About half way through the season, it is a good moment to have a look at Arsenal and our competitors’ home and away form. It makes some interesting reading!
Home Form:
Arsenal have only played nine times at home but have a near perfect run with eight wins and that one draw against the Oily Barcodes: a total of 25 points. Yet we are second in the ‘PL home table’ as Man City have collected 28 points, but they did so whilst playing two more games. They lost and drew once, scored a whopping 38 goals but also conceded 12 goals in the process (just over one goal a game). The only other team not to have lost at home are the Barcodes. Arsenal have scored 25 times at home and conceded ten goals. Our home form has been great and this should continue to play a big factor in the title race. We scored the second most goals at home with Brentford and Liverpool in third (23 goals). Manchester and Newcastle conceded the least PL goals at home this season: just six (half that of Man City).
Away Form:
Where Arsenal have been second to none is in our away games. Despite our sorry and deserved loss at Goodison Park, Arsenal are doing way better than all other teams on our travels. We played 11 times away, won 8, lost 2 and drew 1 game. This gives us a total points of 25. Second, believe it or not, are the Spudskins with 18 points (11 games). Third are Newcastle, Man City, Brighton and Man United, all with just 17 points from 10 games. Arsenal are also are third best in scoring in away games with 20 goals, Spuds have 19 goals, Newcastle, ManU and Citeh have all scored 15 goals. Quite a surprise, Leicester and Brighton have scored most goals away from home with 21 goals, but the Seagulls have played a game less, so actually have the highest goals per game ratio. Arsenal’s secret is that we have been extremely tight defensively with just seven goals conceded. Only the Barcodes did better with just six goals (but they played a game less away). Citeh only conceded nine goals away but all other competitors are well into double figures already. Arsenal’s Away Goal Difference is an impressive +13, Newcastle are next with +9, and Citeh are are third with a meager +6.
So both home and away forms are pretty impressive, and especially away Arsenal are the bee’s knees. I am glad that we have two more homes games to play (10 in total against 8 more away games), though. The next two games v Brentford and Citeh will be at home and we really need the home crowd to be the 12th man of the team. It is also fair to say that we will face some really tough away opponents in our eight remaining games: Villa and Leicester are seldom or never easy, Fulham will give us a fight, Liverpool, Man City and West Ham will all be tough, and so will be Newcastle and possibly Nottingham Forest if they are fighting for survival at the end of the season. So let’s hope our away form will stay very strong.
We are of course just over half way and there really is all to play for. Great job until now but, on the basis of One Game at a Time (OGAAT), let’s approach every game as a cup final and fight for each and every point.
Come On You Rip Roaring Gunners!!!!!!!!!!
By TotalArsenal.
Bergkampesque 
Bring on the Bees!!
Nice read TA. Need to win the next 2 home games and the we will have some breathing space. CYoG
In the 31st season of the EPL this is the best position we have ever been in – so not too much to complain about and everything to smile about and look forward to.
With 18 games left we are 5 points ahead of 2nd place Man C, 8 points ahead of 3rd Man U and 10 points ahead of 4th Newcastle with a game in hand on each team. It’s an enviable position to be in and it’s been well earned.
The EPL Championship is ours to win or lose – our fate is in our own hands – regardless of what happens below us. Statistically it should be harder to lose than win – but it’s a funny old game – as we all know and have experienced.
OGAAT is right and the next two games will show us if we are ready to win it – or lose it.
I personally I’m not ready to make a prediction as I’ve been disappointed so many times in the past, however if we win the next two games I’ll be one elated GN5.
Thanks guys, a win and a draw would surely also be good. Not losing to Man City is key imo.
Ah, GN5, your words remind me of that ol’ Isley Brothers song, “This old heart of mine, been broke a thousand times”…
I share your pain, mate. And, like you, will happily endure the dark nights for the prospect of the joy which cometh in the morning…
Thanks for the fulsome reply in the last post, LG. That St Etienne team you mentioned is one of my favourite non Arsenal sides.
Great stuff, Total. We are in the midst of a truly impressive moment. Let’s enjoy and celebrate the journey, every tackle, threaded pass, clearance, save and goal.
P.s. Total, there is always the boat from Liverpool to Auckland. Or a large dram before the plane takes off.
Game over in Toulouse
Toulouse 3 Reims 0
Reims started well, but ineffectively, and were outwitted, outplayed by Toulouse who caught them on the break, and should have been 3 goals up by HT already.
Fo didn’t have one single decent ball to make something of in Toulouse’s last 30 yards. His runs were clever but passes/crosses/cutbacks were in the zig when our boy wanted them in the zag (Ito, Reims’s Japanese RW, was particularly poor tonight).
Too bad, because I would have liked to see him play with in high-stake games, whereas now he’ll only play mid-table, very close to friendly, games from now on.
Toulouse’s RW is Aboukhlal, a Netherlands-born, 22-y-o, left-footed Moroccan international, out of the Jong PSV academy – the very same who humiliated our U21s yesterday night
He’s an excellent player, this lad.
West Ham v Chelsea……..Draw (2-2)
Arsenal v Brentford……….Home
Crystal P v Brighton………Away
Man City W v Arsenal W..Away (1-3)
Leicester v Tottenham…Away
Leipzig v Union Berlin…..Draw (1-1)
Stu, the song that most comes to my mind is a certain little ditty from that most understated band by the name of Queen. I think it’s called ‘we are the champions’ my friends….
And we’ll keep on fighting until the end.
We are the Champions
W3 ar3 the Champions
No time for losers, cause we are the Champions
Of the world…
Or something like that.
West Ham United v Chelsea * A (1-3)
Arsenal v Brentford H
Crystal Palace v Brighton & Hove Albion D
Manchester City Women v Arsenal Women * A (0-2)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur D
RB Leipzig v FC Union Berlin * D (1-1)
As a youngster I never saw too much of Queen – other than hearing him on the radio.
Now I think he among the greatest of all time his voice was incredible and Brian May was a stunning guitarist.
Watching his concerts on my son GN5 juniors home theater with the 120″ screen and incredibly well balanced surround sound is as good as it gets. You get completely engrossed in the concert – it’s like being in the audience.
My son’s web site – so you can see the quality of his work – his web site was designed and created by my daughter who also maintains the site. Quite incredible given that my daughter is disabled and gets around, mainly, in her wheel chair.
https://htav.ca/
Let’s all hope that we don’t lose this outstanding young talent.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64515741
It’s great, GN5, that your son and daughter can work together like this, using their talents in great harmony.
Thanks for the game update, Legall. Toulouse are quite a strong I read somewhere.
Lol, Stuart. I would not and never go on a boat journey like that. So a wee dram or two ✌️ may be the only way.
That reminds of a nervous flier on one of my recent flights. She ordered a gin an tonic with the added words of 1 tonic 2 gins please. 🙂
Total, It’s not quite great harmony just like many families tears get shed – but regardless there is a deep love and caring for each other.
Both the web site and his work are the result of their individual talents.
Amen to that, GN5
Never had much time for Queen. But Burt B (may he rest in peace) was the bees knees. A rainy day rarely goes by without me breaking into “Raindrops keep falling on my head” and imagining I am sharing a bicycle with Katherine Ross.
Don’t tell my Sarah, Frank.
Impressive website, GN5, and a fine looking fella, your Justin. Does he look like a young Cyril did?
Ah Stuart, why want to be on Katherine’s bike when you can be in Sarah’s air balloon?! 🤪
Burt and Aretha. Who can resist singing along?
Arteta is certainly keeping his cards close to his chest for tomorrow’s game, but I reckon he’ll go full strength and worry about City afterwards, in other news there’s to be no more ‘blow’ for sale in Amsterdam coffee houses from this spring, what a disaster.
Ah Kev, that’s just in the red light district. They don’t want people to mix and match their ‘joys’.
New Post 🙂