- 100 consecutive seasons in the first division: An Arsenal record and a football record
- The58 players Arsenal are currently chasing; 10 new and updated reports
By Tony Attwood
You might be excused for not knowing, because the media utterly refuse to mention such things in relation to Arsenal, but the forthcoming season not only marks 100 years since Herbert Chapman came to Arsenal but also 100 consecutive seasons for Arsenal in the first division.
If you would like to read a little more about the 100 consecutive years and how it started, we have an article on the Arsenal History Society site rather logically called: 100 Consecutive Years in the First Division.
So this is an important moment in Arsenal’s history, but it is of course also a moment in which we focus on the forthcoming season. And in doing so, I know we have run this before, but it is worth repeating since most publications really don’t like the fact that the data reveals. Last season, Arsenal had by far the most injuries to their team of any club in the league. Hence, the desire to increase the squad size
The average number of injuries that Premier League clubs had last season was 15.2, ranging from West Ham with six to Arsenal with 27. In fact, the nearest club to Arsenal for the number of injuries was Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham Hots each of whom had 22. And yet Arsenal still came second in the League despite being ravaged by injuries in a way that no other team suffered.
These long-term injuries could be caused by any number of factors, of course, ranging from the way opposition clubs and referees treat Arsenal players compared with players of other teams, to Arsenal’s training methods and Arsenal’s style of play. We can’t get our hands on enough data to make such comparisons (although the media do suggest injuries are often Arsenal’s fault), so we are left with the Physioroom‘s Premier League Injury Table 2024/25 as a source and can’t go much further.
But whatever the cause, the only sensible thing for Arsenal to do is to have a bigger squad, which means fill up the 25 places, and have as large a number of under-21s as possible ready to step into the gap if the coming season is anything like last season.
The squad lists are published by the Premier League at the start of the season, showing the players aged 21+ who count towards the 25 maximum players, and then the Under 21 list known as “contract and scholars.”
Last season, Arsenal had 22 players listed out of a possible 25 in the main list – only Manchester City registered a lower number (21). Those with the same number of registered players as Arsenal were Liverpool, Manchester United, and West Ham (each with 22). With the greater number of players were Everton and Tottenham (23 each), Brentford, Chelsea, Palace, Fulham, Leicester, Forest, and Wolverhampton (24 each), while at the top end were Ipswich, Newcastle and Southampton (25 each).
This summer, Arsenal are of course, moving some of their players on, including Jorginho, Marquinhos, Partey, Tavares, Tierney, and Tomiyasu.
As a result, what (as others have begun to notice) we now have is a set-up with two players for each position.
———-
Raya or Arrizabalaga
Timber or White, Saliba or Mosquera, Gabriel or Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly or Calafiori
Odegaard or Nwaneri, Norgaard or Zubimendi, Rice or Merino
Saka or Madueke, Gyokeres or Havertz, Martinelli or Trossard
——-
I am really not sure I have seen anything like this before – and if this is what the manager has in mind, this could be sensational in two respects. First, it means that if any player gets a knock which diminishes his performance, he can be replaced by his automatic backup in the game, remembering there can be nine players on the bench this season.
Second it means that players are not going to get overplayed, so the relentless two games a week regime, which we get once the Champions League and League Cup begin, can be kept under control.
But with this range of players it is also possible to contemplate changing the regular 4-3-3 formation into something else. The opposition only get the team sheet one hour before the game and they have to work out what formation Arsenal are using – a variation from the 4-3-3 might not become clear until the kick off.
And then of course if something goes wrong and Arsenal are behind with maybe just 20 minutes to go, the opposition defence can be truly unsettled by having both Havertz and Gyokeres on the pitch at once – and maybe even bringing Jesus on when he returns ext year.
And of course the same applies in midfield – but again, what we have now is not only a chance to vary the line-up if the opposition have the measure of them, but to replace any of the players. And given the number of ways that we have seen Rice can play, we could have a different arrangement implemented even without changing the players.
In short, although the opposition will have the opening team sheet one hour before the game, it might well not tell them that much about how the game will operate. Plus we now have proper cover for whatever injuries the club picks up – which could be a lot if referees allow the opposition to do what they were allowed to do last season.
And all this without taking into account the number of positions some of our players can play in, and the fact that the opposition on seeing them in the line-up up will probably have no idea where he is going to be.
Now in addition to all that, none of us actually knows how Gyokeres is going to play and whether he will be knocking in the goals as he did before: 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting in fact.
So although we might take it that Havertz will drop off to make way for him seems reasonable. Imagine what will happen when Arsenal get a corner, with Saka and Gyokeres lurking. If both are fully marked, that is going to leave places elsewhere.
We know of course, the media call Arsenal predictable – without actually contemplating that if Arsenal are as predictable as they say, how come the club has managed to end up second in the league three years running? Surely someone ought to have spotted what they do by now.
But logic has never been a strong point for our football journalists so we really might be able to see some interesting results this year. I’m rather looking forward to this.
.
‘ I’m rather looking forward to this’.
So am I, so am I, so am I!
With maybe the usual exceptions so say all of us.
TBH neither of the events you mention in the first paragraph is of particular interest outside of the Arsenal Universe or worth the time of media reporting. And I say this as a supporter of 70 years.
This new season , looks like we may have filled in all our blanks . And even more to come if we are aggressive .
Up the Gunners !