Arsenal's unreal form

The numbers behind Arsenal's historic run of form post-Dubai šŸļø

Declan Rice now has double-digit goal contributions in the PL (5G, 5A) for the first time in his career

Over the past two-and-a-half months, Arsenal have undergone a more dramatic shift in form than perhaps any team ever. Over the holidays, the Gunners were reeling. Three straight games without a win in the Premier League and a third-round FA Cup exit spelled disaster for Mikel Arteta, who would seemingly fall short yet again of his ultimate goal of bringing a title to North London.

Then his team went to Dubai.

Since their winter training camp under the sun, Arsenal have been on an absolute tear, winning seven straight games in the Premier League to catapult themselves right back into the title race. Arsenal havenā€™t just been winning; theyā€™ve been blowing teams out of the water during that span.

  • Arsenal have a goal differential of +28 (31 GF, 3 GA) since returning from Dubai.

  • They became the first team in English history to win three consecutive away games by a margin of five or more goals.

  • The Gunners have scored more away goals in 2024 (19) than Man United have all season (18). šŸ˜‚Ā 

This insane scoring output isnā€™t just coming from one player either.

Arsenalā€™s 6-0 clobbering of Sheffield on Monday perfectly encapsulated their recent run of form.

Putting Sheffield to the sword

Mondayā€™s match made Bambi vs. Godzilla look like a fair fight.

From the first kick of the ball, Arsenal outclassed rock-bottom Sheffield in every which way. Their first goal came in the fourth minute, but felt like it had been coming for hours. Bukayo Saka was gliding past Auston Trusty like he wasnā€™t even there, and David Raya could have literally kept a clean sheet while blindfolded with his hands behind his back. By the 15th minute, Sheffield fans were filing out of Bramall Lane by the hundreds.

This was probably the most one-sided game the Premier League has ever seen

Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent for The Telegraph

The stats are even more damning.

  • Arsenal out-possessed Sheffield 81% to 19%.

  • William Saliba completed more passes (169) than the entire Sheffield team (142).

  • Arsenal became the first team in Premier League history to score five goals in the first half of an away game.

Still not convinced? How about this pass map featuring a back line thatā€™s higher than Snoop Dogg on 4/20:

I told you David Raya had jack-shit to doā€¦

Iā€™m not sure what the hell Arteta did in Dubai, but itā€™s clearly working. Arsenalā€™s form headed into the final 11 weeks of the season is reminiscent to that of Man City from last season, a promising sight for Gooners hoping their club wins the league for the first time in 20 years.

Whatā€™s next? The third-place Gunners are now just one point behind Man City and two points behind leaders Liverpool, but have a much better goal differential (+45 GD) than their rivals. They can go to the top of the league this weekend by beating Brentford and hoping for a draw as City visit Anfield. šŸ¤žĀ