What do Arsenal need to do during a tough Winter period?

By Oli Dickson Jefford

There is an air of positivity around Arenal after a run of form that has seen them rise from the bottom of the table to fifth in the Premier League and reach the last eight of the EFL Cup.

However, things are not going to be easy once the international break concludes in a few days with some difficult matches coming up in the winter period.

Meetings against Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham and Man City are among their league matches in the next couple of months.

Ahead of what is a challenging period for virtually every club, we take a look at Arsenal’s run during the winter period and how it can be managed. 

Tricky run of fixtures

Mikel Arteta’s men face a huge test next weekend when they head to Anfield to take on Liverpool, though on paper should have an easier time of things the following week when hosting Newcastle.

However, that is followed by a tricky run of matches against Man Utd and Everton - both away - before they host Southampton and West Ham at The Emirates.

They then travel to Elland Road to take on Leeds on the 18th December, before their home EFL Cup quarter-final against Sunderland on the 21st.

Arsenal then have a Boxing Day trip to Norwich before they host Wolves, which is then followed by a visit from Manchester City - who won 5-0 when they met in August.

The rest of winter also sees a trip across north London to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on Spurs, with second matches against the likes of Wolves and Liverpool and a meeting against Chelsea before the end of February.

There would also be EFL Cup semi-finals and a final to contend with should they beat Sunderland. 

There will be plenty of opportunities for the Gunners in this period - with lots of winnable matches - but there are also quite a few tricky fixtures that will be challenging.

What do Arsenal need to do?

The key thing for Arsenal - and every other club in the league - during this period, particularly during the Christmas period, will be squad rotation.

Three matches in five days is physically and mentally challenging for even the fittest and most experienced players, and Arteta will need to ensure he chooses who plays and when wisely.

Several players have been playing incredibly well recently but an injury to even one of them could disrupt the team’s rhythm and cause long-term damage on Arsenal’s season.

Expect the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Folarin Balogun and Nicolas Pepe - players who have been on the periphery of the starting XI this season - to feature at points as Arteta looks to navigate this period.

The EFL Cup match against Sunderland may provide another opportunity to rest players, as there should be enough quality within the Gunners’ squad to see off the League One side.

Arteta will likely field a fairly strong side, but it shouldn’t and wouldn’t be a surprise if a few players are rested.

After the Christmas period, it will be interesting what action is taken in the transfer window.

Though there is cover in most positions, there are some areas where the club will hope to improve- particularly their midfield, with a striker also likely to be targeted. .

What happens with signings could be decisive in not only how Arsenal fare throughout the rest of the winter, but through the rest of the season.

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