Arsenal are level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League and they are going strongly in the Champions League and EFL Cup. Could this be their year, or is it another false dawn?
This is not the first time Arsenal have started strongly in recent years. In 2013/14 they went 12 games without losing after a defeat by Aston Villa on the opening day, and the mind also drifts back to 2007/08, when Wenger’s men opened with a 21-game unbeaten streak. In both those seasons, as in so many others, their title challenges fell away.
Arsenal’s goalless draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday took some of the sheen off their strong start to the season. Arsene Wenger’s men had put six goals past Ludogorets at the Emirates Stadium just three days earlier, but they were unable to break down Boro’s packed defence on their return to domestic action.
It was a frustrating afternoon, but optimism is still the overriding emotion around the club. The Gunners look a different side from the one that was beaten 4-3 by Liverpool on the opening day of the season. They are unbeaten in eight Premier League games since that shambolic afternoon in August. In all competitions, they have only lost one of their last 22.
Wenger can take particular encouragement from their squad depth. This week’s EFL Cup win over Reading was not the first time Arsenal’s second-string have impressed against lower-league opposition, but their options have been significantly boosted after a summer of big spending.
It’s noticeable at the back. Central defence has been a weak spot for Arsenal over the last 10 years, but Shkodran Mustafi has slotted in nicely next to the consistently excellent Laurent Koscielny, and Rob Holding has provided another alternative to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista. Arsenal look stronger as a result, taking eight clean sheets from their first 14 games of the campaign.
David Ospina is an able deputy to Petr Cech in goal, and there is healthy competition between Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs at left-back. The right-back spot is perhaps where Arsenal are lightest, but Hector Bellerin has shown himself to be an outstanding first-choice, and Carl Jenkinson returned to the frame with an encouraging display against Reading in midweek.
The statistics throw up warning signs too. The speed and variety of Arsenal’s new-look attack has been devastating at times, but a lack of creativity was an issue against Middlesbrough, and their chance creation is down from 12.3 per game last season to 10.6 this season. According to Opta, clear-cut chances are down from 2.3 per game to 1.2.
Arsenal’s attacking stats
| Stat | 2015/16 | 2016/17 |
|---|---|---|
| Chances created p/g | 12.3 | 10.6 |
| Clear-cut chances created p/g | 2.3 | 1.2 |
| Shot conversion rate | 15.6% | 20.7% |
| Goals scored p/g | 1.7 | 2.1 |
Arsenal have offset that with improved finishing (their shot conversion rate of 20.7 per cent is the best in the Premier League), but no side sustained such a high conversion rate across the whole of last season, and it might become an issue if the forwards start to fluff their lines.
The next few weeks should tell us a lot more about this Arsenal side’s credentials. The Gunners have averaged fewer points per game in November than in any other month under Wenger, and this year their schedule includes clashes with Tottenham and Manchester United in the Premier League and Paris Saint-Germain in Europe.
