By Tony Attwood
Here it is. I knew this was what was needed, but wondered if we could do it. Oh me of little faith!!!!
We are second in the league, have scored the second most goals in the league (equal with the eternally feted Liverpool), have the best defence in the league (equal with the astonishingly unbeaten Crystal Palace) and the best goal difference in the league.
| P | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 15 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| 5 | Sunderland | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 6 | AFC Bournemouth | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
I don’t think I can write coherently after all that, and you were probably as shocked and overwhelmed by what happened as I was at the end. But the winner was scored in the 95th minute. And then we had to see out another three or four minutes of additional time after that!!! Fortunately I have a glass near to hand.
And yes, that is not an improvement on our position at this point last year but it certainly feels like it.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 15 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 14 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 13 |
But this is what league winners are made of. Going to the very edge, and then going beyond the edge to get that final impossible last goal.
OK we are “only” third in the league but we have played some of the big teams already: Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle United. If we take it that, including Arsenal, there are seven big teams, then we have 12 key matches in the season which are, as the old saying goes, “six pointers”. We’ve played seven league games, and won six, a ratio of 86%.
| Date | Match | Result | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug | Manchester United v Arsenal | W | 0-1 | Premier League |
| 23 Aug | Arsenal v Leeds United | W | 5-0 | Premier League |
| 31 Aug | Liverpool v Arsenal | L | 1-0 | Premier League |
| 13 Sep | Arsenal v Nottingham Forest | W | 3-0 | Premier League |
| 16 Sep | Athletic Bilbao v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | Champions League |
| 21 Sep | Arsenal v Manchester City | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 24 Sep | Port Vale v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | League Cup |
| 28 Sep | Newcastle United v Arsenal | W | 1-2 | Premier League |
Last season in the league we won 53% of our games. So far this season, we have won 66% of them. And to make the point again, of those games we have played, we have gone against Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle, all significant clubs to play against.
We could say 12 of our games in each season are against such top teams, which is about 32%. But we have only played 16% of our league games so far this season. So we have played twice as many games against top teams as we should expect if the league programme were balanced, and not set out to cause Arsenal difficulties at the start and thus encourage the anti-Arsenal, anti-Arteta gangs.
So to be second in the league after an opening league programme which has been twice as hard as it should have been (had we been playing higher and lower teams at random), is most encouraging.
I wonder what those people who said Arteta should be sacked because he had been a failure after three second-place finishes in a row are still saying that. Yes we are still second – but look at the fixtures we have had to play. And look at the excitement. And if you are interested, I have lost my voice.
I have to stop and get a drink. More later, or maybe tomorrow I might be able to write something else. For the moment hysteria rules.
On a more sober note, I believe that Ethan Nwaneri was not in the squad. I hope he’s not injured.
Ref did his best for his favourite team today, but it proved to be not quite enough!