Arsenal Premier League Analysis: 2nd Place, 21 Points After 8 Games

Arsenal are 2nd in the Premier League with 21 points from 8 games (7W 0D 1L) and a goal difference of +8.

Season at a glance

They trail the leaders Man City by 0 points, and are 8 points clear of fifth place.

They are 16 points above bottom-placed Sunderland.

Arsenal's season marks: biggest wins 3-0 at home and 0-2 away; heaviest defeats - at home and 3-0 away; a best winning run of 4; a longest losing run of 1.

Against top-half opponents Arsenal have 3W 0D 1L (2.25 points per game from 4 games); against the bottom half it is 4W 0D 0L (3.0 per game from 4).

Attack

Arsenal have scored 13 goals (1.62 per game), the 5th-best attack in the Premier League. The league average is 1.39 per team per game, so they sit 17% above it. They failed to score in 1 of 8 games. They average 2.3 goals per home game and 1.0 per away game.

Defence

They have conceded 5 (0.62 per game), the 1st-best defence, with 5 clean sheets in 8 games. Clean sheets: 2 at home and 3 away. They concede 0.5 per home game and 0.8 per away game.

When the goals come

Arsenal's 13 league goals are spread by minute band, with the most productive spell 46-60 (4 goals); 9 (69%) came after half-time and 2 after the 75th minute. they have conceded most between minutes 31-45 (2 of 5 goals), including 0 after the 75th minute.

Tactics and discipline

Arsenal's most used formations: 4-2-3-1 (8 games).

Arsenal have collected 10 yellow and 0 red cards and converted 1 of 1 penalties.

Home and away

Arsenal have 4 wins, 0 draws and 0 defeats at home (12 points from 4 games, 3.0 per game), scoring 2.25 and conceding 0.5 per game. They kept 2 clean sheets and failed to score in 0 of those 4.

Arsenal have 3 wins, 0 draws and 1 defeat away from home (9 points from 4 games, 2.25 per game), scoring 1.0 and conceding 0.75 per game. They kept 3 clean sheets and failed to score in 1 of those 4.

Form and streaks

Arsenal's last 5 results in the Premier League, newest first (opponent position in brackets): 2-0 vs Everton (11th, W); 1-0 at N.Forest (18th, W); 2-1 vs Leeds (7th, W); 0-3 at Brighton (3rd, L); 2-0 at Sunderland (20th, W). That is 12 points from a possible 15, with 7 goals scored and 4 conceded.

Current streaks for Arsenal: 3 straight wins, 2 clean sheets in a row.

Squad leaders

Arsenal's league contributors: goals - B. Saka 3, K. Havertz 2, M. Ødegaard 2; assists - D. Rice 4, B. White 3, R. Calafiori 2.

Highest average ratings among regulars (270+ minutes): B. Saka 7.38, D. Rice 7.38, B. White 7.36.

Workload and impact: most minutes - David Raya (720), Gabriel Magalhães (720); most key passes - D. Rice (15); most tackles and interceptions - Gabriel Magalhães (20); goalkeeper David Raya has made 18 saves; most yellow cards - Gabriel Magalhães (2).

Strengths and weaknesses

Arsenal's strengths: 1st in the league for goals conceded (5 conceded); 2nd in the league for home points per game (3.00); 3rd in the league for away points per game (2.25); 2nd in the league for points from the last five games (12 points).

The schedule ahead

Next up: at Liverpool (4th), vs Hull City (10th), at Newcastle (8th). The average league position of those opponents is 7.3, a mixed run.

Outlook

At 2.62 points per game, a full 38-game season would end near 100 points, and at 1.62 goals per game near 62 goals. That is a projection from the current rate, not a prediction.