A few weeks ago we were winning the league, Treble etc

[Pat Vegas]

I've been abroad now and have some mental flu.

what's happened?

The way we set up against Chelsea and Aston Villa is giving me great concerns. I know we are very short at the back but Arteta is starting to worry me again.

Hopefully we can just bumble our way along where others drop points.

[Peter]

I've been abroad now and have some mental flu.

what's happened?

The way we set up against Chelsea and Aston Villa is giving me great concerns. I know we are very short at the back but Arteta is starting to worry me again.

Hopefully we can just bumble our way along where others drop points.

The injuries are a constant problem.

But it is pretty clear after 8 games that we are not scoring enough goals away from home. 9 in 8 games. 5 of them from set pieces. We didn't score from open play in an away game until November. Only once have we gone two goals ahead in an away game.

All of this means we really need to keep clean sheets to win consistently away from home. And we aren't doing it at the moment.

There is your problem. Not enough goals.

At home we are fine. So far....

[Pat Vegas]

The injuries are a constant problem.

But it is pretty clear after 8 games that we are not scoring enough goals away from home. 9 in 8 games. 5 of them from set pieces. We didn't score from open play in an away game until November. Only once have we gone two goals ahead in an away game.

All of this means we really need to keep clean sheets to win consistently away from home. And we aren't doing it at the moment.

There is your problem. Not enough goals.

At home we are fine. So far....

Also feel playing us has that 'cup final' feel for the opposition.

[Peter]

Also feel playing us has that 'cup final' feel for the opposition.

That feels like another excuse......

Winning the league is really difficult. You cant afford constant problems, you cant afford to be bad at things, and you cant afford excuses.

We still don't look capable of beating the best sides away from home. That puts pressure on you to be more or less perfect against everyone else. And we are not.....

Newcastle is the only away game where we have won without keeping a clean sheet. And that was with a 96th minute winner.

Those margins are too tight to be sustainable. Particularly if you keep losing defenders.

[Herbert Augustus Chapman]

That's a bit Cloughiesque P. "If you want to win the football match young man,

you've to score more goals, in the football match, than your opponent scores".

[WES]

The injuries are a constant problem.

But it is pretty clear after 8 games that we are not scoring enough goals away from home. 9 in 8 games. 5 of them from set pieces. We didn't score from open play in an away game until November. Only once have we gone two goals ahead in an away game.

All of this means we really need to keep clean sheets to win consistently away from home. And we aren't doing it at the moment.

There is your problem. Not enough goals.

At home we are fine. So far....

Given the injuries and the relatively small number of games played so far it's too early to say where the problem is. Note that the problem has not stopped us from being top of the league regardless.

Given where we are and the injuries we have had and the lack of an opponent on top form, it's hard not to see us as favourites at this point. But as Peter keeps pointing out, the margins are too fine to think we can maintain this over the next 23 games.

A good run with the first choice back four, midfield and with Havertz/Gyokeres up front will tell us more, but I think it's likely such a run would put some distance between us and City.

[Peter]

Given the injuries and the relatively small number of games played so far it's too early to say where the problem is. Note that the problem has not stopped us from being top of the league regardless.

Given where we are and the injuries we have had and the lack of an opponent on top form, it's hard not to see us as favourites at this point. But as Peter keeps pointing out, the margins are too fine to think we can maintain this over the next 23 games.

A good run with the first choice back four, midfield and with Havertz/Gyokeres up front will tell us more, but I think it's likely such a run would put some distance between us and City.

Unfortunately, the chances of us getting to a stage where we can have a run of games with everyone available seem lower than a snake's *******s.

Let's be clear- we are only top of the league because everyone else has been poor. Last season the same tally would have seen us 5 points behind Liverpool which, I think, is exactly where we were.

33 points from 15 games is not really title winning form. We are going to have to improve

[WES]

Unfortunately, the chances of us getting to a stage where we can have a run of games with everyone available seem lower than a snake's *******s.

Let's be clear- we are only top of the league because everyone else has been poor. Last season the same tally would have seen us 5 points behind Liverpool which, I think, is exactly where we were.

33 points from 15 games is not really title winning form. We are going to have to improve

Max Dowman out for 2 months

We teach them how to be Arsenal players early doors nowadays

[WES]

Unfortunately, the chances of us getting to a stage where we can have a run of games with everyone available seem lower than a snake's *******s.

Let's be clear- we are only top of the league because everyone else has been poor. Last season the same tally would have seen us 5 points behind Liverpool which, I think, is exactly where we were.

33 points from 15 games is not really title winning form. We are going to have to improve

Prior to the Villa game we were on a pace for 90 points which is very much title winning form

[Peter]

you've to score more goals, in the football match, than your opponent scores".

'Until they change the rules of the game, set pieces will always win and lose you football matches, and you ignore them at your peril'

The late, great Graham Taylor. And he was right

[Peter]

Prior to the Villa game we were on a pace for 90 points which is very much title winning form

89.3 actually

And is 90 points enough? Apart from last season, where Liverpool didn't need to reach it, the only title in the last 10 years that you could have won with 90 points was 20/21.

In 22/23, City did finish on 89 points. But they were on 88 with two games remaining, had won 12 in a row and were chasing a treble. Had we forced them to do so, I think we can assume they would have fielded strong sides in fhe two remaining games and scraped their way to 90....

[Peter]

Max Dowman out for 2 months

We teach them how to be Arsenal players early doors nowadays

Important that he learns the ropes

[redgunamo]

you've to score more goals, in the football match, than your opponent scores".

Cloughie knew, see. He himself was a top striker, back in his day.

[redgunamo]

Given the injuries and the relatively small number of games played so far it's too early to say where the problem is. Note that the problem has not stopped us from being top of the league regardless.

Given where we are and the injuries we have had and the lack of an opponent on top form, it's hard not to see us as favourites at this point. But as Peter keeps pointing out, the margins are too fine to think we can maintain this over the next 23 games.

A good run with the first choice back four, midfield and with Havertz/Gyokeres up front will tell us more, but I think it's likely such a run would put some distance between us and City.

Right. We're top and still have plenty of room, and potential, for improvement.

[Peter]

Cloughie knew, see. He himself was a top striker, back in his day.

He was indeed. I believe he 'knew where the goal was'.