The secrets behind Arsenal's INCREDIBLE defensive numbers

Sam McGuire

• Updated: 9 Apr 2024 04:31 CDT
• 5 min read

Arsenal have a formidable defensive record this season.

The Gunners have conceded just 24 goals in their 31 matches in the Premier League this term. Their underlying numbers are just as impressive. Some models have them down as having conceded chances with an Expected Goals Against (xGA) total of 21, others have it coming in at 24.8. Even if we take the higher number, that is an xGA90 average of just 0.8. They are currently on course to concede fewer than 30 goals this season while also being the highest scorers in the English top flight.

It is the perfect combination for a title hopeful.

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For further context here, the next best defensive record in the Premier League this season is Manchester City and the reigning champions have an xGA of 31.15. It isn’t even close. Arsenal, comfortably, have the best defensive unit this term. They have kept a clean sheet in 14 of their 31 (45%) outings. They are rarely breached and when they are, the opposition struggle to score more than a single goal.

In fact, they have conceded two or more on just six occasions. It means in 14 matches, one goal has been enough for all three points. In 11 matches, two goals would’ve guaranteed maximum points and in just six games (19% of their fixtures in the league), Mikel Arteta’s men would’ve needed three goals for the win.

Limiting the need for goals makes life easier, as Arsenal are finding out.

By comparison, Liverpool have conceded just two or more on five occasions but they have kept just nine clean sheets. The Reds have needed a minimum of two goals in 17 matches. The more goals you need to win, the harder it is to ensure this happens. It likely explains why Liverpool have drawn eight games while Arsenal have registered just five draws.

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City are another team to have struggled to limit the opposition this season, racking up just nine clean sheets. They’re currently on seven draws, the most of the Pep Guardiola era since his debut season with the club in 2016/17.

Draws are season-killers. Liverpool and Manchester City have lost fewer games but it is Arsenal who lead the way in the Premier League, albeit on goal difference.

So what is the secret behind their defensive numbers?

Well, unlike their rivals, Arsenal look to limit how exposed their centre-backs are. Whereas Liverpool and City will give their defenders large areas to cover, putting some serious strain on the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Ruben Dias, Mikel Arteta opts to have his team defend as a unit.

The Gunners look to clog up central areas with their compact lines. They ensure William Saliba and Gabriel aren’t tasked with covering half of the pitch and instead, they have protection from inverted full-backs as well as a double pivot in midfield.

Usually, Ben White, a centre-back by trade, is at right-back and he’s more than comfortable in central areas. On the left side of defence, Jurrien Timber, another centre-back, started the season there. Jakub Kiwior, yes, you guessed it, a centre-back, has impressed recently there while Oleksandr Zinchenko, a competent ball-player, is sometimes deployed there. He aids the build-up and helps limit the opposition in the middle third when he’s in that role.

So Arsenal have a minimum of three centre-backs and then three players in midfield who are assured in possession, progressive on the ball and just adept at keeping things moving. In Declan Rice, they have a transition killer. In Jorginho, they have a tempo setter. It is an ideal blend, especially when you see how they work within the team.

The wide forwards will often drop back to support the full-backs, doubling up in those wide areas to prevent cutbacks. Anything that comes into the box is then dealt with by Gabriel, Saliba or Rice.

It is very much a team effort. If you look at Saliba and Gabriel, those two, on average, win 85% of their tackles. While they aren’t great in the air - winning just 56% of their aerial duels, they do enough to dominate the areas they need to and then the rest of the team do their bit to make sure the unit as a whole stands firm.

The secret is this Arsenal team isn’t about individuals, but instead, the focus is on the team as a whole. They defend as a group and attack as one. They minimalise the risk and look for total control, and it is working.