Are Arsenal Legit?

They've started the season very strong. Will it last?

Apologies: when I sent this email out, I forgot to credit the data to FBRef, using numbers provided by StatsBomb.

This time last year, Arsenal were in crisis.

Losing on the opening weekend 2-0 to Brentford was embarrassing. This was the Bees’ first top-flight game in over 70 years and they looked dominant against the mighty Arsenal. Ian Wright’s expression in the stands seemed to sum up the mood of the whole football club.

Chelsea and Manchester City were obviously harder opponents, but the manner of those defeats really stung. Across those two games, Arsenal took just seven shots to their opponents’ 47. They were outclassed, outplayed, and conceded seven times with no reply. Things couldn’t have been much lower in late August 2021.

A year later and the sun is truly shining at the Emirates. Four games, twelve points, eleven goals scored and just three conceded. It’s all right as rain. That doesn’t mean this is going to last forever, of course. This year’s good form could come to an end just as quickly as last year’s horrific August. But will it? Are there reasons to think the foundations are good for Arsenal to maintain this form over 38 games? Let’s break it down.