Comparing points and goals with this moment last season

42 Replies to “Comparing points and goals with this moment last season”

1. This time last season we had conceded 8 against United and 6 against Blackburn. If you take those 2 results into consideration our defence this year is, on a whole, a hell of a lot worse. Goes to show having an ex-Arsenal centre half as assistant manager is not going to help unless you actually put extra work on defence into the training sessions. Last nights defensive performance against Liverpool was embarrassing. Vermaelen and Mertesacker both looking like defensive liabilities. Santos and the word defender shouldn’t even be in the same sentence, unless the words ‘rubbish’ or ‘inept’ are also present

2. Alan,
   If we take those 8 goals scored by utd away also they have 8 goals less of course. I don’t think we can take games out of it. Then where do you stop?

3. 57-52=5, not 4. (Regarding Manchester City.)

   I was doing a similar look at the statistics before Liverpool match and both our attacking and defensive record suggest that we belong into Top Four.

   Where is the catch?

   Goals scored – this one is tricky. It seems we have improved since the last season but structure of goals scored would put a different light on it. We have scored 48 goals so far, it’s true, but let us not forget that we scored 28 goals (7 against Newcastle, 6 against Southampton, 5 against Reading, Tottenham and West Ham) in just five matches. We had five games in which we averaged almost six goals but we also scored just 20 goals in the other 19 matches which is just a little bit over one goal per game. This data says a lot about our non-existing consistency. There is one more thing: our defenders rarely score these days.

   Goals conceded – true, we did make an improvement when we compare this season and 2011-12. Statistics are like bikini – they allow you to see everything except the most important thing. At this stage last season we had conceded 34 goals but 8 came in that horrible match at Old Trafford, 4 against Blackburn, 3 against Chelsea and 3 against Swansea (18 goals in four matches – 4,5 per game) with 16 goals conceded in the other 20 matches. Two goals were conceded against Liverpool, Tottenham, FAnchester United at home and Fulham which leaves us with 8 goals conceded in other 16 matches. We kept clean sheet 8 times.
   This season we didn’t concede more than three goals in any match. Funny thing: we conceded three goals against Fulham and Newcastle but we didn’t lose none of those matches. That leaves us with 23 goals distributed over 22 matches. We conceded twice against FAnchester United, Manchester City, both times against Chelsea, against Tottenham, against Reading, in home defeat against Swansea and last night against Liverpool. We have kept clean sheet against Sunderland, Stoke, Liverpool, QPR, West Brom, Wigan and Aston Villa – one time less than at this stage last season.

4. And, regarding taking games out of the statistics – here is the point: it is disturbing to concede 8 against FAnchester United in one game but it is far worse to concede two goals in four games that you lose. Why? That FAnchester United game is worth three points while those four carry 12.

5. taking your figures above it looks like Chelsea have improved defensively and there is an error in your table, it should be +5 not -5.

   but thanks for the hard work anyway 🙂

6. Ok I just corrected those things. Thanks for noticing. Too much rushing is not good…

7. @Alan,
   Apart from the first sentence of your 11.21 am (I’m not a great fan of stats) I go along 100% with what you say.
   I was one of many that thought Steve was the key towards a drilled, disciplined defence division, but so far it hasn’t worked out like that.
   There’s still time but not much time. I am left wondering what the rest of today will bring.

8. why are you guys wasting time talking about stats? it means nothing. Stats can change at the drop of a hat, therefore, it is not a reliable measure of a team’ performance.

   Now let us go unto the bits you guys at UNTOLD dont want to hear – good players are the best measure of how well a team will play, and thus far, this Jan window, wenger has refused to buy them. Instead we persist with this laughable comic defending you will not even see on a school pitch. In all my years of following Arsenal (42 to be precise)I have never seen such bad defending by an Arsenal team, and it is not just about individual errors, the style of play does not lend itself to good defending, because Wenger generally buy defenders who attacks (but cannot really defend)except Pers was a panic buy.

   Now lets go for it:

   WENGER IS RUBBISH!!!!!!!

9. joe61
   Why shouldn’t we look at the stats? If you don’t want to then fine, don’t bother. So who is wasting their time?

10. Stuart,
    You’re right. Statistics matter. It’s which ones, mate. So here’s one (adopted from Arse2Mouse’s informative posting today:) the aggregate scoreline in first halves over the last ten games is Arsenal 4-10 Opponents; in the second halves of the same ten games, the aggregate scoreline reads Arsenal 19-6 Opponents.

11. Walter,
    Yeoman work on the stats front. But let’s compare Hopes over the last 3 seasons. Here’s a pertinent thought from a posting today from Yankee Gunner blog: “I think the real source of [fans’] frustration stems from a deeper desire for the club to do something that demonstrates a level of ambition that goes beyond qualifying for a competition we can’t win.” Stats or no stats, do you disagree?

12. Statistics are not a prediction of the future however they can give us an insight into what has happened without the emotion.

    Bob, that is an interesting stat. It tells us what has happened and used correctly, the people at Arsenal can use them to improve our results.

13. The timing of the goals is important. Last year we conceded 8 goals in a single game but lost only 3 points. This year, we are losing goals in various games, costing us many points.

14. Stuart,
    Yes, constructive criticism from a place of loving this side ought to be welcomed and not confused with hatred of this website or Arsenal’s aspirations. I’ve come to see that the aspirations are gradually diminishing (as I cite at 2:29 above, from the Yankee Gunner blog today). But to me, the source of the diminution is closer to home, and located within the bean-counting fiscal policies of the current owner/board/management regime. I’m not keen on deluging us (yet again) with that whole (and admittedly partial) analysis which has been argued ad nauseum hereabouts. Today my fervent wish is for this very grouping to locate and summon the collective belief, quality, over desire to do well, hard work, commitment – in sum, all the values that Arsene says exists on the pitch – and bring it to bear in the waning hours of this transfer window. The chance to do so did not begin today. It was well known in August that the January window would be a chance to truly fill the holes that the departing quality players left behind. To my lights, that commitment has been woefully lacking. There’s still a few hours to make a step in that direction…

15. If we’ve improved, it shows how bad we were, which means we needed to be more proactive in restructuring. Yet here we are again, same spot. Next year, rinse and repeat

16. @josif, @sammy the snake,

    Indeed! Next time Arsenal are a goal up, we should instruct them not to score any more so as to save the goals for the next match, so we can spread them across more points’ worth of games.

    And if we take all the goals scored in games the team went on to lose and redistribute them to our draws, we’ll pick up a lot more points!

    I can’t imagine why the team hasn’t spent more energy working on the timing of the goals, can you?

17. @rusty, I would find your sarcasm funny if it was funny (unfortunately, it isn’t).

    Walter tried to compare points and goals from this season and the previous one in order to prove that we didn’t decline at all comparing to last season. It’s not odd given that this blog wants to put positive light on everything regarding Arsenal. Unfortunately, this analysis, with all due respect for hard-work on it, was far-fetched attempt and it usually happens when you make a conclusion and then search for evidences to prove it.

    Deeper insight in stats proves we lack consistency in both attacking and defending.

    Of course, hiding the truth behind cheap sarcasm is sometimes the best solution, isn’t it?

18. Walter,
    My respect for your work on refshite and UA courage on issues of corruption and racism are great. That said, imo, the “coverage” on transfers and personnel over the last two seasons are so careful and safe as to be inadequate to the moment. That continues today – watchful waiting. There is no advocacy beforehand; no getting out ahead of the club, which I don’t find constructive to the best analysis on UA’s part or for the thinking readership.

    IF AFC (hopefully) fills some needs today, my fear is that UA is going to write: “Oh you see! And supposedly we are the team/AW is the boss that does not spend! Well, then: look at x, y, z! The Boss always proves them wrong, those doom and gloomer naysayers”

    If AFC do not spend in this window, the line I expect will be: “Well our statistics have proven that we did not have to spend, as we’re just as good as we were in ______, (fill in the blank).”

    As the hours tick down, I hope for the former editorial line, because then our celebration will occur because we have truly filled some of our actual dire needs.

19. One poster commented that the stats do not matter.

    Whilst arguably correct concerning the content of this article, he is of course incorrect about the season as a whole.

    I also disagree about this post, which is reallt quite interesting and should inform those at AFC who care about making improvements.
    {That said, the obvious improvement is to win games}.

    I still think that we can win the league this year. No dropped points from now on and we finish with 90 – one more than ManC won it with last season.

    That would be a good statistic to see.

20. @Matt

    Even if Arsenal won all it’s games, it would only be 80 points. 38 + 42 = 80!

21. Do we serve Nachos in the Emirates? 😉

22. Walter,

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JiEk1zew0UE

23. Ignacio Monreal Eraso – walter ,trust AW to sign another player whose name is quite a mouthful !Was he in the 80+ list of players we were (allegdedly) interested in ?
    @ Shard – buenos nachos !

24. Brickfields, he wasn’t as far as I know. 🙂

    LOL all the “In The Knows” were wrong once again.

    Of course you can expect a welcome article about him later today. First we have to eat a bit I think.

25. Have this as my screensaver from the end of last season (someone had posted it here on UA ) .Just to remind us all.

    ARSENAL

    Worst start to a season in 58 years.

    Sold last season’s most influential player .Sold our captain .
    Lost our most promising player for the whole season due to injury .
    Lost 8-2 to Manchester United .Lost to Blackburn ,Wigan ,QPR,
    Swansea & Fulham .
    Lost every game in January .Injury crisis sees us without fullbacks for over a month .

    STILL FINISHED ABOVE SPURS .

    Happy St.Totteringham’s Day !

    Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it !C’est la vie !

    ‘The more things change, the more they remain the same’ is attributable to Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (1908 – 1990). Karr’s actual words were: ‘plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’ (Les Guêpes)

    Karr’s words have been quoted by several other luminaries, from George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill and now by the Brickfields Gunners !

26. Thanks Walter , don’t you just hate it when Le Prof goes on to do the opposite of what the ‘learned masses ‘( I’m using this term very ,very ,loosely!) were demanding !
    I too felt a right boob !I also felt the left too! Woo Hoo !
    Up the Gunners !

27. Left back signing is a good move. Squad building continues nicely. Defence needs a bit of help, but not as bad as the media portrays. Title next season is what I thought at the beginning of this season. I wonder what odds I will get?

28. @Matt Clarke, win the league this year! That gave me the biggest laugh for a while. Are you in the real world? Seriously you must be deluded.

    I have the solution to Arsenal’s problems. We have to start the second half at the beginning of the game. In essence play the game backwards.

29. @bob
    Dats d’ UA way. Wait till arsene does something then go into overdrive to explain the ingenuity of the move. If arsene doesnt do anything, same. I and some other commenters hav tried to get them to have an opinion, like in the walcott and rvp issues. Because frankly its irritating to hear the cooked up explanations they give with benefit of hindsight

30. No he wasn’t on the list of likely signings probably because if Gibbs hadn’t got injured he wouldn’t have been signed. If Arsenal want to sign anyone they can but it’s too often reactive and not proactive.

31. @brickfields
    U kno wat wenger can do dat is d’opposite of wat d’learned mass think that i’d like? WIN A F*****G trophy, even a spoon will do

32. And brickfields, i hope for your sakes we weren’t looking @monreal all this while, cos if we were? It’d be a real shame we took the entire window to make such a low profile signing. Must really be tough to get players to come to this “non-league headed”(i used the term loosely) team, right?

33. Arsenal have won trophies recently.

    We make up our own competitions and win em. The Emirates Cup.

    Far better than the spoon you wish for.

34. Hehehehe, tasos i’d’rather win a spoon that i didnt cook up

35. @uk, I wouldn’t call Monreal low profile signing. He is a Spanish international left full-back (and we all know how good Spanish national team is) who might make Gibbs sitting on the bench even when he returns from injury. Spanish players are the best in the world at this moment which is something self-centered English media should had learn by now (Cazorla, Arteta, Silva, Mata, Michu…and we have seen that Ulloa won’t be bad purchase for Brighton either).

36. I think he’s a very good signing. I’ve heard that he was going to be a summer purchase but the need for a left back was so pressing that we went for him early.

37. @josif
    Well i did say i believe he is a good player. Definitely hope he’s’better than gibbs. I dont think he’s as good as cashley or baines( else i believe we’d’hav heard of him, and we’d’hav had more caps for spain, considering they really arent that blessed in that department), all in all i wish him the best. Though I wished we’d spent the £14m+(for him and santos) on a more renowned leftback eg baines

38. @SammytheSnake:
    ah yes, thanks :s

    @Rupert Cook
    Deluded am I?
    Delusions are distinct from belief-based systems of thought.
    So, I may be deluded – that is, the evidence (and the maths :p) may suggest that we will not win the league this season, but that does not stop me beliving that we CAN.

    As you attack me I will offer that your problem is that you do not support Arsenal.

39. @ UK – I already own a lot of spoons and am not in the market
    for another !

    As most I would love Arsenal to win everything in sight with class,beauty and panache , and not to buy trophies – there would be no honour in that .

    ” Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” Timothy 6.12

    I’m prepared to wait for that day and am in no hurry nor need to pass judgement on AW’s ambitions for this club . And until he leaves on his own accord,he has my undivided support .

    “Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.”
    VOLTAIRE

40. @Matt Clarke, don’t be silly. If you think we’re going to win the league I think you’ve been watching another team. What’s calling you deluded got to do with supporting Arsenal?

    I want us to win every game but having seen a lot of performances this season I think only someone with a very loose grip on sanity would suggest we could win the league. Are Manu and City going to stop winning? Are we going to win every game?

    I think even at the risk of being called a witch for being able to foretell the future I can safely say we wont finish higher than fourth.

41. @uk, I’d disagree regarding Spanish lack of left full-backs – Monreal’s main rival for that position is Jordi Alba who was selected in a lot of teams of the year 2012.

    However, Baines and Cashley are already proven in Premiership while our Nacho is yet to prove his worth. At least we will be spared of Santos’ presence in Premiership and FA Cup.

42. @josif
    Forgive me but i dont think monreal is competing wit alba, i think he’s back up to alba. You know any other spanish leftback of repute? Mind you, alba is at best, an above average leftback. When you win a tournament as big as the euros or play for a club as big and widely watched as barca or madrid, you’l probably be selected in teams of tournaments/years ala dani alves, marcelo in fifpro team of the year. Though a lot of the times, it is so because you’v got to be good to get in those teams. But sometimes, those teams just dont hav any better players in that position, eg santos for brazil