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By Bulldog Drummond
Here’s another one of those rather amusing and sometimes interesting facts that those odd bodkins who are paid so much to comment on football on radio and TV seem to have missed… Arsenal have more shots at home per game than any other club in the Premier League this season (23.3 per game).
Now that might seem rather reassuring and easy to digest, until you come to the second statistic, which is that Arsenal have the lowest of shots away (seven per game) of any team this season.
So what we are seeing, (and what I have not noticed being picked up in the media – although of course I may have missed it) is that Arsenal have introduced a neat tactical switch. But actually, it is more than a simple home/away switch, for Arsenal have evolved two utterly different ways of playing this season.
And there is yet more as we can see from the details of the three away games Arsenal have played so far this season.
| Date | Match | Res | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 2024 | Aston Villa v Arsenal | W | 0-2 |
| 15 Sep 2024 | Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal | W | 0-1 |
| 22 Sep 2024 | Manchester City v Arsenal | D | 2-2 |
Now I may be wrong but those three away matches look to me to be among the more difficult of Arsenal’s encounters away from him this season. For the teams played e are teams who, when Arsenal are facing them away, might be considered to give Arsenal a tough ride.
Arsenal lost 1-0 away to Aston Villa last season, had a goalless draw with Manchester City, and of course beat Tottenham Hots 3-2 at their super wonderful most profitable in the world stadium which is debt-free (according to some correspondents on this site).
Thus I would not be suggesting that this away tactic will be utilised in today’s game, but rather that Arsenal are adjusting their tactics, with not just a home style and an away style but with at least two styles of playing away – depending on whom Arsenal are playing.
To see just how well Arsenal have been getting this right of late we need only look back a few years at Arsenal’s results away from home
| Away season | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Arsenal 2023/24 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 43 | 13 | 30 | 42 |
| 1 | Arsenal 2022/23 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 18 | 17 | 39 |
| 6 | Arsenal 2021/22 | 19 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 28 |
| 7 | Arsenal 2021/22 | 19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 31 | 18 | 13 | 33 |
| 10 | Arsenal 2019/20 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 20 | 24 | -4 | 20 |
These figures reveal a clear change in Arsenal’s thinking – not just to improve the club’s playing style all round (as of course we have seen but also to develop a tactical approach which enables the club to move from just four away wins in 2019/20 to 13 last year. And what’s more to move from a negative away goal difference of -4 in 2019/20 (and even worse -5 in 2021/22), and not just into positive figures but into an extraordinary +30 goal difference away from home.
This tactical move, not just of changing the style of play away from home, but having two different styles of play away from home depending on the team Arsenal are playing, was clearly a great success last season. We haven’t seen so much of it this season because of who Arsenal have played, but it should be revealed more fulsomely today.
Arsenal should also be encouraged by the fact that last season Bournemouth had a negative goal difference in their home matches. They were not the worst home team in the Premier League last campaign, but only five clubs were worse than Bournemouth at home, in that campaign and three of those got relegated.
This season they have scored more than one goal in a match only twice – once away to Everton and once at home to Southampton. They have failed to score in four of their League games. This season at home they have an average of 1.3 goals a game at while last season it was 1.42 – so a fair decline thus far.
Away from home last season Arsenal averaged 2.37 goals a game, while this season they are running at 1.67 – but this is undoubtedly a reflection of the opposition.
It does look like the League fixture selectors tried to give Arsenal a really dodgy start this campaign away from home but Arsenal have survived, and I would expect another win today to take the figures even higher.
As you alluded to it is because of who we played. The overall difference isn’t that much, especially when we take in to account playing Man City with 10 men for 45 minutes.
These are the shots, shots on target and goals against each opponent with last season in brackets:
V Villa = 9(12) 4(5) 2(0)
Spurs = 8(9) 4(3) 1(3)
Man C = 5(6) 3(2) 2(0)
2024/25 = 22 shots 11 on target for 5 goals
2023/24 = 27 shots 10 on target for 3 goals
So our total shots is down, but given what happened at Man City maybe understandable, but a slight increase in accuracy for a better return in goals.
All in all not a tremendous difference in shooting, but the accuracy and goal return has lead to 2 victories and 1 draw as opposed to 1 victory, 1 draw and 1 defeat last season.
Also, having 10 men for over half the game at 115 City would have been a key factor in reducing the number of shots