November is upon us and this is the month that is traditionally hard for Arsenal to negotiate without any pitfalls. This season looks like no exception as the Gunners enter a treacherous set of fixtures with their first signs of weakness since the opening day. Although, they have acquired a very healthy 22 points from 27 from the corresponding fixtures last season they would have had 27 (if you swap QPR for Crystal Palace) so while it is a promising start it can be slightly misleading. With home defeats against Dortmund and Chelsea fresh in the memory here are three reasons why November is a pivotal month in Arsenal's season.
3. Fixtures
Few would argue that the Premier League fixture list has been kind to Arsenal so far this season but a home victory against their North London rivals was gratefully received by the Gunners faithful but as even the Spurs fans must acknowledge they were very much a side in transition trying to bed in their plethora of new signings. November sees home games against Liverpool and Southampton, plus tough looking away fixtures versus Manchester United and Cardiff. Sandwiched in between these are tough Champions League fixtures at Borussia Dortmund and home to Marseille which the Gunners must be looking to win to avoid the dreaded Europa League! If the Gunners can negotiate this tricky set of fixtures still challenging for the title and qualifying for the knock out stages of the Champions League still in their own hands, they will be sitting pretty ready to tackle the hectic Christmas schedule.
