How good is Arsenal's defence?

Can Arsenal’s defence lead them to glory?

Their formidable defensive run finally came to an end at the Stadium of Light after 812 minutes without conceding. 

Author | DJ

The newly promoted side were the side to pierce their resistance, finding the net twice and showing the rest of the league what had seemed impossible over the past eight matches in all competitions.

That  2-2 draw may have applied slight pressure to Arsenal’s title ambitions, yet their position at the top remains underpinned by a defence that has been close to flawless. Their eight successive clean sheets matched a club record set in 1903, a reminder of how rare such consistency is across generations. It also mirrored the achievements of Preston in 1889 and Liverpool in 1920, who each put together similar streaks of shutouts.

As Mikel Arteta’s side prepare to welcome Tottenham on Sunday, confidence is growing that a first league title since the Invincibles season could be within reach. They have conceded only five goals in 11 league matches and sit just behind the Premier League benchmark for defensive stinginess, the 15 conceded by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2004-05. This is clearly an elite back line, but the question now is how it compares with the finest the Premier League has seen since 1992.

Arsenal's defenders have also been a threat from an attacking perspective

The next step for this Arsenal team is obvious, even if far from straightforward. 

Should the back four of Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori, supported by David Raya in goal, stay fit and maintain their level, they will have every opportunity to be mentioned alongside the division’s most celebrated defences.

Injuries, however, pose an early challenge. Gabriel may be out until January following a setback on international duty with Brazil, while Calafiori is awaiting further assessment on a fitness issue of his own.

Arsenal nevertheless boast the strongest defensive record across Europe’s top five leagues this season, leading the way for fewest goals conceded, fewest shots on target allowed and most clean sheets. They have faced just 21 shots on target in the Premier League, only three of them in their past five outings. Their average of 1.9 shots on target conceded per game is the lowest since Opta began collecting such data in 2003-04.

To find a longer domestic run of league clean sheets for Arsenal, you must go back to September and October 1987 under George Graham, whose disciplined teams helped popularise the chant that became synonymous with the club’s identity. 

Sunderland’s goals from Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey prevented this current side from surpassing Manchester United’s Premier League record of 14 consecutive clean sheets, set in 2008-09. Liverpool, meanwhile, remain the standard-setters for all competitions in the Premier League era with an 11-match streak without conceding during Rafael Benitez’s tenure in 2005-06.