This is the week that will define Arsenal's season

Mikel Arteta

This is the week that will define Arsenal's season

By Adam Le Roux

The next seven days are vital. The next two matches are pivotal. This is the week that will decide whether Arsenal are genuine contenders for a European spot this season, or destined for mid-table obscurity.

After a poor start to the season, a five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League has seen the Gunners climb towards the top half of the table, with Mikel Arteta’s side not tasting defeat since before Christmas.

And as fortunes start to change around the Emirates, thoughts of a competitive end to the campaign are starting to surface, with the next two fixtures sure to make all the difference come the end of the season.

The Gunners need to respond quickly after FA Cup defeat to Southampton on Saturday, and will have the perfect chance to right those wrongs with another clash against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Tuesday night.

Victory over the Saints would see Arsenal leapfrog their opponents and potentially put themselves just four points off the top four, before another crunch match against Manchester United on Saturday.

Arteta pulled off a masterstroke back in November as the Gunners claimed victory at Old Trafford, and another win this time around could put them right back in the mix as we head into February.


Gunners looking for revenge after Saints cup defeat

Saturday’s defeat against Southampton was a stark reminder of how Arsenal fans can’t start getting ahead of themselves after five matches unbeaten in the Premier League.

The same old problems seemed to surface on the south coast, with the Gunners looking toothless at the business end of the field, with chances few and far between as they were dumped out of the competition with barely a whimper.

Four victories and a draw will have no doubt boosted the confidence of Arteta’s squad, but these are matches that you would expect Arsenal to win, with West Brom, Brighton and Newcastle all swept aside with ease.

That’s not to say the performances weren’t a vast improvement on what we had seen earlier in the campaign, but it is one thing going to the Hawthorns and winning 4-0, and another thing entirely to claim victory against teams competing higher up the table and eying up a title push.

And if Arsenal want to be considered as genuine contenders in the race for European spots, they will have to put in a much better performance than they did at the weekend, and up their game massively.

There was a lack of urgency all over the pitch on Saturday, with the tempo of the match almost non-existent, which played into the hosts’ hands perfectly, with Arsenal’s lack of creativity being shown up once again.

Arsenal Southampton

One thing we all know is that Arteta expects much more of his side than displays such as the one at the weekend, and we can expect a much hungrier showing this time around, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang likely to return to the side after a personal issue that saw him miss the trip to St Mary’s.

Another defeat to Southampton would see Arsenal all but kissing goodbye to any hopes of a top-four spot this season, which would come as a reality check after the recent good run of results.


United challenge will test Mikel’s mettle

Where the matchup against Southampton could give the Gunners a foothold in the challenge at the right end of the table, next weekend’s face-off against Manchester United is about more than just places in the table.

Victory over the Red Devils always tastes so sweet, and Arteta will be leading his side into the clash at the Emirates knowing full well that his side can get the better of the visitors, as they did so brilliantly earlier in the season.

In a campaign tarnished with low points, that priceless win at Old Trafford is a distinct high, with Arsenal looking like a side that could compete with some of the best in the division after taking all three points from the Theatre of Dreams.

Every player in that team played their part they day, with the extraordinary performance of Thomas Partey rightly deserving of high praise, as the Ghanaian patrolled the park and kept Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes quiet throughout the 90 minutes.

That performance in November was proof of how dominant and destructive this Arsenal side can be on their day, but that day seems to have been few and far between so far this season.

After that display against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, you could have been forgiven for thinking that it would be the Gunners nearer the top of the table than their opponents when the pair faced off again, but a dismal run of matches between then and Christmas soon ended those hopes.

Alas, it is United who are top of the table and Arsenal who are sitting in no man’s land, with the Red Devils finding ways to win games without looking devastating this season, which is something that Arsenal have lacked.

But we all know that Arsenal always raise their game when the big boys come to town, and when that happens, they are more than a match for the majority of teams in the league.

And with this week looking like a season-defining period, this is where we will see the character of the squad and just how much bottle this team have. Beat Saints and United and Arsenal are right back in the mix, but two defeats out of two and we might as well call it a day on the season now.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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