Possible?

Fixtures’ analysis

Most of us know how very important fixtures play in any team’s preparations. A Wednesday fan couldn’t possibly hope for anything better than 90 minutes of admiration for the other team if it is Chelsea or any other big club.

The Premier League fixtures are out, and here’s my bit on whether they can help us win the title back this season.

Pre season : I’ll start off with the pre season visit to Ibrox where Chelsea take on Rangers in a friendly on the 6^th of August followed by the mid week International Friendlies. Too much travelling before the season actually kicks off? A home match would’ve been better I reckon.

August-Sept : 6 matches. Stoke away(Opening day fixture) and United away(18^th Sept) are the main concerns. The other fixtures are quite straightforward where we play West Brom, Norwich, Sunderland and Swansea. Even if we win 5, we’re in the driving seat.

What I think : 5 wins out of 6 is a must if we are to have a real shot at the title.

Oct-Nov : Chelsea have been struggling particularly in November since the past few seasons, and I think the trend is bound to be broken as we face Rovers, Pool and Wolves. Meanwhile, October will be tricky as we face Bolton, Everton, Arsenal and QPR.

What I think : Wins against Bolton and Everton will put us in the driving seat, and wins against Pool and Arsenal would be the icing on the cake. An occasional hiccup won’t hurt us too much if we take care of the Bolton and Everton games.

December : The deciding month? Most ‘pundits’ say that this month decides the course ahead. We play Magpies(A), City(H), Wigan(A), Spurs(A), Fulham(H) and Villa(H). Needless to say, Chelsea are in with a tough round of fixtures during the period, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we drop points.

What I think : Unfortunately, I don’t see us gaining a lot of points from these round of fixtures. Tough month.

Jan-Feb : We’d relish playing the likes of Wolves, Sunderland, Norwich and Swansea in January. Just 3 fixtures in Feb, but they’re tricky again as we face United, Bolton and Everton.

What I think : The Chelsea-United fixture at Stamford Bridge will be very important, a 6 pointer possibly?

March : 5 games. If we’re having a normal season, we’ll beat the likes of West Brom, Stoke and Villa in March. City(A) and Spurs(H) look threatening.

April : Business end of the season. It will bring some smiles as the fixtures read Wigan(H), Fulham(A), Newcastle(H), Arsenal(A) and QPR(H).  

What I think : Not as difficult as it looks. Newcastle looks tricky but we know how badly they struggle as the season reaches its climax. Same applies to Arsenal.

May : Pool(A) and Rovers(H) to conclude the season. The trip to Anfield will be very very crucial, a deja vu to the double winning season.

Conclusion : Can we do it? The first 6 fixtures are vital. We MUST win those games as December is very very fiddly. We cannot afford to slip up in January or February. And lastly, not dropping points at Craven Cottage and Emirates in April will be the key.

-        Abhishek Easwaran