Previously ahead of today’s game…
By Tony Attwood
The BBC commentators feel that they have seen a real change of style for Arsenal with the new players brought in this summer, announcing rather pompously, I thought, that, “For a long time, hoofing the ball upfield was something associated with teams lower down the leagues,” and implying that this was what Arsenal were doing – which I certainly don’t think was true at all.
But, they continue, “recent incomings in the form of Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres for Arsenal, as well as the Manchester City duo of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Erling Haaland, suggest a more direct approach from both teams.
“Along with launching goal-kicks, there has been a deliberate effort from both teams to get up the field quickly – through ground passing or dribbling.”
Well, yes, I suppose to an extent that’s about right, but I think that what is really making this team tick is the fact that the players are able to move to attack from defence very quickly indeed, while (and this is the key point I think) still leaving behind them a defence which simply does not concede.
Indeed, if we were to create a league table based not on the number of points gained but on the number of goals conceded it would look, at the top, like this…
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Arsenal | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 9 |
| 4 | Crystal Palace | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 13 | Newcastle United | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 12 | Manchester City | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Now, just in case you are tempted to say that this is a flash in the pan, a chance event, more to do with who we have played than anything else, allow me, if I may, to go back to last season after four games had been played. In doing this, what we find is that Arsenal were once again top of the league by this admittedly slightly unusual measure.
For the fact is that Arsenal have been working on this “none shall pass” approach for some time. Here is the situation at the four game mark (ie before opposition defenders had had a chance to take out so many of our team) last season.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Arsenal | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| 6 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 1 | Manchester City | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
In fact, to take matters further, we can look at the table at the end of last season, but now written out in the order of goals against. And again I want to stress that I do know that it is points that count, but I would still add that if one keeps out the goals, the results will follow.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Arsenal | 38 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 69 | 34 | 35 | 74 |
| 1 | Liverpool | 38 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 86 | 41 | 45 | 84 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 43 | 21 | 69 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 72 | 44 | 28 | 71 |
| 13 | Everton | 38 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 42 | 44 | -2 | 48 |
The simple fact is that at this moment of writing, a few hours before the game begins, Arsenal have the best defensive record (just one goal conceded), and the fourth best number of goals scored (with a home game in hand about to be played this afternoon) in the whole Premier League.
To spell it out, (since the media don’t quite seem to have got this) Arsenal have scored nine and conceded just the one.
Now I am not sure I have ever quoted Aljazeera before, but they popped up on my news feed today with a fairly comprehensible commentary, so I thought to make a change, I’d quote their team prediction. On Manchester City, they say “Rayan Cherki remains out with muscle issues, while Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are also absent.”
Their Arsenal team prediction is
Raya;
Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori;
Merino, Zubimendi, Rice;
Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli
They also add that, “There is a chance that forward Bukayo Saka, midfielder Martin Odegaard and defender Ben White could all participate this weekend for the Gunners after recent injuries.”
The Standard goes with just one change from the above, bringing in Eberechi Eze
Raya;
Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori;
Merino, Zubimendi, Rice;
Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze
and Goal agrees with that totally.
So there we are. As ever, I hope for a win, but even if something goes amiss, the ref has lost his glasses, or an earthquake in the second half gives ManC an unexpected downhill advantage, I still think Arsenal are adopting approaches that are looking particularly exciting, not just for today, but for the whole season..
