By Walter Broeckx
We are late in September; the season has been going for some 6 weeks. Time for a first overview. Are we doing better than last year or not?
The best way to make a comparison is to see at the games from last year and same games this season.
Our opening game this season brought a 1-6 victory on the field of Everton after a true demonstration of Arsenal. Last season against Everton we drew 1-1 and it was a rather terrible match with Robin Van Persie giving us, in overtime, a rather undeserved point. A gain from last year of 2 points and a much better performance.
The next game was at home against Portsmouth. This year a very deserved 4-1 victory. Last year we won at home with 1-0 after Gallas headed in, few minutes before the end of the game, a free kick. As many points as last year but a better performance on the field.
The next match was away to Old Trafford. We lost 2-1 and even United fans after the game admitted that this result had more to do with luck than with their good play. Last season we played a 0-0 draw against United who just needed a draw for the title. We lose one point in comparison with last year but the performance on the field was better than last season.
Followed the international injury week we had to go at Manchester City. A 4-2 defeat was our part. With a ref who had seen what Adebayor did to Van Persie, the course of the game would perhaps have been different. We had enough chances and a draw would have given a better view of the performance which was much better than last season when we were pretty miserable on the day. So no points, just as last season.
The next game was against Wigan and was won 4-0. Last year again a narrow 1-0 victory. So as many points, and again a better performance.
The game last weekend brought a trip away to Fulham. Last season this was one of our darkest days of the season when we lost 1-0 after a rather weak performance of Arsenal. This weekend was the result reversed and we won with 0-1.
Both the Fulham and Wigan performance were better than last year. We could have scored more goals against Fulham but as usual Match Of The Day refused to show our chances towards the end of the game. But and we took three more points compared to last season.
Last season we had a total of 8 points after these games out of a possible 18 points and this season we have achieved 12 points in these games. Obviously a gain of 4 points over the same matches last year.
But look at the goal scoring: we have scored 18 goals this year instead of just 3 goals last year.
Last year, we had only 5 goals against, compared to 8 goals this year so this is slightly less good.
Regarding the performance on the field, which of course is subjective, they are usually much better than last season – so I think there is some cause for optimism so far.
Walter Broeckx
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Hey man,
Great little post.
I was thinking we´ve had an excellent start to the season despite the losses to the Mancs.
We have certainly been the better team in every game, and I definitely agree had the ref seen either of Adebayor´s stamps on Fabregas or RVP the result would have been completely different.
Keep up the good work, and check out my blog if you get a chance I think you´ll like it!!!
Regards,
ArsenalAdam
Good stuff, Walter.
I think to real pattern to the season starts after about 10 league games, when sides are going to settle into some sort of form, good or bad.
The key to our success or not is how we are able to defend, throughout the season. We can be reasonably assured that we can score goals & dominate possession in most games but can we be solid at the back, particularly when we are winning. We have the players but they have to be confident as a team & concentrate for 90+ minutes.
You need to be in touch (6 points, max 9) by the New Year & then it is the team that can can go on a 10 match winning run that normally lifts the PL.
But the thing to measure is also that we were 18 points of the champions last year. Which means that we need to score 0.5 points more in every game. We have gained 4more points from 6 games and we would need to sustain this pressure.
I think the key to success is to convert those draws into wins. Coz Liverpool had only 2 defeats and still it came 2nd. Even if we extrapolate the 21 match unbeaten run for the whole season we would not win the league. So we need to win many matches rather than remain unbeaten.
Yer, its nice to say that, we are doing well than last year. But, stil we need more improvement to win trophies. And, that, would be abetter judgement.
Somehow in my head I set “check point” on game with our lowly neighbors. But as Walter say, by now it look satisfying. While last year in same period we maybe had same score on table(point more or less), complete performance was quite gray. In same period we already lost from Hull and Fullham, and team was a bit shaken.
Like generals in a war, I guess, football managers planing acceptable casualties, and if we compare situation in “big four” we are only who didn’t leak points so far, all our loses were, hm, let me say, acceptable, and if we look at opponents, you can hardly say defeats from Burnley, Wigan and Villa, were planed (acceptable) ones.
It will be the form against the smaller teams that will decide it. And so far we have don good against those teams. But then again we have only played 2 of those teams (Portsmouth and Wigan that is). And so far we have beat them well and then to think we have a lot of injured or players not fully fit this is great in my eyes.
If we put the draws from last year in to wins we will be very close. Most of the draws last year we could have won and should have won. And it is just a, personal, feeling but it seems we are stronger in willing to win more this year.
Hi Walter, thanks for your article. And Tony, congratulations on the success of the site.
It seems clear to me that we are much better than last year. I think it took a long time to get over Birmingham.
We have two in and two out. I don’t think AA & TV are necessarily better than EA & KT, but the vibes are much better. Then we have four back. Rosicky and Eduardo are serious players, while Senderos and Traore are better than anyone playing for more than half of the EPL teams.
We have individual improvements. Song and Eboue are standouts, while Ramsey and Bendtner are worth a mention. I hope to see improvements from Walcott, Denilson and Diaby.
The change in formation is a big improvement. When TH14 played most of the time on the left wing, the opposing CBs didn’t know what to do with themselves. It is similar now. Our Centre Forward plays in the hole, with the two wingers, two full backs and two midfielders often going ahead of him. It must be a nightmare to defend against.
Congratulations Tony, this is by far the best site on the web regarding Arsenal football club, it’s a site giving the positive messages that all true Arsenal supporters want to read.
As for the comparison with last years start, it would be true to say that we are in a better postion as the points in the league show, also we do have a game in hand which in our current form would expect to gain us three more points no matter who we play, a big plus this season so far has been the form of Alex Song in the midfield and purchase of Thomas Vermalen who’s “they shall not pass” attitude has given the attacking players a base on which to play their game, plus given the fact that we have so many players coming back from injury that everyone now knows that each game played is for your place in the team, let’s hope that our first and second choice keepers get that message as well because Vito has the shirt at the moment and does not look like he’s going to let go anytime soon.
Great comparison Walter. There is no doubt that our team so far has shown greater promise than at this time last year. ‘When’, I am not going to say if, we win our game in hand, we will even be in a better position. As a result of the far better performance from the team, confidence at this point is by far higher than at the same period last year. Now what we need to ensure is that we win all the “Bread-&-Butter” matches, then our performances against the other members of the top 4 will only matter for bragging rights. Up Arsenal.
Last season we finished 18 points behind ManU. To make that up, as Abhishek rightly points out, we need to score 0.5 more points per game to win this season. However, this season both Manchester City and Tottenham seem to be doing well, and Everton too have recovered their form. These other 6 teams will definitely take points off each other. Add to that, the fact that we are anyway within the 0.5 pts bracket and things are looking up this season!!!!
Expect us to go on a 20 game win streak once Denilson gets back. And we havent conceded in 5.
Walter: Really useful reflection on our comparative performance. I would add two other factors. First, our team’s morale and determination appeared undented following the defeats at ManC and ManU. Second, it may be my imagination, but I think our fans are becoming much more demonstrative in their support for the team.
taken from arsenal.com
On not buying many new players…
“When you look at the players who did not play tonight, you see why we are not desperate [to buy players]. Now that the Club has announced good financial results, people want me to splash it out straight away. At the moment there is no transfer market, you cannot buy anybody; the window is closed. Even if you want to buy the players at Waitrose you cannot. There is no supermarket. It is only during transfer periods that we can buy new players.”
Arsene Wenger is a masterclass in interviews 🙂
I actually want to ask copyright for the “supermarket” comparison. Al summer long I have been writing in blogs all over Gooner land in answer to those “AW must buy a 7 foot tall CB and an even taller DM” that buying a player is not like entering a supermarket and take a player (tall ) and walk with him to the exit.
In fact I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw his quote. 😉