It’s not arduous to see why Arsenal are actually many individuals’s favourites to win the Premier League this season.
Take their outcomes towards Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham and Crystal Palace in comparison with these matches within the earlier marketing campaign.
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The Gunners have overwhelmed all of them this time round, however dropped 10 factors throughout these video games as they fell away within the title race final season.
A draw at Fulham, one other at dwelling to Palace, whereas they misplaced at Newcastle and had been overwhelmed at dwelling by West Ham.
It meant the Gunners completed second for a second successive season, this time with a 10-point deficit to champions Liverpool, exhibiting simply how essential such outcomes are to the ultimate consequence.
What’s much more spectacular about Arsenal’s begin to the marketing campaign is that they have additionally performed Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from dwelling and Manchester Metropolis at dwelling – and are nonetheless 4 factors clear on the prime from Bournemouth.
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Whereas they maintain successful, their conventional rivals aren’t faring so nicely. In actual fact, is is the primary time at this stage of this season since 1992 that none of Manchester Metropolis and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are within the Premier League prime 4.
“It’s fascinating as a result of there are some misconceptions we now have and that’s true with Arsenal. Individuals name them set-piece FC and all that,” former Metropolis defender Nedum Onouha advised BBC Radio 5 Reside.
“However they’re up there with groups with probably the most pictures within the Premier League and had the fewest objectives conceded, conceded the fewest probabilities and the fewest pictures.
“They’re sensible. They sit prime of the league and so they need to be there.”
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The stress was on boss Mikel Arteta initially, having spent round £250m on eight summer season signings seeking that elusive first title since 2004.
However the enterprise has up to now paid off in type, along with his facet second prime scorers within the league and having the tightest defence, regardless of a lot of accidents.
“Arsenal can do a little bit of all the things now. The entire crew has a concern issue.” former Gunners striker Theo Walcott added on BBC Sport. “Persons are simply afraid of them and it’s nice to see.
“It is beginning to now be regular that they do not concede objectives. They are going to have a nasty patch and final 12 months it was too many attracts, however I do not suppose that is going to occur this 12 months. There may be perception in the entire membership now.”
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Ex-Arsenal and England striker Ellen White described Arteta’s males as a “juggernaut, wanting tough to cease”.
Stats present power in defence & assault
Arsenal’s defensive solidity is a key cause why they’re wanting nicely positioned to lastly fulfil their title goal.
Arteta himself mentioned he valued the win over Palace extra “than another victory this season”, and with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester Metropolis dropping, Arsenal had “an enormous alternative as nicely with the issues that occurred throughout this weekend”.
“We’re the place we’re [in the league] and it’s a credit score to us as a result of we have been very, very constant, nevertheless it actually doesn’t suggest something apart from let’s maintain doing a variety of issues that we’re doing very well,” he added.
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“There are issues to enhance as nicely to offer us higher margins.”
Defensively, his facet rank prime within the league for clear sheets (6), objectives conceded (3), pictures confronted (72), pictures on track confronted (19) and anticipated objectives towards (xGA 5.3).
They restricted Palace to only one shot on track and even that chance was when the ball flicked off of Eddie Nketiah’s head and into keeper David Raya’s fingers.
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the perfect within the league and Arsenal have stored a clear sheet in six of their first 9 video games, greater than another crew this season.
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There’s a slight fear over Saliba’s health as he was withdrawn at half-time, however when summer season arrival Cristhian Mosquera has stepped into the crew, the 21-year-old has appeared an elite centre-back.
Arsenal have stored a clear sheet in every of their final three video games within the Premier League, a run of 385 minutes with out conceding, and have solely let in three objectives in 12 video games in all competitions this season.
“The sample for Arsenal is that they’ll play anybody and get outcomes. The champions of outdated do not concede many objectives and Arsenal have perception they’re going to make an opportunity and so they’ll take it.” mentioned Walcott.
“It has been a weekend of poor outcomes for groups you’d anticipate to win.
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“Arsenal’s dangerous spell this 12 months have been not enjoying nicely however nonetheless getting outcomes. I believe that is all the way down to Mikel [Arteta] – he is actually making an attempt to get the extent 100% targeted all through the sport.”
Set-piece kings
Their risk from set-pieces is well-known, however opposition groups nonetheless do not know find out how to include the Gunners from the alternatives they get.
They’ve scored essential objectives in matches towards Manchester United, Newcastle, Fulham and Atletico Madrid from set-pieces and people objectives have seen them decide up important wins, or Gabriel opened the scoring towards Atletico when it appeared like there was no method by way of.
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Opposing managers have highlighted Arsenal’s high quality from corners and free-kicks and, in Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, they’ve two of the perfect takers within the league.
They’ve scored 11 instances from set-pieces within the league, two greater than another facet (Chelsea, 9) and 69% (11/16) of their objectives in 2025-26 have come from them too.
Arsenal will hope to attain extra from open play, however having the very best ratio of objectives from set-pieces at this stage, whereas being prime, isn’t any dangerous factor.
