The top of the Premier League table could hardly be any tighter, but there is one correlation between the respective positions of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. Indeed, the number of goals conceded by each team currently aligns with their place in the standings with Arsenal top having allowed just 24 goals in 31 games so far this season.
Liverpool (30 goals) and City (31 goals) also boast strong defensive records, but Arsenal’s record stands out. The Gunners have kept seven clean sheets in the 11 league games they have played in 2024 and haven’t conceded a single goal in any of their last five away matches. They have been rock solid.
Arsenal’s defence could be the thing that makes them Premier League champions for the first time since the days of Arsene Wenger. For all the attacking quality at the Emirates Stadium, it is the players at the back and Mikel Arteta’s defensive structure that has pushed them to the top of the table with just seven games left to play of the season.
“I think that’s going to be critical,” said Arteta when asked about the importance of defensive resilience in the title race. “I think if you want to win championships, your defence has to be extremely consistent and very difficult to beat. We have that and it’s great to have the players, how they live their defensive phase and the contribution that they put in every ball to make it really difficult for the opponent.”
William Saliba has been a standout performer for the Gunners this season. The Frenchman is an authoritative presence at the back and is the complete centre back in his physical and technical attributes. Had Saliba not been sidelined for the final two months of last season, Arsenal might have won the 2022/23 Premier League title.
Alongside Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes has improved season-on-season. In the past, the Brazilian was renowned for being careless in some of his decision-making. He would make a handful of costly mistakes per season. Gabriel has since ironed those things out of his game and is now extremely reliable.
Arteta favours using centre backs as full backs in his defensive line with Ben White on the right side and Jakub Kiwior on the left. This allows Arsenal to stay narrow in their rest defence shape, making it difficult for opponents to play through them. In possession, White also has the freedom to get forward and support his attacking teammates.
Many questioned Arteta’s decision to prioritise the signing of a new goalkeeper last summer. Aaron Ramsdale had made himself Arsenal’s number one over the past two seasons and few saw the need to replace him. Initially, a series of shaky performances by David Raya only added to the sense that Arteta had pushed for an unnecessary transfer.
Since then, though, Raya has shown why the Arsenal manager wanted him so badly. The former Brentford goalkeeper has improved the Gunners’ ability to play out from the back with the ball. Some questions remain over Raya’s pure shot-stopping skills, but his signing has strengthened Arsenal in other ways.
The next two months will be a defining period in Arsenal’s season. They currently sit at the top of the Premier League table, but have a challenging run-in ahead of them that includes tricky fixtures against Aston Villa, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. The Gunners could still be tripped up between now and the end of May.
On top of these Premier League fixtures, Arsenal face Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. The North London side were favourites to emerge from that tie given Bayern’s recent troubles, but failed to take advantage of their home crowd’s support in a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night. If Arsenal manages to win the away match in Munich, they’ll have to fit a semi-final – and potentially a final – into their schedule.
Overall, Arsenal have come a long way under the stewardship of Arteta. The Spaniard learned his managerial trade under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and that is evident in the way the Gunners play. However, Arteta has placed more of a priority on defensive strength than his former mentor ever has. It could be the difference in bringing hardware home this season.
