If Arsenal fail to win the Premier League title this season, will they be relegated to the status of "second of the millennium"?
The Arsenal have been nothing short of amazing this season. In line with the views of many fans, I was expecting a possible setback in their first two games in London, but apart from that thrilling last minute game against Tottenham, they have comfortably beaten both Chelsea and Tottenham.
In the process, Arsenal showed a variety of strategies to defeat their opponents. On the one hand, they dismantled the opponent's defense through subtle passing and ball control tactics; on the other hand, they contracted their defense and waited for the opportunity to counterattack with a fatal blow. What's more interesting is that they can also break through the opponent's defense through set piece tactics. So far, they have scored 22 goals (including 12 penalty kicks) through set pieces, while before the arrival of Coach Zuhua, they only scored 6 goals per game through set pieces on average.
Arsenal's rise in the league standings is largely due to an increase in set-piece goals, which accounted for 22% of their total goals. Although they still need to rely on Manchester City to win the title in the end, I firmly believe that once the goals are achieved, Arsenal definitely deserve to win the title this season.
Ponymouth are also having a great season, and their situation is very different from Arsenal. Under the leadership of new manager Ira Organa, the team was slightly unstable at first, but now they have firmly found their best formation and are expected to be at the top of the table, which is certainly a reward they deserve.
Much of the success of Portsmouth has been due to the prolific goal scoring of their top scorer, Solanki. It's clear that he's going all out in his quest to be selected for the England national team. Also, I was impressed this week with my look at the stats of the season for Ponemouth.
We often think of mid-to-lower table teams as "home dragons and away bugs". Despite the fact that Ponemouth have gained 6 more points at home this season, they have gained a total of 21 points on the road, which is the 8th highest in the EPL road table this season. What's more surprising is that unlike the traditional style of steady offense on the road, the key to scoring away from home for Ponemonmouth has been a passing and control-based tactic. This is a reflection of the team's progress and how the leaders are leading them forward.
Despite the performance of away teams such as Portsmouth, today's match at the Emirates Stadium is still a challenge for them. They may force Arsenal to play their best, while Arsenal's better technical advantage will make them laugh at home.
