Arsenal are currently sat top of the Premier League table, as they aim to end their 22-year run without lifting the league title under Mikel Arteta – and the Spaniard has made great in-roads to doing that by quelling their biggest issue which nobody is talking about.
Arsenal have finished second in each of their last three seasons in the Premier League, being ousted by Manchester City at the death in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, before a half-hearted attempt at chasing Liverpool ended in dismay last time out.
It’s an itch that Mikel Arteta will want to get rid of, with the Spanish boss having failed to win a trophy for over five years since Arsenal’s FA Cup win in 2020.
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And their recent form has been supplemented by an exemplary disciplinary record, which is a huge change to last year’s collapses.
Mikel Arteta looks on during an Arsenal training session
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal have been the best behaved side in the Premier League this season
This season has seen Arsenal boast the best disciplinary record of any team in the Premier League.
Just eight games into the season, only Manchester United have picked up fewer yellow cards than the Gunners.
However, Casemiro’s red card vs Chelsea means that they slide below Arsenal in the Fair Play rankings as reds count for double, meaning the Gunners have been the best behaved side in the division.
Team Yellow cards Red cards Total
Arsenal 9 0 9
Manchester United 8 1 10
Manchester City 10 0 10
Newcastle United 9 1 11
As a result, their three goals conceded means that it is becoming increasingly difficult for teams to break Arsenal down.
Their only goals conceded have been to Nick Woltemade, a game which Arsenal won against Newcastle via a Gabriel header, as well as Erling Haaland’s goal which was cancelled out by Gabriel Martinelli, and Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick, resulting in their only defeat.
That is by virtue of Arsenal always having their best players in action in terms of suspensions, and it’s a far cry from last season.
Head coach Mikel Arteta looks on prior to Arsenal's Champions League match against Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Arsenal’s silly red card habit last season contributed to them missing out on Premier League title
Arsenal were brandished red cards in three of their opening eight Premier League fixtures in 2024-25.
They were made to pay the price. In two of those games, they dropped points from a winning position, whilst the third game saw them record their first loss of the campaign.
Declan Rice was issued with a red card vs Brighton for kicking the ball away whilst already on a booking, as the Seagulls managed to salvage a point at the Emirates Stadium through Joao Pedro, resulting in Arsenal’s first dropped points of the campaign.
Just three weeks later, Leandro Trossard was needlessly sent off against Manchester City whilst Arsenal were 2-1 up away at the Etihad Stadium for the same offence. Eventually, the champions equalised in second half stoppage-time for more dropped points for the Gunners.
And, in just their eighth game, William Saliba was sent off against Bournemouth, allowing the Cherries to record a famous 2-0 win to leave Arsenal four points behind Liverpool.
It was a position they never recovered from, and Arteta’s approach to nipping that in the bud this season sees them three points clear after the same amount of games.
Hopefully for him, that can change the tide going forward to end their title hoodoo.