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By Tony Attwood
And so off we go again with another set of fixtures that the media will expect to include something to trip Arsenal up. Not least becauase after this game we have another break covering 10th to 18th November, designated yet again as an International Match Calendar period. England by way of example, play Serbia and Albania. Won’t that be exciting!
But first, they have at least allowed us one match – it is tomorrow 8 November and is Sunderland away. The next game after that is Tottenham Ho at home 23 November. The one thing we can hope for (although it might be a forlorn hope) is that our injured players are not now called up into the international squads and played, and then get yet more injuries. That might be a forlorn hope, but we can at least cross our fingers (although not when typing).
And injuries remain the big news. According to Premier League injuries these players could be available to us on 23 November – assuming the international squads don’t get there first and scupper them:
- Martin Odegaard
- Kai Havertz
- Gabriel Martinelli
- Viktor Gyokeres
- Chukwunonso Madueke
- Martin Zubimendi – although we may have to wait until November
- Kepa Arrizabalaga
You may well recall that when Mr Wenger had injury lists like this it was common to blame his training methods. That is not happening now, but then what is the reason that Arsenal so consistently have so many players injured? It could bbe
a) Pure coincidence
b) Deliberately fouling by opposition, believing that is the only way to beat Arsenal
c) Poor training techniques.
The media are not saying, because by and large they don’t admit Arsenal get lots more injuries than almost everyone else. As of this morning, only three clubs have just one man out, although to be fair, Tottenham, always seeking to outdo Arsenal, have 10 men down. So at least they can be happy they are top of one league, even if it is the wrong league.
Sundlernad, whom we play this weekend, have six men out. And speaking of the game once more, here is the top of the league table at the moment for the last six games…
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 16 |
| 2 | Manch City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 13 |
| 3 | Manch Utd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 13 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 13 |
| 5 | Brighton | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 11 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 11 |
And indeed, when we come to compare Arsenal’s away form with Sunderland’s home form through the whole season thus far, we find the achievements are very close indeed. In fact this is one of the very few tables at the moment which shows another club having a better goal difference than Arsenal.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Sunderland home | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| 2 | Arsenal away | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
Sunderland have only one defeat in their last eight games – that being an away defeat 0-2 against Manchester United. But at the same time, since the very first game in which Sunderland have knocked in three against an extraordinarily feeble West Ham, it has been two goals or fewer per match for them.
But their last four games do show a certain level of uncertainty creeping into their approach. Following that Manchester U away defeat (2-0) on 4 October, they have beaten Wolverhampton Wanders and Chelsea, and drawn with Everton. Chelsea are currently seventh in the league but ninth in the “last six games” table.
However, there is one more twist to the Sunderland results, and it is one that we look at particularly, given the insanely difficult set of matches Arsenal had to play at the start of the season. For following those defeats to Burnley and Huddersfield, Sunderland have played
- Brentford – currently 12th in the league
- Crystal Palace – currently 9th in the league
- Aston Villa – currently 11th in the league
- Nottingham Forest – currently 19th in the league
- Wolverhampton Wanderers – currently 20th in the league
- Chelsea – currently 7th in the league
- Everton – currently 14th in the league.
In that list, there is no club that is currently above 7th, and only two that are in the top half of the table – and then they are only just there. In fact, the average position of clubs that Sunderland has played is 13th.
Now it may well be that Sunderland is a transformed club that is deserving of its place in the league table, but to comment upon that without noting their fixture list would be a little remiss.
And it does raise the issue yet again, why have the fixture lists this season become so biased this season?
Of course, no one will tell us, but it may well be that Sunderland’s position at fourth in the league, as shown below, is perhaps a little bit due to who they have played thus far. Although I am not sure you will read that in any other publication (unless they have just pinched it from us!)
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 15 | 25 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 19 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 18 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 18 |
Do you seriously believe that people sit in a little room plotting to distort the fixtures for some sort of nefarious purpose.
Do you also believe Big Foot and the man in the moon?
No Andrew I don’t believe either of those things, but I do believe that you write the weirdest, oddest, strangest and by and large most bonkers comments that we ever get. Do please keep sending them in, as they give me, and indeed it seems a number of readers, a real boost to the day to read them.
@ A Banks
Where in the article does it say that there is a plot involved in planning of the fixture list? Where in the article is there any claim that there is a plot against us by those responsible for the fixture list?
What the article does say is, “…it may well be that Sunderland’s position at fourth in the league…..is perhaps a little bit due to who they have played thus far”. How on earth can anyone read that as a claim of conspiracy let alone a nefarious one? Quite bizarre!
Be that as it may, the claim that, “I am not sure you will read that in any other publication” is pretty sound since it is patently obvious that the sports media do very little in the way of research or statistical analysis in order to justify their arbitrary opinions. Please post links to anything you find which proves this article wrong in any way whatsoever, we’d all love to seem what you’ve got.
In my opinion the only person I can see who is shouting “conspiracy” is you. But as Tony says, keep it coming…it’s hugely amusing 🙂