By Bulldog Drummond
Arsenal have played Norwich 61 times in competitive games, winning 30, drawing 20, and losing just 11.
Taking in the last 21 of these games we find that the results have been:
- Norwich wins: 1
- Drawn games: 8
- Arsenal wins: 12
Here are the details…
| Date | Match | Res | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Mar 1993 | Norwich City v Arsenal | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 26 Oct 1993 | Arsenal v Norwich City | D | 1-1 | League Cup |
| 30 Oct 1993 | Arsenal v Norwich City | D | 0-0 | Premier League |
| 10 Nov 1993 | Norwich City v Arsenal | W | 0-3 | League Cup |
| 13 Feb 1994 | Norwich City v Arsenal | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 10 Sep 1994 | Norwich City v Arsenal | D | 0-0 | Premier League |
| 01 Apr 1995 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 5-1 | Premier League |
| 28 Aug 2004 | Norwich City v Arsenal | W | 1-4 | Premier League |
| 02 Apr 2005 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 4-1 | Premier League |
| 19 Nov 2011 | Norwich City v Arsenal | W | 1-2 | Premier League |
| 05 May 2012 | Arsenal v Norwich City | D | 3-3 | Premier League |
| 20 Oct 2012 | Norwich City v Arsenal | L | 1-0 | Premier League |
| 13 Apr 2013 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 3-1 | Premier League |
| 19 Oct 2013 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 4-1 | Premier League |
| 11 May 2014 | Norwich City v Arsenal | W | 0-2 | Premier League |
| 29 Nov 2015 | Norwich City v Arsenal | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 30 Apr 2016 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 1-0 | Premier League |
| 24 Oct 2017 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 2-1 | League Cup |
| 01 Dec 2019 | Norwich City v Arsenal | D | 2-2 | Premier League |
| 01 Jul 2020 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 4-0 | Premier League |
| 11 Sep 2021 | Arsenal v Norwich City | W | 1-0 | Premier League |
Taking a look just at the away games to give a clearer reflection on this Boxing Day game, we see one defeat, five draws and four wins.
Arsenal should also be boosted by their last four games in which Arsenal have scored 14 and conceded two.
| Date | Match | Res | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Dec 2021 | Arsenal v Southampton | W | 3-0 | Premier League |
| 15 Dec 2021 | Arsenal v West Ham United | W | 2-0 | Premier League |
| 18 Dec 2021 | Leeds United v Arsenal | W | 1-4 | Premier League |
| 21 Dec 2021 | Arsenal v Sunderland | W | 5-1 | League Cup |
while Norwich has one draw and three defeats. Their goal achievement has been one scored and seven have been conceded
| Date | Match | Res | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Nov 2021 | Newcastle United v Norwich City | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 05 Dec 2021 | Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City | L | 3-0 | Premier League |
| 11 Dec 2021 | Norwich City v Manchester United | L | 0-1 | Premier League |
| 14 Dec 2021 | Norwich City v Aston Villa | L | 0-2 | Premier League |
We might also draw on the thoughts of WhoScored who provide some interesting insights…
They perceive our prime strength as the counter attack, and certainly watching to team of late I would agree. We are moving the ball out of defence and into attack incredibly quickly – most particularly aided by Martinelli in this regard. He has four goals and three assists this season.
Beside the counter attacking the website also has us strong in terms of attacking set pieces, shooting direct from free kicks, creating chances through individual skills, creating scoring chances and defending set pieces.
Arsenal’s weaknesses include avoiding offside, but here I would dispute this. Arsenal, like a lot of clubs, play the occasional tactic of having the forward let himself get offside several time, to reduce the opposition defenders focus. They they break through.
They also say that we are poor at avoiding individual errors and defending against long shots. The former of these two may be right, but I think this comes from the age of the team.
There is one other point from the Who Scored pages. They note that for Norwich, opponents play aggressively against them, while for Arsenal their style is “non-aggressive”. Will that make a difference?
- Norwich v Arsenal: the Boxing Day preview part 1
- Football is in the grip of the biggest ever takeover, while Arsenal’s debts are growing
- Are Arsenal on track for the top four at the end of the season?
