- The variance of referees: Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
- Nottingham Forest v Arsenal: the injuries and why some clubs suffer more than others
- Nottingham Forest v Arsenal: a question of balance
By Bulldog Druymmond
It is strange but true, that although Arsenal have won 55 games against Forest and lost only 29, if Arsenal win tonight it will be the first time since 1990 that Arsenal have won consecutive away league games against the tree dwellers.
Now that is a pretty trivial issue, and a rather eccentric one given the dominance of Arsenal over Forest through recent years, but of course this is what the media always look for when it comes to Arsenal, and indeed this is what the BBC leads with in its preview of the game.
The Corporation also point out “Arsenal could win consecutive away league games against Nottingham Forest for the first time since a run of four victories between 1987 and 1990.” It’s a trivial point as I say, but it is a negative in terms of Arsenal and that is what the media constantly seek.
In their team news summing up they add, “Ethan Nwaneri is available for Arsenal, with his withdrawal during Saturday’s loss against West Ham a result of cramp. Ben White made his comeback as a late substitute in that game, but Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended and Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are not yet ready to return from hamstring problems.”
Elsewhere in their rundown they note that Forest have conceded ” two or more goals in five of their six most recent matches in all competitions. It only happened five times in their first 23 fixtures this season.” So something shakey is happening at the back it seems.
And indeed this is why if we look at the last 10 games table at the moment Arsenal are top and Forest sixth, but when we look at the table based on the last six games we find that Arsenal are third and Forest are 13th. Both sides have slipped of late, but the slip for Forest has been significantly the worst of the two.
On the other hand that hasn’t really hampred their ability to win at home, having gained five wins in their last six PL home games. In fact erratic is the only word to use for them of late in the league. Their one win in the last four was a 7-0 victory over Brighton, but in the other three games (all of which were lost) they have conceded 11 and scored four.
So in fact a real Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde club at the moment. In their first 20 home league games they won five matches. And then in the next six they also won five. The question is which of the two Robert Louis Stevenson characters will be on show tonight.
One thing for Arsenal to watch out for in particular tonight is, however, their propensity for scoring from outside the penalty area which they have done more than any other club this season. Still with a bit of luck Ben White should be back to help organise the back line and put a stop to that habit.
Obviously Arsenal now look to start a new run of games without a defeat (the previous run, ending on Saturday, was 15 games long. The last time Arsenal lost two in a row was December 2023 with a home defeat to West Ham, and an away defeat to Fulham. This was in fact then followed by a home defeat in the FA Cup to Liverpool on 7 January 2024. In each game the opposition scored two.
But our away form is something to behold: since 10 November 2024 Arsenal have played eight away games, won five and drawn three. The goals scored have been 19, the goals conceded have been seven.
Of course what Arsenal really need to do is to get the opening goal, since so far this season the club has not lost a single league match after scoring first. The BBC also give us one other snippet we’ve missed, “Mikel Arteta’s side have won nine successive Premier League with kick-offs at 7pm or later.”
I’m not sure that tells us much so I’ll end with something that might. The only player to score home and away goals in the same Premier League season against an opponent while under the age of 18 was Wayne Rooney who did it against Arsenal of all people in 2002/3. (Wayne Rooney is now resident coach at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai).
More seriously perhaps we may note that Ethan Nwaneri scored his first Premier League goal in the game against Forest earlier this season, so he could possibly be looking for a repeat tonight.
