- Arsenal could run out of players at the start of next season
- World cup fans being treated with contempt in USA – just as always
By Tony Attwood
OK, like me, you probably know the table at the end of last season off by heart, but just to make sure no one has forgettng any detail I want to publish it once more…
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 38 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 71 | 27 | 44 | 85 |
| 2 | Manchester City* | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 77 | 35 | 42 | 78 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 69 | 50 | 19 | 71 |
*Pending decision on 110+ guilty verdicts for financial mismanagement
And I also fancied publishing it again because I am going to try and look at Arsenal’s recent progress under the management of Arteta and see where that journey might take us next… I am sure you know exactly where we all ended up recently, but here are the exact figures once more…
| Pos | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | FAC | LgeC | CL | Scorer | Goals | |
| 2023/4 | 2 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 91 | 29 | 89 | R3 | R4 | QF | Saka | 20 |
| 2024/5 | 2 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 69 | 34 | 74 | R3 | SF | SF | Havertz | 15 |
| 2025/6 | 1 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 71 | 27 | 85 | QF | RU | RU | Gyökeres | 21 |
Now in the table above, what we can do is work down each column to see the progress that is not normally made in the media, starting with the number of games won as shown in column three. Obviously, we slipped badly in 2024/25 but recovered last season. That drop in victories was caused to some degree by key injuries, but was somewhat covered by at least getting draws. But whatever the cause, we can now see clearly what the 2024/25 slippage is.
And it is noticeable that the problem lies in the decline in goals scored. However, interestingly, the number of goals scored did not recover fully in the season just finished – we were still 20 down on two years ago.
However, that should give us some hope, because clearly it did take a while for a new front line to settle in. This coming season, there should not be a major need for changing the front line again, plus we will have a centre forward who has recovered his goalscoring touch. So, without making any further changes, our goals tally should rise above 71. Maybe not to go up to 91 again, at least not in one season, but certainly we can expect some more progress in that direction.
What is also interesting is that the defence remained solid across those three campaigns, and with only four or five defeats in the league each season, there is not too much needed in the way of repairs. We might focus on turning a couple of defeats into draws and a couple of draws into victories – that will always help, but it is probably not worth trying anything more radical, for fear of disturbing other parts of the team.
As for the defence, in the past three years we have been consistent: four and five defeats in the league in each of the last three seasons, showing a steady improvement.
So I would issue a warning about making major changes to reduce that number further, given that it was only in the years immediately after the unbeaten season that we had a defence that good. Having three seasons in a row with such low numbers of defeats only occurred in that era around the unbeaten season, so I would say the target is below four or five league defeats in a season, and I wouldn’t start changing the defence to aim for more than that. Referees forget where the whistle is, linemen close their eyes, players trip over their own feet… In short, stuff happens, and we should not start aiming for perfection. If we get it, great; if not, keep going.
As for the attack, I think with the settling down of the team last season, we should see our forward line improve their efficiency, and I would not be surprised to see our league goals scored this time around rise by at least ten – unless the PGMO really allow opposition defences to cut our forwards to bits without punishment.
So I am not looking to improve on the 2023/24 goals record, but to edge back closer in terms of more goals scored and maybe slightly fewer conceded.
Personally, I would also continue to use the League Cup as a competition for the reserves and anyone returning from injury, with the FA Cup teams selected depending on who we are getting drawn against. No one who is returning from injury should play in either competition, for if we are against a lower league team, they will just kick our man to bits.
But the Champions League, like the League itself, must be our target once more, but again, as our back-up 11 is getting stronger by the season, I think more players from the second XI can be used in that competition, although always depending on who the opposition is. And if that is the case, they might start to get ten or more cup games each, which should be a real encouragement for them to stay at Arsenal and battle on to be in the first team. For we should never forget, dozens of teams are always looking to induce some of our reserves with the promise that “you’ll be playing every week.”
Finally, in terms of goals scored…. The table above shows three players – all still with us – who in the past three seasons have each finished as our top scorer. Saka, of course, will play when fit, and Gyökeres is obviously our first choice centre forward, who progressed enormously last season, but I would try to give Havertz as much of a run as possible if he is fit. Quite simply, a defence looking at Gyökeres, Havertz and Saka coming at them might well tie themselves in knots trying to work out who is marking whom.
I know the summer, after the WC is going to be the time when all the media start shouting at Arsenal for not making enough signings, but the worst thing we could do would be to disrupt a team that not only won the league with 85 points but got 84+ points in three of the last four years. We should not forget the enormous leap forward the last four years have been,
In the last four years, we have exceeded the number of points in each of the previous five seasons, and that is something to build on, not something to throw aside and change.
