The fixtures look good for Arsenal right now. There are 13 games to go. If all my fantasies came true and Arsenal won all of those we’ll almost certainly be champions in May

The business end of the season starts today for Arsenal. Whatever success we will have from the season can only follow a run that starts tonight.

Tonight’s game is against Cardiff at the Emirates. It is an FA Cup 5th round replay. Cardiff might be coming into the game on the back of a 13 game sequence of not losing but Arsenal are not just stronger, they’re at home and also coming into the game not having lost a consequential match since November.

As circumstances will have it, Arsenal have a clear path to the Semi-Finals. Beat Cardiff, and face Burnley-another form team. Beat Burnley, and then Hull or Sheffield await. All of these draws are at home. They are eminently winnable.

Despite what looks like a favourable FA Cup path, league form will be crucial to everything. The league is the real deal. Not only does it offer a title, it also offers Champions League places. But most crucially, it is the longest sequence of games.

If any team would put together a run the league offers the most games. Arsenal are now unbeaten in 10 league games. The last 3 of these games might have finished as draws, but that run will look much better if Arsenal win the next 6 games for example.

The fixtures look good for Arsenal right now. There are 13 games to go. If all my fantasies came true and Arsenal won all of those we’ll almost certainly be champions in May. But that might just be fantasy. I’ll tell you what isn’t fantasy though: We can win 10 of those games.

We have games against Shellsey and Man Poo in the last three matchdays of the season. Between now and then, Arsenal will only play 1 team in the Top 8 positions in the Premier League. Liverpool.

The next sequence of Premier League fixtures is;

Sunderland at home
Fulham at home
West Brom away
Blackburn at home
Newcastle away
Manchester City at home

All these teams are relegation fodder which can make for difficult opposition. But if Arsenal will win anything these are teams that are to be beaten.

Football is a game in which confidence is paramount. Confidence follows form. Form is getting a sequence of good results. Win these 6 games and Arsenal will be 4 months unbeaten in the league. This will boost confidence and belief when we face opposition in crunch Champions League ties and difficult FA Cup ties.

If Arsenal get to the beginning of April having won those league and cup games, the momentum we would have would be so great that we’d be realistic contenders in every tournament we’ll be in then.

The dynamic around the club would be different. Most of all, wwe’ll be in a particularly strong position because we’ll by then have Cesc back, Walcott back, and maybe even Rosicky back for squeaky bum series.

And it all starts tonight. And it is all possible. It is a difficult task but it is not one that should overly task the capabilities of this team, barring new injury crises, or a series of match-losing referee decisions like we had last season around the same time.

Wenger knows this. I am sure Wenger is sitting his players down and showing them the fixtures. I am sure he is telling them that the unbeaten run we’re on now might not be so special, but it is a great launching pad for a season-rescuing next 2 months.

I suspect that’s why he is quoted as asking to bring the feel-good factor back around the club. It’s time to really get behind the team.

COME ON YOU REDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!