- Looking back at chants from years gone by
- Arsenal’s sudden return to form really could mean it is still all to play for
By Tony Attwood
It is not too often noted but Arsenal have the best defence in the league – and that despite the injuries that the club has faced this season.
In terms of attack, we are not quite at Tottenham’s level – they have scored five more goals than Arsenal – but then they have let in nine more than Arsenal and are now 11th in the League. In fact if the league finished now Manchester City would get into the Conference, and Newcastle might get in too if the FA Cup winners finished in a higher place in the league than they do. Tottenham and Manchester United however would not be in Europe at all. I am sure Europe would miss them.
Of course that could be a financial disaster, especially for Tottenham with their debts – but it could also be an opportunity to rebuild the team as Arsenal did in 2021/22. Although I am not quite sure that their manager thinks they need rebuilding. However that season, without European football, allowed Arsenal to climb from 8th to 5th, a stepping stone for the two runner-up spots in the following campaigns.
But as Tottenenham sink, so Arsenal seem to be growing, as we find the news that Arsenal have “scored five or more goals in six away games in all competitions in 2024 – the most ever by an English top-flight club in a calendar year.”
There’s no prize for that of course, but it certainly did make good viewing. And it is also interesting that these high scoring away matches come in bursts. Two in February (Six against West Ham and five against Burnley) and one in March (Sheffield United), and then a pause until we get two in November (Sporting and West Ham – again!) and then finally this month with Crystal Palace.
In total those six games – all away from home as I say, have seen Arsenal concede four goals and score 32!
| Date | Opposition | Res | Score | Competition |
| 26 Nov 2024 | Sporting Clube Lisbon | W | 1-5 | Champions League |
| 30 Nov 2024 | West Ham United | W | 2-5 | Premier League |
| 21 Dec 2024 | Crystal Palace | W | 1-5 | Premier League |
| 11 Feb 2024 | West Ham United | W | 0-6 | Premier League |
| 17 Feb 2024 | Burnley | W | 0-5 | Premier League |
| 04 Mar 2024 | Sheffield United | W | 0-6 | Premier League |
This season overall Arsenal still are only the fourth best team at scoring (Tottenham being top with 39 goals) which of course reminds us that just scoring bucket loads on its own doesn’t actually do anything for a club except make the supporters moan about the defence and the media forget to mention the club’s league position in the bottom half of the table. (Tottenham are 11th).
But this season Arsenal do actually have the best defence so far (equal with Liverpool). Last season Arsenal had the second best attack and once again the best defence. In fact Arsenal have had three consecutive seasons of improving both the attack and defence, and the splutter in this campaign can primarily be put down to injuries, the biased fixture list and that nonsense with the three red cards early on.
Which reminds me to look at the yellow card table for the season, so far given that the media seem absolutely incapable of mentioning it now that there is no big story about Arsenal getting more and more red cards.
Chelsea have 51 yellow cards so far this season which at current rates will mean that by the end of the campaign they will have 114 yellows. This would beat even last season’s total of 105 yellows and indeed I think it will be an all-time record. Indeed you might remember that in 2021/22 quite a fuss was made when Leeds United reached the giddy heights of 101 cards. Now no one seems to mind – which is rather different from the discussion about three red cards for Arsenal.
As for yellows Arsenal have 35 so far. Only Everton and Brentford have fewer, which somehow doesn’t get mentioned very much. Likewise, we might note that Newcastle have almost twice as many yellow cards for fouls from home matches than they do from away games. One wonders what on earth is going on.
But then PGMO… it’s a funny old organisation.
Without Saka, we can kiss those STATs goodbye, unless we go hard in the transfer market for a “world class” attacker with similar STATs.
Im looking forward to seeing Nwaneri getting more game time starting with Ipswich in Saka’s absence.