So the final whistle blows at The Emirates Stadium to bring to an end a truly enthralling contest between two of the best footballing teams in the English Premier League in the shape of Arsenal and Everton. In truth, the 1-1 draw was a fair point for both teams and one that neither team should be disappointed with.
Arsenal now have a quite nightmarish run of games throughout the rest of December to look forward to, so can the Gunners keep this 5 point lead intact or will they see themselves drop back into the pack of hungry teams that are chasing them?
I thought it would be fun to look into the magical football crystal ball and predict the future so here goes.
14th Dec Manchester City v Arsenal
Manchester City have a quite superb home record with 7 straight wins and scoring 29 goals along the way whilst conceding just a measly 2 goals, so to say that this is a fortress is something of an understatement so what will Arsenal get there? Personally, I think the central defensive pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker can stop the high class strike force of Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo but can the Arsenal midfield stop Yaya Toure and the impressive playmaker and ex-Gunner Samir Nasri in the midfield battle? For that to happen, Mathieu Flamini needs to get amongst Toure and not allow himself time to settle. Toure is a true power-house but is not really a 90 minute player for me. The midfield will be very congested with both teams cancelling each other out and minimising the space for City’s midfielders to play in will be a crucial part of the battle. Arsenal, who have won 5 away games already this season and perform extremely well on the break can nick a point, so i’m going for a very tight 1-1 draw. 1 point
23th Dec Arsenal v Chelsea
London Derbies are such unpredictable occasions that pretty much anything can happen, and it normally does. Chelsea are a team full of individual talent (not to mention egos) yet maybe at times they have struggled to find their best team. The question is, can Arsenal beat them? And the answer from the crystal ball is ‘Yes’. The Blues defence has been suspect all season and with the attacking talent in the Arsenal lineup, enhanced by the return to fitness of Theo Walcott, a quality performance culminating in a 3-1 win awaits. Jose Mourinho also admitting that he is no longer ‘Special’ anymore afterwards would be an added bonus, though Arsenal fans may have to wait a little while longer for that. 3 points
26th Dec West Ham United v Arsenal
By this point, the hope will be that no further injuries have been picked up, as the matches start to come thick and fast. With another London Derby to content with on Boxing day, Arsenal fans will be buoyant that the good run can continue as West Ham are a very beatable team as long as the Hammers passion and intensity is matched, if not bettered. As long as the defence stands firm, this should be a fairly easy 3 points for the Gunners with a 2-0 win. 3 points
29th Dec Newcastle United v Arsenal
Firstly, I will go on record by saying that Alan Pardew would not be on my Christmas card list even if he lived next door but, personal feelings aside, can Arsenal return from the North-East with the points? This will be a tough encounter as Newcastle have improved greatly of late, winning at Old Trafford on Saturday, whilst playing some good football with Loic Remy looking dangerous in every game. Being the third game in 6 days, I can see the Gunners failing to scale the heights and picking up just a point in a 0-0 draw. 1 point
1st Jan Arsenal v Cardiff City
Yes, I know that it’s not in December but it is the fourth game in 8 days so passion, desire and the sheer will to win will be needed. The Welsh side will give nothing away for free and any points will be earned the hard way. More than just talent is needed throughout a long and gruelling Premier League season and those battling qualities will need to be on show here. A scrappy 1-0 win thanks to a goal off a set play with Mertesacker will do for me. 3 points
So my crystal ball predicts a very healthy return of 11 points from a possible 15 which Arsenal fans everywhere will be more than happy with.
How do you see the results panning out? Join in the conversation, debate is great. Up the Gunners.
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