There is a strange, almost universal reluctance amongst rival Premier League fan bases to genuinely acknowledge the quality of this current Arsenal team. It goes beyond simple banter and extends into punditry and social media narratives. Every clean sheet is “lucky.” Every victory is qualified with an asterisk. Every tactical advantage is turned into a dismissive nickname.
But this isn’t normal tribalism. This isn’t just hatred. This is fear disguised as cynicism, and it stems from a statistical reality that is too terrifying for the established elite to admit: Arsenal has built the most structurally sound team in the Premier League, and they are built to last.
This piece isn’t about bragging; it’s about confronting the narratives with data. The numbers don’t lie, and they prove that what we are witnessing is not a temporary run of form, but the emergence of a sustainable superpower.
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Section 1: The psychology of denial—why Arsenal’s threat is unique
Rival fans have coping mechanisms for other successful teams. They can dismiss Manchester City as an anomaly of state-level funding. They can dismiss an intense Liverpool title charge as the fleeting, high-octane energy of a single manager’s system.
But the Mikel Arteta project—the “Trust the Process” that was ridiculed for so long is different. It represents a threat far more sustainable and terrifying: a young core, secured on long contracts, bought strategically, and coached to systemic perfection.
When a team is built on a foundation of youthful dominance, it threatens the decade-long cycle of the established order. The only way to cope is denial. Hence the baseless, oft-repeated dismissals:
“They’ll bottle it in May.” (A refusal to acknowledge the maturity of the current squad.)
“They are too reliant on set-pieces.” (A convenient way to ignore tactical genius.)
“They just scrape wins.” (A refusal to look at the quality of control, only the scoreline.)
To truly dismantle these weak narratives, we must turn to the metric that cuts through all noise: the Expected Goals model.
Section 2: Defensive perfection: the unbreakable wall
The single most terrifying statistical fact about the current Arsenal team is their defensive solidity. It is not just the 3 goals conceded in the first 10 league matches—a staggering figure—it is the underlying data that proves this low concession rate is utterly deserved.
Expected goals against (xGA)
The Expected Goals Against (xGA) metric measures the quality of the chances a team allows the opposition to create. If a team’s actual goals conceded is lower than their xGA, it suggests good goalkeeping and a touch of luck. If a team’s xGA is the lowest in the league, it means their structural defence is genuinely the best.
Team Expected Goals Against (xGA) Actual Goals Conceded (GA) Interpretation
Arsenal 5.73 3 League Leader. The team objectively limits opposition to the lowest quality of chances.
Man City 10.7 (approx.) 8 Allows nearly double the quality of chances compared to Arsenal.
Liverpool 12.1 (approx.) 14 Allows high-quality chances, conceding nearly five times as many goals as Arsenal.
The Verdict: Arsenal’s xGA of just 5.73 over the initial matches of the 2025/2026 season makes them the objectively best defensive structure in the Premier League. Opponents simply cannot generate good scoring opportunities against William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, with Declan Rice cleaning up everything in front. This disproves the “lucky” argument entirely. You cannot be lucky when you consistently prevent the opponent from even taking a high-quality shot.
Goalkeeper David Raya currently leads the league in clean sheets (7), a record which is directly underpinned by this defensive mastery.
Section 3: Tactical superiority—from set-piece weakness to weapon
When rivals call us “Corner FC,” they think they are insulting our lack of creativity in open play. What they are actually doing is highlighting a tactical revolution under set-piece coach Nicolas Jover that should terrify every other manager in the league.
Arsenal has become the Premier League’s definitive set-piece specialists, leading the league with 7.06 Expected Goals from dead-ball situations.
The shifting goalposts: From ‘no creativity’ to ‘not enough goals’
The rival narrative used to be that Arsenal was too aesthetically focused and couldn’t grind out wins against a low block. Now, we are scoring those necessary goals, often via the world-class routines devised by Jover, and the criticism has immediately changed: “Arsenal are too reliant on set-pieces and aren’t scoring enough from open play.”
This is not a football critique; it is a concession of defeat dressed up as punditry.
When asked about Arsenal’s set-piece dominance, Liverpool manager Arne Slot recently made comments that were widely interpreted as dismissive of our winning methods. Former Gunner Anders Limpar called this out perfectly, stating such excuses were “diabolical.” Limpar’s point is vital: it is utterly irrelevant how a team wins, as long as the wins are secured. The moment Arsenal found a way to win ugly, the media and rival coaches—like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher who accused Arteta of having the “handbrake on” in big games—simply moved the goalposts to criticise the means rather than admit the result is deserved.
The Danger: the open play goal explosion is coming
Statistically, the narrative is already falling apart. Arsenal’s Open Play xG stands at a competitive 8.78 (after 10 games). This means the team is still creating high-quality chances from dynamic play; they are simply under-performing their open play Expected Goals, a figure that often regresses (improves) to the mean over a season.
The true danger for the Premier League is not that Arsenal relies on set-pieces, but that they are currently winning while simultaneously being inefficient in open play. When players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli start converting their open-play chances at a rate closer to their xG when the open-play system clicks into maximum efficiency—the existing set-piece goals will become an unguardable bonus.
The current goals-per-game figure is a floor, not a ceiling. When that ceiling is reached, rival managers won’t just be facing the “Corner FC” they fear; they will be facing a complete, multi-faceted attacking machine.
Section 4: Statistical proof of dominance: control, pressing, and longevity
The final pieces of data prove that Arsenal is the team dictating terms in the league, regardless of the opposition’s low block attempts. This is about control, fitness, and future stability.
Control and pressing intensity
The “handbrake on” narrative is disproved by the metrics that quantify team control and pressing in the opposition’s half.
Metric Arsenal Value (Per Match) Rival Comparison Interpretation
Pass Accuracy% % 85.7% (4th in league) Nearly matching Man City (88.2%) and Chelsea (87.1%) Elite passing and ball retention required to dominate possession.
Possession Won Final Third 4.3 times (5th in league) Higher than Liverpool and Man City (3.7 times each) Arsenal’s high-press intensity is objectively superior to both rivals, forcing high turnovers and pinning opponents back.
Progressive Carries Team Total (High) Led by Declan Rice (97 carries) Demonstrates the ability of the team’s spine to move the ball through midfield lines, not just sideways.
The endurance and generational Threat
If rivals want to cling to the “bottlers” tag from previous seasons, the current campaign’s resilience data offers a stern rebuke. This is a team that simply refuses to accept defeat, possessing the physical conditioning and mental fortitude to succeed deep into games.
Late Goal Count: Arsenal has scored 4 goals in the 80th minute or later this season, showing a clutch mentality and superior fitness when other teams tire. This resilience is a hallmark of champions.
The Age Advantage: The core of the squad is not only world-class but young. Arsenal’s average starting XI age is approximately 25.80 years. Compare this to our main title rivals: Liverpool (around 26.91 years) and Manchester City (around 26.83 years). We are challenging the established order with a younger, fitter, and more sustainable squad.
Conclusion: The new hegemony is here
Rival fans don’t want to talk about how good Arsenal are because the data confirms what they see: this team isn’t just competitive; it is dominant at the highest level of structural football.
The foundation is built on the best defence in the country, mathematically proven by the lowest xGA. The team is mentally sound, proven by the number of clean sheets and goal contributions from the spine of the team, led by generational talents like Declan Rice. The youth and longevity of the squad ensure this threat is not fleeting.
The denial is not a critique of Arsenal; it is a confession of their own club’s failure to match the process. This isn’t just about winning a title; it’s about a generational shift in power, and the Premier League better brace itself for a sustained period of Arsenal challenging at the very top.