Arsene Wenger woes continue as fixture reschedule hands Arsenal five matches in 14 days

Arsenal now face five top flight games in just 14 days at the end of the season after the club’s rescheduled fixtures against Southampton and Sunderland were announced on Wednesday

Samuel Lovett
Wednesday 12 April 2017 15:26 BST
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Arsene Wenger's side face a tough end to the season
Arsene Wenger's side face a tough end to the season (Getty)

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Arsene Wenger’s chances of turning Arsenal’s season around, and saving his own neck in the process, have just got a whole lot harder.

Arsenal now face five top flight games in just 14 days at the end of the season after the club’s rescheduled fixtures against Southampton and Sunderland were announced on Wednesday.

Wenger’s side sit sixth in the league, seven points off fourth-placed Manchester City, and look set to miss out on the guarantee of Champions League football for the first time in 20 years.

With Wenger no closer to announcing whether or not he will be staying on as manager next season, following the club’s worst run of results under the Frenchman, the club has fallen into disarray – both on and off the pitch.

Arsenal's remaining fixtures:

Middlesbrough vs Arsenal (April 17, Premier League)

Arsenal vs Manchester City (April 23, FA Cup)

Arsenal vs Leicester (April 26, PL)

Tottenham vs Arsenal (April 30, PL)

Arsenal vs Manchester United (May 7, PL)

Southampton vs Arsenal (May 10, PL)

Stoke vs Arsenal (May 13, PL)

Arsenal vs Sunderland (May 16, PL)

Arsenal vs Everton (May 21, PL)

Fans have clashed among themselves in recent weeks while Monday night’s humiliation at Crystal Palace was the latest black mark against Wenger’s name.

To make matters worse, the 67-year-old must now navigate a tricky ending to the season with his side set to face Manchester United, Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland and Everton across the space of 14 days.

The visit to Southampton was originally set for the end of February but was postponed due to the Saints’ involvement in the EFL Cup final.

The fixture has now been moved to Wednesday, May 10, just three days after facing Jose Mourinho’s United in what will be a significant meeting in the fight for a top-four finish.

The Sunderland clash, which had been penned in for the end of April, has also been rescheduled to mid-May (Tuesday 16) because of Arsenal’s involvement in the FA Cup semi-finals.

That game comes three days after the Gunners’ visit to Stoke and five days before their end-of-season showdown with Everton.

And the fixture list pile-up could become worse if Arsenal beat Manchester City in the FA Cup at Wembley and progress to the final on Saturday, May 27.

Either way, with the club seemingly on the edge of crisis the news will do little to alleviate the growing sense of unease that now surrounds the Emirates.

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