Our loss at Arsenal was only our seventh league defeat of the season. Fewer than the three teams immediately above us in the Premier League table, where we sit comfortably in ninth place.
As we are the only team with an unbeaten home record in the division, clearly all of these defeats have come away from home.
It was an unlucky loss, as we didn’t look too far away from where Arsenal were, but we succumbed to a pretty hefty 3-0 defeat. The third away game in succession where we have conceded three
goals.
Our average points per game is 1.44, well above that required to keep us in the division — as we are currently on 36 points it’s going to take a collapse of catastrophic proportions to see us go down. And even then we might not go down as other teams have to play each other. Anyway, I haven’t got the time or inclination to build a model to test that theory. Suffice to say that it’s very unlikely that we will go down now.
However, as good as this season has been, and how well we’ve done as a newly promoted side, there are issues, which knowing Régis Le Bris as we do, he will be looking into how we can improve going forward.
One is goal scoring.
Reggie has said in the past that he wanted to get the first and second thirds of the pitch right before addressing goalscoring. Because nobody ever went down with a good defence.
The other stand-out issue is rapidly becoming our away form.
In the away form table we sit in 17th position. Joint on points with the Mags and Brighton, but with considerably inferior goal difference. Our away form guide is abysmal. Losing four out of the last six and drawing the other two. We haven’t won on the road since that fabulous performance at Stamford Bridge and that was at the end of October. Our away goals difference is -14, compared to the Mags and Brighton’s -5.
It seems to be when we are beaten, it’s by a hefty margin. Four times we have conceded three goals, twice two and only once has a defeat been by one goal.
Why? Is it because we are concentrating on our home record at the expense of the away one? Not really, because by the end of October we had won two, drawn one and lost two of our away games.
It’s a little perplexing because the last three losses have come since 7 January. When most players were back from AFCON and we had got past the daunting set of December games.
I mean would you have predicted 3-goal reverses at West Ham and Brentford? Ironically, of the three Arsenal is the one we played best in.
Is it something to get overly concerned about?
I would say no.
Given that we have earned a huge amount of credit getting so many points hitherto.
And you have to say our home form has been phenomenal. To be the only team still unbeaten at home in the league is a fantastic achievement. We sit in fourth place in the home league table, six points off top. And our home form is equal to three and better than Arsenal’s above us, with four wins and two draws in our last six home games.
So although our away form has taken a dip, because of the excellent form earlier in the season and our still current superb home form, it shouldn’t affect us too much.
But knowing Le Bris as we do, I’m sure he’ll be looking to change this for next season.
