Gameweek 1 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) is drawing ever nearer and we’re profiling all 20 Premier League teams before the season starts.
After weighing up what Aston Villa players had to offer, we continue our team-by-team guides with Arsenal.
You can check out our Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Bournemouth analysis in our Promoted series (articles that will be refreshed before the big kick-off).
Data in this article comes from our Premium Members Area, which you can access with a discounted subscription for as little as £2.49 a month today.
LAST SEASON: ATTACK
| Total | Rank v other Premier League clubs | |
| Goals scored | 61 | 6th |
| Shots | 589 | 4th |
| Shots in the box | 372 | 4th |
| Shots on target | 194 | 4th |
| Big chances | 69 | 8th |
| Expected goals (xG) | 69.16 | 4th |
Arsenal were Champions League material for much of 2021/22 when it came to goal threat but there is a sense that there is still more to come: they had the worst xG delta (-8.16) and second-worst goal conversion (10.4%) of any side who finished in the top half last season.
Perhaps the acquisition of Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) can help remedy that wastefulness. He’s had a flying start to life at Arsenal in pre-season, although it should be noted that he too has a bit of a profligate track record.
LAST SEASON: DEFENCE
| Total | Rank v other Premier League clubs | |
| Goals conceded | 48 | 8th |
| Clean sheets | 13 | 5th |
| Shots conceded | 425 | 4th |
| Shots in the box conceded | 263 | 4th |
| Shots on target conceded | 147 | 7th |
| Big chances conceded | 67 | =8th |
| Expected goals conceded (xGC) | 51.83 | 7th |
Wobbly defensive periods bookended last season, with no clean sheets arriving in the opening three Gameweeks or from Gameweeks 31-38.
In between, Arsenal racked up an impressive 13 shut-outs in 25 matches.
Keeping together a settled back four was one contributing factor: Takehiro Tomiyasu (£4.5m), Ben White (£4.5m) and Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.0m) started every fixture together from Gameweeks 4-18, with eight clean sheets arriving in this period alone. It was no coincidence that Arsenal’s defensive numbers worsened when Tomiyasu’s fitness issues began earlier this year.
But Aaron Ramsdale‘s (£5.0m) displays were also worthy of note. Earning rave reviews after his initial debut, he had fallen out of form somewhat by the time we reached the end of 2021/22.
| Expected goals prevented (xGP) | Save percentage | |
| Gameweek 4-24 | +5.20 | 78.9% |
| Gameweek 25-38 | -4.80 | 57.7% |
OPENING FIXTURES
Arsenal are actually top of our Season Ticker for fixture difficulty in the first eight Gameweeks, meeting only one of last season’s top seven in that time – and even that is a Manchester United side who struggled for clean sheets in 2021/22. Even with the strides made in pre-season under Erik ten Hag, question marks remain about their defence.
Two newly-promoted outfits – Bournemouth and Fulham – come in Gameweek 3 and 4, while two of the leakier defences of last season, Leicester and Everton, visit the Emirates.
Arteta’s side will be in UEFA Europa League action this season, however, which means they will have to get used to a demanding Thursday-Sunday turnaround between matches. That competition starts after Gameweek 6.
The September international break may be a time to reassess investment in the Gunners, as all of last season’s top four have to be met in Gameweeks 9-15.
PREDICTED GAMEWEEK 1 LINE-UP
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1 year, 9 months agoI can probably predict the outcome of this but which defensive combo is best?
A) Trent + Tomiyasu/Dalot (i.e. a 4.5)
B) Robertson + Zinchenko/Cash/Trippier (i.e. a 5.0)
Can’t squeeze another 0.5.