Why Arsenal can’t afford any slip-ups at this stage of the campaign

Manchester United found that the difference between third and sixth position is just three points, highlighting just how costly one defeat could be at this stage of the campaign when they were beaten 2-1 at Wolves on Tuesday night, a defeat that was made all the more painful 24 hours later when both Totteham and Chelsea won.

And so Arsenal will be well aware that they can’t afford any slip-ups if they are going to go on and secure Champions League football for the first time in three seasons.

With both Spurs and United not in action this weekend, Emery’s side know that victory on Merseyside will ensure they end the weekend third in the Premier League with just six games to go.

But they are running into Everton at a time when they have won back-to-back games in the league without conceding a goal following impressive performances against Chelsea and West Ham.

And Arsenal’s wretched away form does not make life any easier, with the win at Huddersfield on February 9 the only victory the Gunners have picked up on their travels since they beat Bournemouth way back in November.

It’s a miserable record, one far more suited to a team battling the drop than eyeing the top four, and it’s one that must change if they are going to end the campaign where they want to be, considering five of the club’s remaining seven games are away from north London.

It’s something the players are well aware of – as Sead Kolasinac revealed to Goal ahead of Sunday’s trip to Everton.

“We’ve spoken about it amongst ourselves, talked about how we can win our away games,” said the Bosnian defender.

“I think if we play in the same way that we do at home, with the same energy, the same urgency that we can take points away from home.

“It’s not always easy to go away because you are playing against a lot of fans who are pushing their team on, who are really going for the win at home.

“We have five tough away games, starting at Everton and we know we need to be 100 per cent focused to get the right results.”

As well as Everton on Sunday, Arsenal have also got to go to Watford, Wolves, Leicester and Burnley before the season is out. With their two remaining home games seeing them host Crystal Palace and Brighton.

With Spurs having to go to Manchester City, Chelsea having to visit Liverpool and Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men having to travel to neighbours Manchester City, it could be said that Emery’s side have the most favourable run-in of the teams battling it out for third and fourth place.

Kolasinac, however, believes Arsenal must avoid thinking about things that are beyond their own control.

“We’re not looking at anyone else at all,” he said. “We are just looking at ourselves.

“Lots of teams earlier in the season were six or nine points in front of us and we just carried on looking at ourselves.

“Now we are in a place where we want to be. We’ve got seven games left and we need as many points as possible.

“So we’re just looking game to game, as we have done all season, and not looking at the others.”

Arsenal could come up against a familiar face on Merseyside, with Theo Walcott now plying his trade with the blue side of the city.

Whether the attacker features, however, is not clear – with the 30-year-old having found himself out of the starting XI in recent weeks following several disappointing displays.

There are reports that Everton might even look to move him on this summer following what has been a disappointing season which has seen Walcott score just three league goals.

If he does feature, however, Walcott will come up against Kolasinac directly – who will once again operate in the wing-back role of the left-hand side of Arsenal’s defence.

“I know Theo from last season,” said the former Schalke man when discussing the prospect of squaring up against his old friend. “We played together here. That can be a positive, but it can be negative as well because he knows me too.

“But Sunday won’t be Arsenal against Theo Walcott. We know he is good and an important player, but they have 10 other players on the pitch who can make the difference.

“So we’re looking at ourselves and we’re going into the game looking to get all three points.”