Defense is Arsenal's championship launch pad

Expert Alex Keble believes Arsenal have the best defense in Europe and this is a launching pad for them to aim for the Premier League title this season.

After ending 2023 with two defeats to West Ham and Fulham, Arsenal won all six Premier League games in the new year, scoring 25 goals and conceding three. Specifically, the "Gunners" defeated Crystal Palace 5-0, Nottingham Forest 2-1, Liverpool 3-1, West Ham 6-0, Burnley 5-0 and Newcastle 4-1.

"Attacking ability is often mentioned more than defending ability, so the 25 goals Arsenal have scored in their last six Premier League games makes the fact they have only conceded three goals in those games undervalued," Keble commented.

How well Arsenal defends

In fact, defense is the launching pad for Arsenal to compete for the Premier League title this season. The Gunners are the team that has conceded the fewest goals in the league with 23 goals since the start of the season. They also have an expected goals conceded (xGA) since the start of the season of 18.52 and an xGA in 2024 of 1.90 - both the lowest in the league. This figure is only about a quarter of that of Man City - the defending champion with an xGA in 2024 of 6.8. Meanwhile, the top club Liverpool is even worse, conceding 25 goals, having an xGA in the league of 32.2, and an xGA in 2024 of 10.

Coach Mikel Arteta directs Arsenal's 3-1 win over Liverpool in round 23 of the Premier League at Emirates Stadium on February 4, 2024. Photo: AFP

Like Pep Guardiola, Arteta’s coaching background is defensive. That might sound counterintuitive at first. But the details of the positional play and high ball control that characterize both Spanish coaches are geared towards shutting down the counter-attacking threat and creating chances for opponents.

With Arteta, the general idea is to press high and hard at certain times. Unlike the constant pressing style of Liverpool or Tottenham, the Gunners often choose their moments and switch to a one-on-one pressing system to stifle and win the ball back.

Arsenal also kept the most clean sheets – 10 – and conceded the fewest shots on target – 137. But this was not down to their excellent defending in the back, but rather because Arteta’s side kept their opponents out of their box, especially in the first half when they pressed hard and dominated the game.

This is evident in the fact that Arsenal allow opponents just 93 touches per 90 minutes in their defensive area, the second lowest in the league, and 14.5 touches per 90 minutes in the penalty area, fewer than any other team.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya blocks an attack by striker Miguel Almiron during the 4-1 win over Newcastle in the 26th round of the Premier League on February 24. Photo: Reuters

Arteta’s idea is to pin opponents deep in their own half, shut down counter-attacks as soon as they lose possession and force opponents to play longer, and therefore less accurate, passes. Arsenal have only allowed opponents to complete 45.5% of their long passes – the second-lowest in the league.

The most recent 4-1 win over Newcastle was a clear illustration of Arsenal’s pressing and defending abilities. Alternating between a 4-4-2 system and a man-to-man pressing system, Arsenal relentlessly tracked the visitors, with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard leading the press. In the example below, Arsenal pressed Newcastle until the opponent misplayed a pass to Rice.

A situation where Arsenal surrounded Newcastle and made a bad pass right in their own half. Screenshot

Arsenal's dominance was evident in the first half, when Newcastle only touched the ball once in the opponent's penalty area, but was in an offside position, and failed to shoot on target, something that had not happened to Newcastle since the match against Southampton in March 2014.

Meanwhile, the Gunners won the ball in Newcastle's third 11 times - the best first-half tally of any Premier League game this season. Newcastle, on the other hand, failed to pass the ball 29 times in their own half - the worst tally of any club in the opening 45 minutes of the competition.

This season, Arsenal have made significant progress compared to last season. Their xGA has dropped from 1.1 to 0.7; shots faced per 90 minutes have dropped from 9.0 to 8.4; and goals conceded per 90 minutes have also dropped from 1.1 to 0.9.

The influence of Rice, Saliba

There are two main reasons for Arsenal’s defensive improvement, the first being the presence of Declan Rice, who brings leadership and intelligence to the central midfield both on and off the ball. The Englishman is often the first to press, and Rice’s world- class anticipation is what triggers Arsenal’s pressing system. At Arsenal, Rice tops the list for tackles (52), tackles won (32), interceptions (35) and is second in recoveries (128), behind only William Saliba.

Saliba has been the second catalyst for Arsenal's dominance. The French centre-back has not played a minute in the Premier League this season, having missed 12 games and cost Arsenal their title race last season. Saliba's consistency, along with Gabriel Magalhaes, has given Arsenal a solid foundation.

Arsenal midfielder Saliba blocks striker Luis Diaz during the 3-1 win over Liverpool at Emirates Stadium in round 23 of the Premier League on January 4. Photo: Reuters

Last season, Arsenal picked up 1.75 points per game from 12 games without Saliba and 2.42 points from 26 games with the Frenchman. This season, the Gunners are averaging 2.23 points per game. With the centre-back duo in top form and Rice sweeping the pitch, Arsenal look formidable even when they have to defend a little deeper, as all teams do at some point in the game.

Coupled with an excellent pressing system, Arsenal have produced one of the best defences the Premier League has ever seen - and arguably the best in Europe at the moment.

"Twenty of the past 31 Premier League champions have had the best defensive record, as have five of the last six. If they continue to maintain their solid defensive record, Arsenal will have a great chance of winning the title at the end of the season," Keble concluded.

Hong Duy (according to Premier League )

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