Could Arsenal’s Defence be What Takes Them to the Premier League Title?

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We have a thrilling three-way fight for the Premier League title, including Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal.

It was this time last season that Arsenal faltered in their pursuit of the title but they are made of sterner stuff this season.

Much has been made of Arsenal’s qualities in the attacking third but could it be their defence that takes them to the top of the table come the end of the campaign?

The 3-0 victory over Brighton was an excellent performance by Arsenal in all departments.

In the final minutes of the game, with the result confirmed, Gabriel made a block in defence that prevented Brighton from scoring a consolation goal and it was celebrated like a last minute winner.

That is how much keeping clean sheets means to the Arsenal players and they have the best defence in the Premier League.

Arsenal have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season, with 24 goals against in 31 matches.

They have really picked up their form defensively since the turn of the year and trends show Arsenal have conceded only 4 goals in the Premier League in 2024 having played 11 games.

The statistics show Manchester City are the closest team to Arsenal defensively in 2024 and following their 4-2 victory at Crystal Palace, the defending champions have conceded 10 goals this year.

Arsenal have conceded just a single goal in their 5 most recent Premier League fixtures and have kept 14 cleans sheets in 31 league matches, which is a 45% clean sheet rate.

If we look at the expected goals against stat for this season in the Premier League, Arsenal’s is 19.23 which compares well against the 25.91 of Manchester City and the 29.59 of Liverpool.

Arsenal’s expected goals against per shots in open play is just 0.09, which is lower than the 0.13 of Manchester City, and 0.12 of Liverpool.

The Gunners have won 10 of their last 11 league games, scoring 38 goals and conceding only 4 goals.

With the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United still to come in the Premier League, it was vital Arsenal did not drop points in this period of the season and thanks to a solid defence, they have won 31 from a possible 33 points.

The Champions League returns this week and Arsenal face Bayern Munich, who have been below their usual standards this season.

Keeping players fit, especially in defence, is going to be key for Arsenal. With new signing Jurrien Timber unavailable for the rest of the season, should William Saliba or Gabriel get injured, it could give Arsenal problems.

Saliba picked up an injury during the title run-in last season and that coincided with a slump that cost Arsenal the title. If Saliba and Gabriel can stay fit until the end of the season, it could be a title winning campaign for Mikel Arteta.

Squadra Casa - Ospite

Probabilità in %

1X2

Pron

Pronostico ris.

Somma gol

Tempo

Coeff.

Risultato

Coeff. vivo

EPL

ArsenalAston Villa 14/04/2024 17:30

483319

1

2 - 1

2.54

13°

1.29

1.29 6.00 11.00 no no no

FT

0 - 2(0 - 0)

-

- - -