Arsenal: 5 positives in 2021 to build on under Arteta

4. Defensive Solidity & Clean Sheets

Only one goalkeeper in the Premier League this season has kept more clean sheets than Aaron Ramsdale’s nine, and that comes with an asterisk since Ederson has played three more matches than the summer recruit.

Going the first three matches without a single goal or point, and conceding nine in the process, makes the aforementioned statistic all the more impressive. And, on this occasion, the improvement can largely be placed on personnel.

Having a defence featuring Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers and Sead Kolasinac, to now having Benjamin White, Gabriel and Takehiro Tomiyasu, is a gigantic step up in quality. There still has to be endless work on the training ground to fine-tune the shape in possession and out of possession, as well as Nicolas Jover’s improvements on set pieces, but it does help having better players.

It’s also impossible not to mention the goalkeeper, too. Aaron Ramsdale has come in and transformed the way fans think about the position. His energy, enthusiasm and communication are all infectious tools that pump the crowd up and marshal the defence.

Without even discussing his quality, purely from the standpoint of defensive solidity the way he commands his box with authority has played a major role in the improvement.

Defensively Arsenal took big strides last season and with tweaks in personnel and shape that has carried over into this season. Just need to cut out the maulings against the top three…

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