Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side have impressed for the majority of this Premier League season, with the Gunners currently sat in fourth and in the driving seat for a top four finish. It puts the side three points clear of close rivals Tottenham, who occupy fifth, with one game in hand over the Lilywhites.
However, the race is far from over as the Spaniard will have to navigate his side through the remaining fixtures to secure a place in next season’s Champions League. Among those fixtures are games against Manchester United, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham, making for a tough schedule to end the season.
This means that the Gunners will be hoping for a quick start back from the international break, with Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton in their next three. All of those fixtures present opportunities at three points, but they won’t come as easy as some expect.
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With that said, here’s a look at how Arsenal have fared this season when tasked with returning to club action immediately after an international break.
Arsenal 1-0 Norwich - September 11 2021
Arsenal came into the game with Norwich after a horrific start to the Premier League season, losing all three of their league games beforehand and sitting bottom of the standings. Injuries and illness had plagued the Gunners early on and were in desperate need of a win to kick start the season.
Norwich presented the perfect opportunity to do so, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring the only goal of the game to give the side all three much-needed points. Arteta’s men dominated the game in terms of chances too, with 30 shots but only seven on target.
Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace - October 18 2021
The match at the Emirates Stadium saw a return of a club legend in Patrick Vieira, who brought along his Crystal Palace side for a homecoming. But he caused far more troubles for the home support than they would have liked.
Aubameyang opened the scoring early on, but the Gunners failed to kick on in the game and their lapse in concentration gave the Eagles an opening. Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard scored part-way through the second half and looked certain to take all three points.
However, Alexandre Lacazette came to the rescue. The striker struck in the 95th minute to make sure the home side earned a point, which may be an important one come the end of the season.
Arsenal 0-4 Liverpool - November 20 2021
Arsenal’s return from the November internationals was a night to forget as Liverpool ran riot at Anfield. The Gunners struggled for possession while the Reds were at their clinical best.
Goals from Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino rounded out the evening, which perhaps showed just how much further the side have to go to challenge for the title.
In the three breaks Arsenal have returned from so far, they have had one result of each kind, but will certainly be hoping to add a second win when they face Crystal Palace up next. Whether the players all return fit and healthy may play a big part.
