (a), Middlesbrough (h), Portsmouth (a), Chelsea (h), Manchester United (a), and Stoke (h).
Ouch. Fortunately, we start the season with a run of seemingly winnable games, before we play Spurs, United and Chelsea within a few weeks of each other in a spell commencing at the end of October.
On the face of it, the fixture list seems pretty similar to last season’s – there is the potential for early momentum, but the real crunch games will come right at the death. It’s clear we need to keep that momentum going all the way to the line rather than limping to the finish as we did this time round.
Congratulations to Bacary Sagna, who has been voted fourth in our official Player of the Season poll. Arguably, he should be higher up in the listings. Perhaps the Gunnerblog End of Season Awardsâ„¢ (coming soon) will see him fare better.
Sagna’s French colleagues, William Gallas and soon-to-be-a-gooner Samir Nasri face the prospect of joining Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou in hurtling out of Euro 2008 tonight. Jens Lehmann, meanwhile, lives to fight another day. Whilst for Arsenal’s sake it’d be good for Gallas and Nasri to get a rest, I hope they get through. Especially at the expense of Italy. I can’t stand Italy.
Wait and see, I guess.