Arsenal did exactly what they were supposed to do, taking care of business against mid-table Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier today. They then went back to the top of the table, but Manchester City (who were busy in the FA Cup semifinals beating the Gunners next opponent Chelsea FC) have a game in hand on them, and sit just one point behind in the standings.
Manager Mikel Arteta told the media just how fatigued his team is right now, but they won’t get to rest any time soon.
Chelsea FC at Arsenal FYIs
Kick: Tue. Apr. 23, 8pm local, Emirates Stadium
Team News: Chelsea FC Arsenal
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea FC Arsenal
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Chelsea FC 16% Arsenal 64% Draw 20%
Form Guide: Chelsea FC WDWDW Arsenal WLWWD
PL Position: Chelsea FC 47 pts, 9th Arsenal 74 pts, 1st
A London derby versus the Blues commences in a little over 48 hours, so it’s already time to start thinking about that.
And it certainly won’t get any easier after that clash, as yet another London derby, this time against Tottenham Hotspur, is scheduled for Sunday. That’ll it make a total of three matches, in a span of just eight days.
The good news is that the squad is nearly fully fit; and they emerged unscathed after the win over Wolves to thus remain in that state.
However, prior to the Wolves clash we learned that Takehiro Tomiyasu got hurt in the midweek Champions League elimination loss, and we’ll cover that in the next post.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.