By Tony Attwood
What can one say in a season in which the top three are flying away from the rest and Arsenal are part of that top three? Of course I’d like them to be even topper (if you see what I mean) but I expect that time will come in due course, as Liverpool seek a new manager, Manchester City finally get their comeuppance and Arsenal continue to improve.
So for now we are third not top, and we are the second-highest scorers in the league, not the highest, although we do have the best defence and the best goal difference.
But just think of this. Two years ago there was angst about getting in the top four. – now we are 12 points above the team in fifth who are… oh I don’t know….
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 26 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 63 | 25 | 38 | 60 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 59 | 26 | 33 | 59 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 26 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 62 | 23 | 39 | 58 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 56 | 35 | 21 | 52 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 52 | 38 | 14 | 47 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 44 |
And what of all those predictions made in virtually every single newspaper and its website that Manchester United would end up in the top four? They are currently eight points and a 21 goal, goal difference adrift.
But what I also love about this Arsenal team is the question of who scores the goals. 15 players have scored for Arsenal in the Premier League this season, and six players have got five or more. Which means take out our key forward, Gabriel Jesus, and we still have six players with five or more goals.
And just in case you are interested the list is Saka (13), Trossard (7) Havertz (6), Martinelli, Nketiah and Odegaard (five each).
But here is another fact you won’t hear or see mentioned at all in the media.
Arsenal not only have the best defence in the league but also the lowest number of yellow cards in the league this season.(39), which is incidentally exactly half the number Chelsea have notched up. The lowest yellow card tally and the best defence is a stunning achievement and more shame on the media for not promoting this fact.
So have Arsenal improved on last season?
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal 2023 | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 59 | 25 | 34 | 63 |
| 3 | Arsenal 2024 | 26 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 62 | 23 | 39 | 58 |
Clearly not, since we are five points worse off than at this point in the campaign a year ago. But the club has scored three more goals, conceded two fewer, and thus has a five-goal better goal difference.
And we are heading for a key moment because it was in match 30 last season when after seven consecutive league wins, Arsenal’s season tipped upside down with two wins in the next eight.
That clearly starts bells ringing because Arsenal has just won six league games in a row. Now that of course is not a record – indeed it is not even a record for Arsenal as in 2002/3 the club won 14 league games in a row, incidentally starting and ending with matches against Everton – who may not be with us in the Premier League much longer.
So six games in a row is nothing special in historical terms, but it is most certainly something worth noting in relation to the rest of the clubs in the league. Below is a league table based on the last six games, and please do note not only Arsenal being top, but also that goal difference again … +22.
Across these six games Arsenal have scored on average 4.16 goals a game, conceded on average 0.5 goals a game and added to their goal difference tally by +3.67 goals a game.
That’s pretty good going by any standard. But one might perhaps also add that across these games Arsenal have scored just one goal short of double Tottenham’s total, conceded under a third of the goals Tottenham have conceded, and have a goal difference that is +19 better than Tottenham. And Tottenham were the team who were really going to break out this season…
So smiles all round in my house, and I hope in yours too. (And that is despite about 40 miles of the M1 being limited to 50mph with absolutely no sign whatsoever of any work being done anywhere along that strip on either side of the central reservation either on the way south or going north again after the game).
Here’s the last six table, just in case you wanted to read it.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 | +22 | 18 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 16 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 15 |
| 4 | Manchester Utd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 13 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hots | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 11 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 10 |
It’s very noteworthy that our goal difference in the last six games is better than that of Liverpool and Man City combined. Indeed it is more than three times that of Man City. You won’t hear about any of that from the media “experts” either!
Also worth noting that neither Burnley nor Sheffield United have scored more in the whole season than Arsenal have scored in the last six games!!
In fact, let’s enjoy it while it lasts…..Arsenal’s form in the last six games is better than any other professional football club in Europe!
https://thefishy.co.uk/formtable.php?table=17&season=21
“So have Arsenal improved on last season?”
Personally, I think the answer to that it’s an unequivocal yes. I say this on the the basis of what I see with my own eyes, but more importantly what the stats tell us. And what do those stats tell us?
Firstly our victories, and more accurately how we have achieved them. I think it would be hard to deny that we have deserved every victory. I don’t believe we have won a game we haven’t absolutely deserved to win. I say this subjectively, with what I have seen with my eyes, but more importantly the statistics will back that notion up as well, and quite comfortably at that.
We have drawn 4
These are the stats from those 4 matches and for ease, Home or Away, I have put Arsenal first.
Game – Poss – Shots – O/T – xG
Arsenal 2 – 2 Fulham: 71%/29% – 19/8 – 11/3 – 3.15/0.55
Arsenal 2 – 2 Spurs: 47%/53% – 13/13 – 6/5 – 2.14/1.69
Chelsea 2 – 2 Arsenal: 57%/43% – 57/43 – 13/11 – 3/5 – 1.05/1.39
Liverpool 1 – 1 Arsenal: 49/51 – 13/13 – 2/3 – 0.87/1.01
Apart from the Fulham match, which we totally dominated and almost certainly should of won, the other 3 were all very tight matches, to the eye, and statistically. Overall we got what we deserved, or possibly 2 points less than the 4 performances deserved with that Fulham match.
Perversely it’s the 4 defeats that are the frustrating matches. And it is within these statistics that you will see exactly where our problem lied. These are the stats from them, and again Arsenals figures are first.
Newcastle 1 – 0 Arsenal: 60%/40% – 14/9 – 1/2 – 0.53/1.06
A. Villa 1 – 0 Arsenal: 61%/39% – 12/10 – 5/3 – 1.51/0.49
Arsenal 0 – 2 W. Ham: 74%/26% – 30/6 – 8/3 – 2.87/1.51
Fulham 2 – 1 Arsenal: 61%/39% – 13/15 – 3/4 – 1.63/1.31
As you can see, possession wise we dominated every match. Beyond that I think the statistics show that in 3 of the 4 matches we deserved more out of the match than we got. The exception being Fulham away, a match in which I believe we got what we deserved. Nothing. But the other 3 are a different story.
Taking all 3 matches separately.
Newcastle.
We dominated possession and created 14 shots to Newcastle’s 9. But here is where the obvious issue of which I spoke earlier reared it’s head. FINISHING. But even with that I think it’s hard to deny, that what we saw with our eyes, and what the statistics show us, is that we deserved a draw from this match. A point lost.
Aston Villa.
Again we dominated possession, created more shots, more O/T and a higher xG. Again on what we saw and what the stats tell us, we deserved a draw. But again our FINISHING let us down. Another point dropped.
West Ham.
We completely and utterly dominated this match. We set records for attacks, shots, progressions into the opponents box. It was mad. But again our FINISHING let us down. I would argue we at least deserved a draw on our general play, and in reality we would win 99 out of a 100 matches we dominate in this fashion, as has been shown over the last run of games. I would argue 3 points dropped.
I would argue, on our general play we deserved at least 5 points from the 12 available in those loses. But our FINISHING was dire, and as such you pay the price.
But, my point in all this is to answer the question, have Arsenal improved this season? Well, I think on everything I have seen, and what the stats tell us, it’s a firm yes. If we hadn’t gone through that patch where either through bad finishing, bad luck and or poor officiating, we got nothing when we really should of got at least 5 points , we would now be on 63 points. Add to that the 2 more we should of got in the early draw against Fulham, and that takes us to 65, 2 more than at this stage in 2023. Add to that this year is arguably tougher with the re emergence of Liverpool and I think there is a lot to indicate that indeed we have improved.
I know people will say finishing is part of the game, and if you don’t finish well, you get what you deserve, and of course there is something to that.
I was really just trying to make the point that on our general play, we have achieved the absolute minimum that that play deserved. I think every aspect of our game has improved. If we hadn’t had that patch where the ball just wouldn’t go in, we would be top, and I think deservedly so.
I think we have shown that over the season, and how we have performed head to head against our 2 main rivals backs that up.
Just my opinion, but an opinion I have tried to support with statistics as best I can. But I firmly believe it with what I have seen with my own eyes as well.
Only time will tell, but it should be one hell of a run in.