Despite the fact that Euro 2012 is still in full flow it hasn't stopped real football from continuing. The Premier League announced the fixtures for next season on Monday with the games due to get under way on Saturday August 18.
Arsenal start on that day with a home game against Sunderland although fixtures are subject to change depending on TV scheduling. They follow that game with a trip to Stoke a week later, and they're the only two games they will play in August. Hopefully Arsenal will get their transfer dealings completed well before deadline day, but at least they will only have to play twice in August if they don't.
The stand out games in September are trips to both Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as a home game with Chelsea at the end of the month. Arsenal will also be participating in both the Champions League and the Capital One Cup(Carling Cup) in September. It promises to be a bust month with World Cup qualifiers on the international stage as well.
There are no games of any real note in October, but the Champions League games will of course continue.
November starts with a trip to Manchester United, as Arsenal look to lay the ghost of last season's 8-2 defeat to rest. Mid way through the month they play at home to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the first time.
There are six Premier League games for Arsenal in December, and they get to play four of them at home. No games in the Premier League can be taken for granted, but Arsenal certainly have the capability of having a very good month. Hopefully they will also have tied up a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League at that stage too.
In January there are home games against both Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as a trip to the Champions of Europe - Chelsea. With two rounds of the FA Cup also in January it could be a very busy
month. There's also the possibility of Capital One Cup semi-finals in January if Arsenal make it that far.
February is a fairly quiet month with only three Premier League games,and the fifth round of the FA Cup if Arsenal make it that far. The month finishes with the Capital One Cup final, but I don't know how seriously Arsenal will treat that competition this season.
March starts with a trip to Spurs for Arsenal, and if they are still in the FA Cup it will be one of only three Premier League games for them that month. There could of course still be Champions League games to be played at that stage if Arsenal can go further than they did last season.
The four league games in April end with a home game against Manchester United, and it could be a very important game if Arsenal can somehow get themselves in contention for the title. It may seem a bit far fetched at the moment, but with the right additions Arsenal could just have the capability of taking that step next season.
Arsenal finish their league campaign with a trip to Newcastle United in the middle of May, and their last home game is a week earlier against Wigan Athletic. With 38 games to play spread out over 10 months it means Arsenal will play less than four games a month on average. It's not an awful lot of Premier League games per month, but hopefully some good cup runs will make up for that.
From my own perspective I'll be away for Arsenal's first game, and I'll have to try to find a bar in the town I'm in in Spain to watch the game. I'll have to start planning my first trip of the season to the Emirates soon after that, and I plan to go over at least twice next season if it's possible. There is nothing quite like a trip to see Arsenal play, and drinks before and after the game with the greatest fans in the world.
That's it for today.
See you tomorrow.
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