THREAD
I wrote a piece to outline 3 key areas where Arsenal need to improve in order to challenge for Top 4.
https://www.statsperform.com/resource/evolution-or-revolution-arsenal/
I could have done 10. So have done here & then 10 more things that give Arsenal room for hope. While you’re waiting for the Team News, have a read

Let's start with the bad
1. 14 teams attempted more shots than Arsenal. Only Liverpool had a better chance conversion rate, so let’s try to create some more opportunities. 12 teams posted a higher Expected Goals value. #FULARS

If we can’t buy Aouar then maybe Mikel Arteta’s main task will be to get more out of Mesut Özil #FULARS

Minutes/chance created open play Mesut Özil
2013/14 - 36.4
2014/15 - 32.6
2015/16 - 32.8
2016/17 - 40.1
2017/18 - 30.0
2018/19 - 48.4
2019/20 - 72.4

2.Stop giving away penalties. No team has conceded more than the 15 given away in the last 2 seasons & in 2019-20 David Luiz set a Premier League record for an individual player by giving away five in one campaign.

Arsenal have conceded from 38 of the last 41 Premier League penalties they have faced and two of the missed ones were scored on the rebound. #FULARS

3. Stop getting players booked or sent off. Arsenal picked up more yellow cards (86) than any other team and also had the most players sent off (5) last season. #FULARS

4. Be more resilient. Arsenal (21) dropped more points from winning positions than all but two teams. 15 of those came under Mikel Arteta, giving Arsenal the worst tally in the top flight since the Spaniard took charge. #FULARS

5. Stop allowing opposition teams to shoot so much. Only two teams allowed their opponents more shots on target than Arsenal (197). Man City allowed just 280 shots in total. Arsenal allowed 553. #FULARS

6. Concede fewer goals. 150 across the last three seasons is too many to challenge for the top four let alone the title. Arsenal have some way to go. The average goals conceded by a title-winning side in the Premier League over the last 10 years is 33.

New defenders may help but I’d be happier with a better midfield shield and maybe fewer forwards playing away games. #FULARS

7. Don’t be fooled by the fact Arsenal conceded fewer goals than in each of the two previous seasons. Expected Goals Against was around 56. Our goalkeepers saved us a bit while we also got lucky at times, especially under Mikel Arteta (21 goals xG 31.2!). #FULARS

8.Defend set pieces better

9. Keep the ball better. We may have hated the aimless possession without purpose of the later Wenger years, but last season saw the Gunners’ ball retention drop off a cliff #FULARS

Arsenal average possession since 2003

03/04 57%
04/05 59%
05/06 59%
06/07 59%
07/08 59%
08/09 59%
09/10 60%
10/11 60%
11/12 60%
12/13 58%
13/14 57%
14/15 57%
15/16 58%
16/17 59%
17/18 62%
18/19 58%
19/20 54%

Four of the five lowest possession figures in a match from 2003 to 2020 have come in the last two seasons – Liverpool (h) in July, Man City in June & in 18-19 under Unai Emery v Leicester & Chelsea. Arsenal had less possession than opponents in 14 of 38 games last season. #FULARS

10. Spread the goals around. Arsenal had 17 different scorers last season. Their PL high was 2009-10 (18). But when you look at players with three or more goals, 2019-20 saw just four – the lowest total since 1993-94! 2018-19 had 8, 2017-18 10 players with three or more. #FULARS