The defensive line is a stronghold helping Arsenal stay in the Premier League title race.

For the first time in history, Arsenal has kept a clean sheet in six consecutive away matches in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta was indeed a protege of Arsene Wenger and an assistant to Pep Guardiola. The Spanish strategist had no direct relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson. However, under Arteta’s guidance, the current Arsenal team does exhibit similarities to Manchester United under Ferguson’s leadership.

“Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles” – this is one of Ferguson’s most famous quotes. And it seems to be the philosophy that the Gunners are following.

It’s highly likely that The Gunners will finish the 2023-2024 Premier League season with the best defense. A stellar defensive line could help goalkeeper David Raya claim the Golden Glove, but what if Arsenal only finish as runners-up for the second consecutive time?

As the final whistle echoed at Molineux, Arsenal secured their sixth consecutive clean sheet away from home. Arteta, who has lived in England for 20 years, was pleasantly surprised by this achievement. “It’s very difficult. I don’t know when it was last done. I imagine it wasn’t recent because it’s extremely hard to achieve,” said the Arsenal manager.

A solid defense is indeed the key to Arsenal’s success this season.

Only Chelsea in 2008 and Manchester United in 2009 have had longer streaks of clean sheets away from home in the Premier League than Arsenal. The Gunners could equal that record if they keep a clean sheet against Tottenham on April 28th.

Some argue that Arsenal’s defense cost them the Premier League title last season. They conceded more goals than the champions, Manchester City, by 10 goals. It’s worth noting that Arsenal conceded 11 times in four April matches last year. In contrast, except for the defeat to Aston Villa, Arsenal haven’t conceded a goal in April this year in domestic competitions.

Wolves manager, Gary O’Neil, described Arsenal’s defense as the best in the world. “If you look at the statistics, you can see how good Arsenal’s defense is.”

Even more impressively, Arsenal’s defensive record away from home in domestic competitions is better than at home. The Gunners have gone 541 minutes without conceding a goal away from home in the Premier League. Their expected goals conceded (xG) away from home are only 11.77. Manchester City has the next best record with 17.44 xG, and no other team is below 22 xG.

Therefore, Arteta is also proud of Arsenal’s defensive record: “Let’s give credit to the players for their organizational skills, understanding, and love they show in defending. That’s the foundation for the team to win matches.”

Arsenal is currently leading the Premier League but does not have the sole authority to decide their fate.

In the Champions League, there are many questions raised about Arsenal’s excessive caution. This contrasts sharply with the balance they’ve shown in the Premier League.

After four knockout matches, The Gunners have only scored three goals. However, when Arteta’s team exited the tournament, they had only conceded seven goals in ten matches. Looking back a few years, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal conceded 10 goals in just two matches against Bayern Munich.

According to former defender Jamie Carragher, Arsenal could be heading down the same path as Tottenham did under Mauricio Pochettino. Both teams performed well but couldn’t win the Premier League or the Champions League.

In the 2016-2017 season, Pochettino’s team scored the most goals and conceded the fewest, yet they couldn’t become champions. Neither their attacking prowess nor their defensive solidity helped them secure titles.

If Carragher’s assessment is accurate, this is undoubtedly a harsh reality for Arsenal…