Arsenal vs Crystal Palace: Bottom half stats need improvement

Arsenal make the short journey to south London on Wednesday night to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League, with their inconsistent form no more evident this season than against such opposition.

A hallmark of the later Arsene Wenger era was the ease with which Arsenal brushed past the supposed ‘lesser’ teams. Those usually seen hovering in the bottom half were the bread and butter of the season.

Away form deteriorated in the latter years while home successes remained commonplace, but this campaign has seen Arsenal struggle against those in and around them, as well as below them, all over the country.

Wretched home form has hamstrung this season among other countless areas of improvement, but their inability to secure points in matches they would normally be favoured to do so has played its part in the struggles.

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace: Bottom half stats show area of improvement for Mikel Arteta in Premier League next season

Discounting the bottom three, Mikel Arteta’s side have secured just 15 points from their 12 games against sides below them in the Premier League table. That adds up to an average of 1.25 points per game against Aston Villa, Wolves, Palace, Southampton, Brighton, Burnley and Newcastle.

‘Low block’ springs to mind, an approach instilled in the vast majority of these fixtures. Arsenal’s inability to sustain periods of pressure has been key to their inability to break teams down with ten men behind the ball.

As part of this remarkable season, Arsenal secured their first win at Old Trafford since 2006; first win at Stamford Bridge since 2011; first loss at home to Everton since 1996 and first loss at home to Burnley since 1974.

It’s been topsy-turvy. However, reflecting back on the campaign the standout fixtures will be the dropped points against bottom half clubs: one in two games vs Burnley and none against Aston Villa and Wolves immediately spring to mind.

Palace are in and around that troupe and with their approach not expected to change at Selhurst Park, finding ways to grind out victories in the fixtures where Arsenal are expected to win is among the vast checklist Arteta has to work through over pre-season.

Simply pinning the fault down on the defensive setups the opposition use is a cop-out. There is mentality issue within this squad, one that falls on Arteta’s shoulders more than anyone else. There is no better time to begin setting those issues right than in a fixture with nothing riding on it, against an opponent who will pose the same obstacles the Gunners have failed to overcome all season.