For the first time in years, Arsenal come to Old Trafford a point ahead of United, sitting top of the league. Arsenal fans seems to believe that this year they are ready to put up a successful challenge for the title. So I ask the question, are Arsenal much better this year than they were last year?
To start with I’ve looked at this point last season and what it suggests is that actually Arsenal are pretty much unchanged from last year in terms of points gained. Right now they sit top of the league with 32 points after 16 games and a goal difference of +16. For the sake of a visually seeing the top three, this is how it looks at present:
1. Arsenal p.16 – 32 (+16)
2. Man United p.15 – 31 (+19)
3. Chelsea p.16 – 30 (+19)
If we go back one year and address the points of these teams after the same number of games in the 2009/10 season, regardless of the other teams around them, it looked like this:
1. Chelsea p.16 – 37 (+27)
2. Man United p.15 – 34 (+21)
3. Arsenal p.16 – 32 (+22)
As is clear, Arsenal in fact have the same number of points now as they did then. United are 3 points worse off now and Chelsea are a massive 7 points worse off now. So are Arsenal really any different then?
It’s quite easy to make a case for both sides of this argument. No they aren’t all that different – the points say it all and in fact the league table clearly shows that whilst Arsenal have remained consistent from last year, the other two sides have in fact both got weaker. As it happens, Chelsea’s slump was predicted earlier before the season http://www.stretford-end.com/blog/2010/07/stretford-end-com-takes-a-look-at-the-dark-side/ . So in actual fact the current league table is just masking the fact Arsenal haven’t improved and highlights that they are only benefiting from weakened United and Chelsea teams – for the record, United fans, I disagree that United are weaker but for the sake of just comparing the table now, to the table last year, they are.
Or maybe Arsenal are a better side this year. Maybe points don’t mean everything. When clearly the league has become more challenging the mark of a better team is one that keeps a consistent. Whilst their main rivals clearly have slumped Arsenal have in fact remained on a par from last year.
Going beyond solely looking at points – Arsenal still have a young inexperienced team. I stress that I mean inexperienced in terms of having not won anything rather than players who’ve not played at a high level for good teams or their countries. Arsenal have added Chamakh upfront who has probably exceeded expectations so far and in Nasri they have a revitalised talent who has started the season ever so well. They have talented midfieders such as Wilshere who have been given more of a role within the team and like all the other young players, they are a year wiser and more experienced.
However where Arsenal may have taken a step backwards is what lies behind the midfield. Their defence rarely looks like keeping a clean sheet and whilst it might be harsh to judge after not even half a season, neither Koscielny nor Squillaci look like being a long term solution to the centre back problem. Koscielny in fact may end up costing £10m with all the add ons – forgive me if I’m wrong but he rather dispels the myth that Wenger doesn’t like to spend money. Squillaci has in fact been a solid signing, he has experience and has done ok but he often looks like he might make an error and what’s certain is that he would not be getting into the United, Chelsea, Spurs or City defences. The return of Djourou from a long lay off has been a positive move but his return has been coupled with the loss of Vermaelen. Meanwhile Clichy doesn’t look anything like the player many thought he would turn out to be but Sagna has in fact performed very well. The loss of Gallas has possibly been bigger than anyone thought it would be.
The goalkeeper problems of last year remain unsolved. Almunia’s continued to make errors and whilst Fabianski is starting to show he is a decent keeper he too has been far from solid in every game he’s played. What Arsenal lack in the first team they have in their Reserve and 3rd choice keeper – Wojciech Szczęsny. Anyone within the club or clued in to football will know how excited Arsenal are by their young Pole. Wenger did however fail to bring Schwarzer to the club in the summer, an experienced goalkeeper for two years would have been the perfect foil for Szczęsny.
One big issue with Arsenal has been and remains their mentality. It would be silly to ignore the fact it’s been 5+ years now without a trophy (the Emirates Cup doesn’t count) and the squad is therefore bereft of ‘winners’. Arsenal seem to have a problem crossing the finishing line and believing they can actually win something. I always felt that Wenger should have signed a few more experienced players who have been successful to help guide the team. It would be foolish to adopt the Alan Hansen route of “you win nothing with kids” – what he should have said was “you win nothing with kids who aren’t being guided” – or something like that. Arsenal need someone on the pitch who can pull the team through matches, in the same way Cantona guided the Fergie Fledglings. That’s not to say Arsenal won’t win the league because of that, but it would certainly help. It’s refreshing (in a positive way) and also desperate to see Wenger finally take the Carling Cup seriously – they have a great chance of finally winning a trophy now, even if it’s just the League Cup it will be a massive step in the right direction.
Finally, Arsenal remain and injury-crocked club. Rarely a week goes by without another player injured. One has to wonder if there is something that could be changed in training in order to maintain and condition the players better. It has reached the point where so many injuries are not a fluke. One argument might be that Arsenal have a lot of injury prone players – RVP, Rosicky, Gibbs, Diaby, Walcott etc – players who for one reason or another just can’t seem to stay fit for too long.
So when Man United take on Arsenal on Monday night, will they be facing a better side than they undeservedly beat 2-1 last year? Well, yes, probably but don’t be fooled by what the league table shows – this ultimately a stronger Arsenal squad with young players a year wiser but the same Arsenal flaws remains within the team. What they do have though is a tincy hint of belief and swagger about them – the same cockiness that many United teams in the past have had – I have my own doubts that they can last the season out but it’s going to be the closest they’ve come in a while. They are not to be underestimated.
You can discuss this game on the Arsenal thread on our forum
Question: Are Arsenal really much better this year?
Answer: Dunno. Yet. But we’ll find out over the next few months.
Just seen the poll.anyone who thinks arsenal have improved are delusional.
Fabianski-calamity
Sagna-over-rated and limited
Kachelny-worst ever signing by wenger
Vermalen-gets cleaned out in big games
Clichy-error prone and weak mentally,not even close to evra
Arshavin-the most inconsistent player there.
Fabregas-the so called “captain” who never shows leadership.cowards mentality.never performs when the heat is on.over-rated in every sense.
Rosicky-not good enough,limited
Song-not good enough,over-rated by the likes of Paul merson
Maroinne Chamach-over-rated,a target man with no physical presence,has scored a couple of pissers.limited
Nasri-decent player but at the wrong club.
Arsenals mentality is very poor with united and Chelsea destroying them footballing wise and psychologically as well.from goalkeeper to the toward line I don’t think they have improved.they have lost more games than they did this time last year.the only reason they are top is that we couldn’t play Blackpool.their defence is one of the worst in the league & I expect us to have a go.nani in particular having a good time.
i find it hard to disagree with anything that has been written here.
but i think its clear that arsenal are a better team than they were last year regardless of what the table says. last season when rvp and bendtner were injured, there was a 6 or 7 game period when arhavin was playing as the lone striker. the fact that bendtner (a player who despite his critics has proven international pedigree, and would start for many premier league sides) cant even get near the side anymore demonstrates the strength in depth.
the defence is obviously a massive concern, but djourou is very promising and vermaelen is up there with the best in the league (if/when he ever plays!). but admittedly, kos has done little to inspire confidence that hell be a long-term solution to arsenal’s defensive problems. as far as the midfield goes, there’s few teams in world football with such a vast array of talent. on monday, rosicky, walcott, diaby, denilson, wilshere, ramsey, eboue will all either be on the bench or not in the squad at all.
and regardless, it seems that this season’s defensive problems have inspired the side’s attacking players, reigniting in arsenal the old mantra of “we’ll score one more than you”.
one more fleeting observation: wenger hasn’t suddenly changed his stance on the carling cup. the reserve team still plays accompanied by a couple of younger players and two or three first teamers. for example, the team that beat spurs in the cc had 8 changes from the team that started the preceding game.
arsenal have improved, although not to the extent some would have you believe. defensively arsenal are still weaker than the very best sides in europe (and man city!), but utd and chelsea both seem to have gone backwards, so this year the title is up for grabs
Jez –
Big statement to say Vermaelen is up there with the best in the league – one season proves nothing, often he was remarked for being so good because he scored – he’s a good defender but he’s not quite top yet!
As for the CC – Wenger has mate a clear statement of intent with his selection, it’s much more of a mix of first team and squad players than ever before – no more of the playing people like sanchez watt or jay simpson…he’s doing exactly what Fergie has done in the past few years
I’d disagree that United have gone backwards as well, we’re unbeaten, just been inconsistent….the only difference so far between this season and last is a few defensive errors and Rooney hasn’t started scoring
I agree with most of what you say but Koscielny looks like a great signing who is still very raw. He has great anticipation and wins 99% of headers but makes rookie mistakes as he is new. Squillaci at 30 should be doing better. I hope Djourou gets to start because he looked solid.
The frequency of injuries is baffling (some unlucky and some weird) and we got a new physio. All said and done, I think its going to be a draw against Utd and I would be happy with that.
arsenals defence is one of the worst in the league? actually, its the 4th best. statistically.
and going through an arsenal 11 and saying each player is rubbish is really quite ridiculous isnt it? after all, this is the team thats top of the league. your last comment about nasri “being at the wrong club” just highlights your evidently poor understanding of football.
doz, although he has only played for one season, i dont think its unfair to call vermaelen one of the best in the league. he was the fulcrum of the arsenal defence last year, and as well as scoring important goals, his was an outstanding contribution last season. youd be hard pressed to find a player (vidic excluded) who arsenal fans would be willing to swap to him.
and i do think utd have gone backwards. true they still havent lost, and rooney hasnt hit any form, but the team have barely put together a decent performance, and the midfield looks bare at best. also, evans is not a top level defender (like kos and squillaci) and ferdinand appears to be nearing the end of his time as a top class defender. van der sar is aging noticeably, and with valencia injured, the only real threat utd carry from midfield is from nani.
compare this to arsenal, who have nasri, fabregas, arshavin, rosicky, walcott, wilshere etc etc
whilst we are often accused of having too many small technical players, utd are crying out for someone with guile and creativity.
I am a massive homosexual by the way
Jez – RE United, doesn’t it say something that having only put in a couple of top performances that we’re still up there!! Surely you’d be saying we’ve gone backwards if we were playing well and behind in the race!
As for Evans, you’re just jumping on the media bandwagon, this is the first dip he’s had in his young career, he’s only 22, most defenders mature around 27/28 – he had loads of time on his side and for United in his career, his good performances far far outweigh his poor ones – his biggest test is how he reacts now to get himself out of this bad run. Rio still has time, everytime he’s played this year he’s looked class, yep he won’t have long left but for now it’s fine.
United’s midfield threat is different from Arsenal’s though – United’s is less technical and more physical – fletcher may not carry a huge threat but he does a job that only Song gets close to doing. Carrick is an excellent passer and in form. Scholes is still the best passer of a ball in the league. Anderson is showing signs again that he can be a good box to box player. Add someone like Park – technically, not really very good but the role he did last year for example against AC Milan in shutting out Pirlo was outstanding, Arsenal don’t have anyone like that. We also have Cleverley to come back from loan. Gibson who Fergie for some reason loves. Giggs still has one of the best deliveries in the league. Yes it’s an area that needs seeing to but on the youth side there are some great signs as to why Fergie may well be reluctant to buy – Cleverley, Anderson, Gibson, Eikrem, Tunnicliffe, Morrison, Pogba – the latter three are a tad younger but their potential is incredible.
I don’t know how aware of Eikrem you are and if not you should read my piece on him but United fans have been crying out for his inclusion – someone with that creativeness – but then again, not all teams need someone like that, the way we play with Berb often dropping deep to play almost as an AM means that we do often have someone in that role. We get around it by playing in a different way. In some of the United games this year we’ve created more chances than I can ever remember a United team creating so that’s not a problem.
MSL – afraid I can’t agree RE Koscielny – as someone who watches and follows French football, it was the biggest surprise to see him sign…in France people were shocked. This is a player whose highlight of his career to date was being named in the Ligue 2 team of the year. Koscielny in my opinion will not ever be more than a 3rd or 4th choice cb at Arsenal. I don’t really think he’s shown anything to prove otherwise to date. He looks slow and clumsy and I actually think his reading of the game is not good enough…he mentally looks like he’ll never be ready for the PL. You’re right in that he is good in the air but other than that, he does nothing for me. At a total of £10m all in, I think he’ll prove to be one of Wenger’s worst ever buys.
RE injuries – it’s not all about the physio dept. A lot of it comes down to how the gym sessions and training are run. Arsenal are often accused of being a team who don’t like contact, they’d rather pressure a team and make them give the ball away than crunch in with a tackle – as a generalisation. The whole non-contact thing or disliking of it, especially the crazy reactions to any kind of tough tackle has a big mental effect. I believe that there are some Arsenal players who go into tackles at 70 or 80% and if you do that, you’re going to get injured. But not all injuries occur in matches, it is strange to constantly have so many.