ARSENAL THE BEST TEAM IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?
Arsenal played a scintillating match against Sheffield United yesterday. The Gunners scored their opener within five minutes, a trademark goal from captain Martin Odegaard. The Gunners went 5-0 up inside 5 minutes and ended the game with six goals scored. It was a historic night for them, as they became the first in Premier League history to hit five-plus goals in consecutive away matches. Martin Odegaard might have grabbed the headlines on the night, but Bukayo Saka and Ben White made history personally.
Bukayo Saka’s assist for Declan Rice’s goal made it his 50th assist for Arsenal. The Arsenal man joins the list of top 10 players with the most assists for Arsenal. Saka also became sixth on the list of players with the most goals and assists in the Premier League since 2018. Ben White scored Arsenal’s sixth goal of the night, which is the gunners’s 10,000th goal. the win makes it their seventh straight win in 2024. They have also scored 31 goals to break Manchester City’s record of 28 goals in seven matches. The gunners now have the most goals in the league, the most clean sheets, and the fewest goals conceded.
The team tops statistics like the most set-piece goals scored, the fewest xG conceded, and the most penalty box entries. Mind you, this team does not have a recognized striker. Gabriel Jesus, who is Arteta’s go-to striker, has been injured for weeks. The Brazilian made an appearance against Sheffield United but he will probably not be starting any games soon. Arsenal look title-ready with their recent performances, and they might just beat Liverpool and Manchester United if they continue on their current form.
Read the previous feature story on the PL title.
What stands in Arsenal’s way for the title?
The gunners are often their own biggest problem. Last season, the team topped the league for 248 days, but after a run of six games and one win, they lost the title to Manchester City. however, you could argue that injuries caused their downfall, but the fact is that the team lacked experience. Manchester City is trailing Liverpool by a point, and they are steadily taking care of their opposition in their usual manner.
Furthermore, with the return of Kevin Debruyne to Manchester City and Phil Foden’s form, City looks just as strong as ever. Arsenal will be visiting Etihad on March 31 and must get something from that match to qualify as title contenders. However, the team hasn’t won at the Etihad in 8 years; it will be an uphill task but not impossible to overcome.
Content Credit/ Ajibola Emmanuel Adebayo
Picture Credit/ https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/02/12/arsenal-news-fabrizio-romano-praises-saka-and-rice/
