September is almost over, and there has been a lot of noise over the last few weeks, with some pundits and fans making all sorts of negative assertions. But as we look back over the last six weeks since the season started, it seems to me that quite a few people are looking a little silly today.
Why am I saying that?
Well, let’s start with Kai Havertz and his signing. Mikel Arteta has been criticized left, right, and centre, Havertz has been branded a terrible signing, and so forth. But let’s examine one revealing stat.
Havertz has NEVER been on the losing side since the season started. Now, we can all accept that he has not performed as we would have wanted, but Arteta saw something in him that very few of us could see. To be honest, I am still not sure what it is, but never being on the losing side is hard to argue with.
Now, another stat.
Arsenal is the only team unbeaten in ALL competitions. And before anyone brings up Tottenham, who are unbeaten in the league, well, they are not unbeaten in the Carabao Cup, are they? No, Arsenal is the only team unbeaten in ALL competitions in English football. That is a cold hard fact.
I, of course, accept that the legendary eye test paints a slightly different picture. We have not been as fluent and stable as we were for most of last season. We have scraped by in certain games, and the squad does seem to be lacking quality in depth. But consider the following.
Arsenal, even when not at their best, even when they lack quality in squad depth in some areas, even when they have been hit with injuries, are still unbeaten. Imagine how we will do once we start firing on all cylinders. Imagine how well we will do when we have a fully fit squad. Imagine how well we will do if we sign an Ivan Toney or someone similar in January.
So, in conclusion, I am sorry to say that the negative assertions surrounding Arsenal, including those against certain players, are nothing more than a myth. You cannot argue with the stats on this one.