The stats that shame Arsenal: where everything goes wrong for Mikel Arteta’s side

Sunday was another night of horror for Arsenal as bitter rivals Tottenham showed just how big the gap is in north London.

Mikel Arteta’s men suffered a devastating 2-0 defeat when fans were allowed to enter the south stand of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since the suspension began in March.

The result highlighted fundamental flaws in Arsenal’s approach. To add to the club’s misery, the defeat is in 15th place with just 13 points from eleven games, while rivals Tottenham top the Premier League table with a total of 24 points.

Spurs taught Mikel Artetas Arsenal a football lesson in the North London Derby on Sunday

Having lost six games so far in the 2020-21 season, the blame rests on their manager as many continue to question Arteta’s tactics and ability to turn the tide.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s agent even criticized Arteta’s attacking formation for missing the striker’s goals this season.

So as a result Sportsmailhas rounded up some of the stats that put Arsenal to shame after another dark night.

CROSSING

After the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham, Arsenal came under fire for persistently crossing the ball from wide areas into the penalty area.

Arteta’s men made 32 open game crosses during the derby, and yet Spurs were unharmed in each case.

Such stats marry Arsenal’s recent defeat to the Wolves, when the Gunners delivered 33 crosses from a distance and scored zero goals. It’s going to be an endless game of success and hope for both Arsenal and Arteta … and it’s safe to say that it doesn’t pay off when they’re hovering over the relegation zone.

After the Wolves game, Arteta tried to positively influence Arsenal’s seemingly aimless flank.

He said: ‘I think this is the first time in the Premier League that we have used 33 crosses.

Arsenal put 32 crosses against Tottenham and 33 against Wolves and still scored zero

The statistics can be seen as a sign of desperation – an indication of a team that has currently been aimlessly shooting balls into the penalty area due to the poor quality of their attacking players

“I’m telling you that if we do it more consistently, we’ll score more goals. If we put in the box the bodies that we had in certain moments, it’s math, pure math and it will happen. ‘

The derby defeat, however, did nothing but prove that Arteta’s math is not quite right, at least for the time being.

Arsenal have collected the third highest number of crosses by a team in a Premier League match this season –but only scored 10 goals.

This statistic can be viewed as a sign of desperation – an indication of a team that cannot break down a defense through intelligent play patterns and has subsequently fired balls into the penalty area.

We’re also questioning Arsenal’s ability to land in front of goal after scoring just one goal out of a total of 65 flanks against Spurs and Wolves.

It leads us to question Arsenal’s ability to land in front of goal after returning just one goal out of a total of 65 flanks against Spurs and Wolves.

SHOOT

Arsenal’s inability to not only create but also end significant opportunities is a cause for concern.

Arsenal have only scored 10 goals this season. Only Burnley, West Brom and Sheffield United have scored fewer goals and are in the relegation zone.

Arteta had hoped that the combination of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe would create a wild front line. However, his star strikers did not meet the high expectations.

On average, Arsenal scores 9.5 shots per game – this is the joint fourth-lowest in the top division. Only Crystal Palace (9.4), Burnley (9.2) and Newcastle (8.5) averaged fewer shots per 90 minutes.

Arsenal fall victim to the same fate when it comes to hitting the target. This season, an average of only 3.1 shots per 90 minutes are scored.

Arsenal have only scored 10 goals this season, averaging 9.5 shots per game

Attacking stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (picture), Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe did not meet the Arsenal manager’s expectations

PASSING AND OWNERSHIP

To do some credit to Arsenal, they have seen improvements in their passport and possessions since Arteta’s arrival.

Compared to Unai Emery’s arsenal, there are clear play patterns that are used.

Despite his poor performance against Spurs, Granit Xhaka was able to effectively fall between his left back and the center-back to score a four-goal goal.

Alongside Xhaka, Bukayo Saka and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have taken on the role of reverse full-backs to maximize their teammates’ skills in other, more offensive positions.

The structures developed under Arteta have given Arsenal more balance – although the attack needs to be improved in the final third.

As a result, Arsenal accurately completed 85 percent of their passes over the course of the season, placing them fourth in the Premier League for such a statistic.

Since Arteta’s arrival, Arsenal have seen improvements in passport and ownership

This has to do with the clear play patterns that are used – for example with the ability of Bukayo Saka (left) to take on the role of an inverted full-back

DEFENSE

Arteta has been accused of sacrificing Arsenal’s sense of attackdefensive stability this season.

Arteta brought in several players to bolster his defenses during the summer transfer window – including Gabriel Magalhaes and defensive midfielder Thomas Partey.

As a result, Arsenal have the fourth best defensive record in the Premier League with 14 goals conceded in 11 games. However, you only scored 10 goals yourself.

At first glance, Arsenal’s defensive record seems to have improved since Arteta’s arrival. They conceded 0.8 goals per game in Arteta’s first 15 games after his appointment, compared to Emery’s 1.45 per game.

Arteta brought in Gabriel to bolster his defenses, but Arsenal are still vulnerable