Arsenal
Liverpool And Chelsea Continue To Rise: Corresponding Fixtures Table Game-week 29
It’s been three weeks since we looked at our Corresponding Fixtures Table and not much has changed since then. In fact, due to cup commitments there are many teams who have a backlog of fixtures in the Premier League.
Manchester City, crowned league cup champions a couple of Sundays ago and knocked out of the league cup this Sunday, have 3 games in hand over Chelsea, who have established a 7 point lead at the top of the table- courtesy a 4-0 win against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal too have a game in hand even as they moved into the semi finals of the FA Cup with an impressive 4-1 win against Everton. Liverpool did not see any action this weekend having been knocked out of the FA Cup in the Round of 16. They too have a game in hand over Chelsea.
What this means is that the Corresponding Fixtures table does not have as uniform a look as the previous weeks. Some teams have played 29 games; some 28, some 27; Manchester City and Sunderland have played only 26 games. Here is the current “Corresponding Fixtures Table” after Gameweek 29.
As has already been mentioned in this series of articles, for the purpose of uniformity we are comparing Hull City’s fixtures to Reading; Crystal Palace’s fixtures to QPR; and Cardiff City’s fixtures to Wigan.
Liverpool continue to lead the table by an extremely impressive margin. Their 3-0 win at Southampton means they have now achieved 20 points more this season from the same set of corresponding fixtures. The win at St.Mary’s once again showcased Liverpool’s strength in attack. And as if to reinforce Liverpool’s mental strength and tactical flexibility of Brendan Rodgers, it was not as easy a win as the scoreline suggests.
Despite taking a lead early in the first half, Liverpool were under the severe pressure for most of the first 45 minutes as Southampton laid siege to their goal. But Liverpool weathered the storm and produced a much more balanced performance in the second half as the introduction of Raheem Sterling meant they were a potent threat on the counter attack. A win at Southampton is not the easiest of tasks as Manchester City and Arsenal have found out this season. Last season, the Merseysiders lost here and they lost to them at Anfield earlier in the season.
It is time to take Liverpool as genuine title contenders although a Champions League place was their primary aim at the start of the season. They look well-placed to achieve that and probably more The improvement in Liverpool’s attack this season is quite staggering. The table below shows the number of goals scored this season and the previous season in the corresponding fixtures for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Teams(Week 29) | Goals Scored (2012-13)(Home+Away) | Goals Scored (2013-14) (Home+Away) | Goals Conceded (2012-13) (Home+Away) | Goals Conceded (2013-14) (Home+Away) |
Arsenal(28) | 55(33+22) | 52(30+22) | 21(15+6) | 28(7+21) |
Manchester City(26) | 41(27+14) | 69(43+26) | 21(11+10) | 27(9+18) |
Chelsea | 59(32+27) | 56(33+23) | 33(14+19) | 22(9+13) |
Liverpool(28) | 44(33+11) | 73(42+31) | 34(12+22) | 35(12+23) |
The numbers in the bracket indicate the number of games played.
As we can see, Liverpool have scored 73 goals this season from the same set of fixtures as compared to the 44 they scored last season. That is a staggering improvement by any standard and also emphasizes how lethal Suarez and Sturridge have been as a strike partnership. They have also surpassed Manchester City as the highest scoring team in the league with 73 goals from 28 games; City have 69 from 26 games and have not been scoring as freely as they did for most of the first half of the season.
Especially impressive from Liverpool’s point of view is the number of goals they have scored away from home. In 14 away games they have played this season, they have scored 31 goals-making them the most prolific away side in terms of goal scoring; from the same set of fixtures last season they scored only 11. The only cause of concern is the number of goals they’ve conceded so far. Of all the current top 4 sides, they have conceded the highest number of goals. But with such an attacking force at his disposal, Brendan Rodgers would be slightly less worried about his defence.
Stats are compiled by Chaitanya Gööner with the help from footballwebpages.co.uk
Arsenal Women host Manchester United on Saturday in a crucial six pointer for Champions League qualification. The Gunners sit just one point above United in the WSL table and victory at Emirates Stadium would give them a strong buffer, while defeat leaves them playing catch up in the race for Europe.
The match marks Arsenal’s return from the winter break following a busy week that saw Renee Slegers sign a new contract and Jodie Taylor promoted to Technical Director. However, the immediate focus is on securing three points against Marc Skinner’s side in what promises to be a tense encounter.
Kick-off: 12:30 GMT, Saturday, January 11, 2026
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
TV: Sky Sports (UK)
Cooney Cross Absent For Personal Reasons
Arsenal will be without Kyra Cooney Cross who has returned to Australia for personal reasons. Daphne van Domselaar is not quite ready to return from a quad injury while Chloe Kelly remains out with a knee problem. Jenna Nighswonger will not be in the matchday squad as she negotiates a loan move.
New signing Smilla Holmberg from Hammarby will be in the squad alongside recalled goalkeeper Naomi Williams. Manu Zinsberger and Katie Reid are out with ACL injuries. The absence of Cooney Cross means Mariona will likely drop into the deeper midfield role she has occupied for much of the last year.
United Strengthened in January
Manchester United have been busy in the transfer window, adding full back Hanna Lundkvist from San Diego Wave and centre forward Lea Schuller from Bayern Munich. Skinner was dealt a poor hand over the summer with a very small squad handling Champions League qualifiers and the group phase.
Predicted Lineup:
Arsenal (4-3-3): Borbe; Fox, Williamson, Catley, McCabe; Little, Mariona, Maanum; Mead, Russo, Smith
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Tullis Joyce; Lundkvist, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Miyazawa, Zigiotti; Park, Malard, Awujo; Schuller
Also read: Arsenal Women disable social media comments after sexist backlash to new signing
Arsenal confirmed on January 9, 2026 that Jodie Taylor has been appointed as the club’s first ever Technical Director.
The 39-year-old former England striker moves up from her existing role as Technical Services Manager, a position she has held since September 2023 following her retirement from professional football.
Taylor’s promotion comes on the same day Arsenal announced Renee Slegers’ new contract extension through 2029, creating a strategic restructuring of the women’s football department.
A Decade Long Arsenal Connection
Taylor’s relationship with Arsenal spans ten years since first joining as a player in 2016. She scored 10 goals in 17 appearances during her initial spell before returning on a short-term deal in March 2023. Taylor earned 50 plus England caps during her international career and won the Golden Boot at Euro 2017.
She represented her country at the 2015 Women’s World Cup finishing third and played for multiple elite clubs including Lyon, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns and San Diego Wave throughout her career.
Strategic Structural Development
Taylor’s new role bridges critical areas of football operations including recruitment, analysis, coaching and performance support. She will work closely with Renee Slegers on a daily basis as the Technical Director, providing structural support for coaching decisions and squad development.
Director of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley praised Taylor’s appointment as integral to continued development of the program as Arsenal challenges for major trophies consistently. Wheatley will now focus on upward management across UEFA, FIFA and domestic boards while Taylor handles day to day operations.
Building a High Performance Environment
Taylor expressed immense pride stepping into her new position, emphasizing Arsenal’s remarkable growth over the past decade. She committed to nurturing a high-performance environment where players, coaching staff and support teams have the right tools to deliver at the highest level.
Her appointment represents investment in female leadership within Arsenal’s technical infrastructure, aligning with the club’s commitment to developing their women’s program systematically and strategically moving forward into their next phase.
Also read: Arsenal Women disable social media comments after sexist backlash to new signing
Arsenal confirmed on January 9, 2026 that head coach Renee Slegers has signed a new long-term contract extending through the summer of 2029.
The 36-year-old Dutch coach was previously due to exit at the end of the 2025-26 season but now commits three and a half additional years to the club. Her extension rewards an extraordinary debut season where she guided Arsenal to historic UEFA Women’s Champions League victory after beating Barcelona 1-0 in the Lisbon final.
From Academy Player to Champions League Winner
Renee Slegers’ connection to Arsenal dates back decades. She played in the club’s academy as a teenager and watched Arsenal claim their previous Champions League trophy in 2007 from the stands. Her return to the club came in summer 2023 as assistant coach following two years leading Swedish club Rosengard where she won back-to-back Damallsvenskan titles.
She stepped into the interim role in October 2024 when Jonas Eidevall departed and impressed immediately with an 11-match unbeaten run. That performance earned her permanent appointment in January 2025, and by May 2025 she had delivered historic Champions League glory.
Arsenal’s Long-Term Vision
Slegers told club media that her journey from academy player to Champions League winning head coach represents immense pride. She stated the club has much to achieve together in the coming seasons. Arsenal Director of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley described Slegers as an elite coach with capabilities to lead continued title challenges.
Chief Executive Richard Garlick praised her impact driving standards and progress toward consistent top-level competition.
Jodie Taylor Joins as Technical Director
The announcement accompanied confirmation that former England international Jodie Taylor has been appointed Arsenal’s first ever women’s technical director. Taylor, who retired in 2023 after two Arsenal playing spells, will work closely with Slegers on recruitment, analysis and specialisation. Her role bridges previously disconnected recruitment and technical departments creating stronger operational cohesion.
Arsenal continues their title defence facing Manchester United on January 11 with five trophies remaining in play this season.
Also read: Arsenal star Kyra Cooney-Cross returns to Australia after mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis
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