By Tony Attwood
True or False? “For Arsenal fans, it has felt like the season in which everything has gone against them.”
That statement from the Athletic is not one I would fully agree with, but it is interesting that in the following article the second in the list of “everything” is “a tough run of away games to start the season,” which is certainly something we highlighted. (Although rather curiously the Athletic doesn’t mention the fact that we’ve been pointing that out all season).
The opening away games to Aston Villa, Tottenham Hots and Manchester City were indeed challenging but the first two were won and the third was a draw.
But I think the article is more in tune with the facts when it notes the continuation of what we might call “eccentric” refereeing (they cite the “choke-slam on Kai Havertz going unpunished.”) Merino being injured in his first training session, Odegaard being injury playing for Norway, Rice being sent off for kicking the ball back to where it should have been for a free kick, Trossard for another kicking the ball offence (this one under one second after the whistle), the injuries to Calafiori, White, Saka … the list goes on.
And of course, the attempts to disrupt Arsenal have gone on and on, although on the red card issue, the club is at last fighting back (even though the referees never get sent for a period of retraining for their ludicrous “mistakes” in Arsenal games, which to me does seem to be an huge issue with PGMO.)
However, the argument is then put that whereas Arsenal did get the breaks last season, this season they are not. So I thought it might be interesting to compare the last three seasons at this point… This data is from Transfermarkt, our normal source for these figures (11v11) seemingly giving erroneous results at the moment (so take care if you use their data!)
| Pos | Season | Played | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2024/25 | 23 | 23 | 47 |
| 3 | 2023/24 | 23 | 25 | 49 |
| 1 | 2022/.23 | 23 | 30 | 54 |
| 6 | 2021/22 | 23 | 6 | 39 |
So yes Arsenal have slipped back from the high of 2022/23 and the club is even two points and two goals (in terms of goal difference) below where it was this time last season, but I would suggest that given the run of injuries and insane cards, this season that is a fairly good position to be in. For many clubs, such a run of injuries and cards could have hampered their performances even more.
In fact, instead of the negativities, I think we should be celebrating the fact that even with this level of injury, Arsenal are still where they are in the table.
Now the immediate response to this is often “well, Arsenal should have a bigger squad to cope with injuries,” except that the top players coming into a new club always want to be assured that they will be played ahead of the existing players, and of course the manager can’t say that. If Saka, for example, is fit, he will play. If Ben White is fit, he plays and so on.
And yet, despite such injuries to such key players (and there have of course been many other injuries this season), Arsenal are still second.
The media response to being second however has been the same year after year – buy a goal scorer. But last season Arsenal got 89 goals, the season before that 88 goals, while back in the dark ages of 2021/22 it was 61 goals. This season if we carry on as now it will be 73, so yes that is down. But the 89 and 88 goal seasons were achieved without having a 20 goals a season centre forward – they were achieved by having goals scored from all across the forward line, and come to that the midfield too.
My view is that no system can be guaranteed to overcome a glut of injuries, apart perhaps from the ManC approach where players are paid such high salaries that they are willing to get very few games for a couple of years.
And Arsenal have in the past used a tactic that is available to them again now: the solid belief that everyone is against them. When that everyone includes the crowd, as it did in 2019/20 and 2020/21 that can have a negative effect, but when the crowd is with the team things improve. Besides, tis season with the injuries has been tough, but even so we are still in second place.
In the last 13 league matches Arsenal have won eight, drawn five and lost none. Of course that could have been improved with fewer draws, but I don’t think that is so bad that it demands wholesale changes. (And do remember that every time the club brings in a high-profile transfer and puts him into the first team, that is a slap in the face for the younger players hoping to make their way through to the top).
This season has been a rough ride, but I don’t by any means think it is all over – and I certainly don’t think we need wholesale changes to the squad. On the other hand keeping the unity together certainly helps.
Of course, not ‘everything’ has gone against us. For start the stadium hasn’t been destroyed by a tornado. But, it is certainly true that a lot a things have gone against us.
From the ‘eccentric’ refereeing decisions, the many injuries, especially to our two ‘best’ players, to the difficult set of opening fixtures.
A combination that any team would struggle to overcome.
That being said, others have had to contend with injuries as well, namely Tottenham and Man City with their key man Rodri being ruled out for the season.
But look how it’s affected them. Man City are performing a long way below their best and Spurs, whilst putting in the occasional brilliant performance, are generally performing way bellow their best.
So, it is refreshing that someone outside Untold is prepared to acknowledge just what we have been up against.
Doing what so much of the mainstream media do, such as claim we are just conspiracy theorist, or stating ‘well, they were all reds’, or ‘it’s their own fault’, are disingenuous, misleading and frankly inaccurate.
Over the last 5 years we get more red cards against us than all our main rivals. I believe less red cards to our opponents than anyone else, though I cant find that so if someone can confirm or correct me that would be good.
Over the last 5 years we have less penalties for and more against than all our main rivals. As I showed the other day, the disparity in the for against differential is astonishing.
Pointing that out does not a conspiracy theory make. Instead of the media trying to address the WHY, all we get is, they were all reds. They were all penalties. Which helps nobody. Yes, most of us agree, under the guise of ‘subjectivity’ they could ALL be seen as correct decisions by somebody, but without context that is simply a cop out. Yes kicking the ball away 2 metres can, by the letter of the law, be deemed a yellow card, but if nobody else gets one for doing the same thing, then we have a problem. If a trip is a straight red one day, why are cynical high dangerous tackles not even a yellow card the next? Why is the slightest hand on a shoulder a penalty one day and a blatant push in the back not the next day?
And more importantly, and this is why so many Arsenal fans want answers, do such a disproportionately high number of these major, subjective calls, go against us? This is not a conspiracy theory, this is a fair and legitimate question that needs asking, and answering.
Unforetuneately ‘why’, is a question that nobody ever wants to answer.
Which begs the question. WHY?