The beautiful game of football has once again shown how quickly things can change. After being knocked out of the FA cup by a non Premier League side (Blackburn Rovers) and being humbled at the hands of European giants Bayern Munich, Arsenal's average showing continued with a loss to their North London Rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. After this latest setback, even manager Arsene Wenger was quick to acknowledge the harsh reality facing the club ?It will be a massive challenge, massive. I said before the game we couldn't drop these points today and I maintain that after the game. Especially the way the game went, it is difficult to understand how we can lose games like that.?
The importance of the next ten games for Arsenal cannot be understated. The Gunners have only two of the top seven teams yet to be played (against Everton & Manchester United) both of which are at the Emirates. A similar run like last season (7 games unbeaten) would be required for Arsenal to have any chance of qualification, especially considering no points can be directly gained from either Chelsea or Tottenham having already played both teams.
One, does not need to venture too far to remember how Manchester City clawed their way back to win the EPL title or Tottenham's downhill slide which saw them shipping 10 points, eventually finishing behind Arsenal. The title race maybe all but over, but the fight for a top four finish is very much alive. While Tottenham currently sit third and, with current form seem favorites to grab either of the two remaining Champions League spots, there is no certainty with 30 points up for grabs. There are bound to be a few more twists till 19 May, 2013 as each of the top seven sides have to play each other at-least twice.
The battle for a top four finish is certainly not over and, any team (from Tottenham to Liverpool) stand a chance of nailing a Champions League spot. However its going to be down to consistency and nothing else.
| Face-off Between The Top 7 Teams In The Final 10 Games Of The 2012-13 EPL Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAMS | Manchester United | Manchester City | Tottenham Hotspur | Chelsea | Arsenal | Everton | Liverpool |
| Manchester United | x | x | x | ||||
| Manchester City | x | x | x | ||||
| Tottenham Hotspur | x | x | x | x | |||
| Chelsea | x | x | x | x | |||
| Arsenal | x | x | x | ||||
| Everton | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| Liverpool | x | x | x | ||||
Source: DSG
Source: DSG