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Ben White Arsenal Bournemouth Emirates March 4th 2023

Comparing Arsenal’s 2022-23 record to the Invincibles at the same stage

Arsenal can’t quite match the historic achievement of going unbeaten in an entire league campaign as their famous Invincibles did back in 2003-04, but their overall record in the league this season isn’t far off that legendary side.

After 35 games in 2003-04, Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles had taken 83 points from 35 matches. They’d drawn just under a quarter of their games and won the rest. In mid-March, they registered a hard-fought 2-1 win over Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers to keep their lead over second-place Chelsea.

This season, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners only have two points fewer after the same number of games. They have lost more matches, with defeats to Manchester United, Manchester City and Everton so far, but they’ve drawn fewer and won more than the legendary Invincibles at the same stage.

Arsenal have also scored 14 more goals than the unforgettable 2003-04 side of Thierry Henry and company managed after 35 games. But they have conceded 15 more than Wenger’s side did at the same point of the campaign.

Back in 2003-04, Arsenal broke the back of their title charge with a brilliant run of nine successive league wins in the Spring. The victory over Bolton was the final game of that run. Arteta’s side went on a similar run, winning seven consecutive matches from February to April.

Wenger’s side ended up drawing five of their final nine matches, winning the other four, to keep their incredible unbeaten record intact. Arsenal can still match the Invincibes point tally of 90 if they win their remaining three matches.

Remarkably, they could end up with the same points as the Invincibles and still not win the title. Pep Guardiola’s Man City have notched more than 90 points in four of the last five seasons (each with a league title) and remain the favourites to get over the line.

Arteta arrived at Arsenal seven years after the Invincibles season, at which point most of that squad had moved on, but he played under Wenger and has nothing but respect for the Frenchman’s legacy at the club.

“It did (cross my mind when taking the job),” the Spanish coach said of being wary of following in Wenger’s footsteps.

“But it was tiny in comparison to the excitement and the opportunity that I saw to join this club and try to do what we all wanted to do, which is to get it back to where Arsene took it at the highest level and obviously that desire was much bigger than the worries of failure.”

Here’s how Arsenal’s record in 2022-23 compares to the Invincibles at the same stage.

2022-23

Played: 35
Points: 81
Won: 25
Drawn: 6
Lost: 4

Goals for: 83
Goals per game: 2.37
Goals against: 39
Goals against per game: 1.11

Points per game: 2.31
Win rate: 71.4%
Loss rate: 11.4%

2003-04

Played: 35
Points: 83
Won: 24
Drawn: 11
Lost: 0

Goals for: 69
Goals per game: 1.97
Goals against: 24
Goals against per game: 0.68

Points per game: 2.37
Win rate: 68.57%
Loss rate: 0%


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