Almost two years since a league loss to a ‘Big six’ team – How Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal became big-game players

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Arsenal vs Manchester City Sunday 

©TM/IMAGO

This Sunday a huge Premier League clash awaits at the Emirates. Fourth-placed Manchester City face second-placed Arsenal in north London. It’s a fixture Pep Guardiola had usually had the better of his apprentice Mikel Arteta in, after the latter departed the Sky Blues for the Gunners, but there is evidence to suggest that pendulum may now be swinging in the Arsenal boss’ favour. Arsenal are now unbeaten in their last three Premier League games against City, beating Guardiola’s team at the Emirates last season, whilst drawing their last two encounters at the Etihad. And losing Premier League games to ‘Big six’ opponents has essentially become a thing of the past for Arteta’s team – their record is incredible.

As illustrated in the graphic above, the last of the so-called ‘Big six’ teams to beat Arsenal in the league was in-fact Man City. But that victory came 648 days ago in a 4-1 victory in April, 2023. Manchester United haven’t beat them since a 3-1 win at Old Trafford, 882 days ago, in September 2022. North London rivals Tottenham haven’t tasted Premier League victory against the Gunners since a 3-0 home win in May, 2022, 997 days ago. For Liverpool the wait is 1,054 days. For Chelsea, it’s 1,260. Arsenal’s record in these big games has transformed from atrocious to incredible under Arteta’s stewardship. So how did Arteta turn that tide and manufacture such a formidable record? 

For many years before Arteta, and even at the beginning of the Spaniard’s tenure, games against the bigger clubs were surrounded by fear for the Gunners fanbase. Not only were Arsenal being beaten, they were being taken apart. A 6-0 defeat to Chelsea. A 5-1 loss to Liverpool. A 5-0 drubbing to Man City. Between 2017 and 2023, Arsenal lost by three or more goals to just Liverpool and Man City nine times in the Premier League alone. Watching pundits criticise Arsenal’s lack of a backbone seemed to become a formality that followed the Gunners in big games.

When Arteta took charge, Arsenal hadn’t won at Old Trafford in the league for 13 years. They hadn’t won at Stamford Bridge for eight years. They hadn’t even taken a point at Anfield for three years. They hadn’t beaten Man City in the Premier League home or away for four years, and hadn’t won at the Etihad since 2015. Arteta’s Arsenal have put all those records to bed bar one – they still haven’t won at the Etihad, but did take a point at their title rivals this season and last season. There has been a vast improvement in the big matches under Arteta’s stewardship of late.

As can be seen in the graphic above, Arsenal’s record against the big six teams was pretty poor at the beginning of Arteta’s tenure. In his first three seasons, his best points per game ratio in the Premier League against the ‘Big six’ clubs was 1.30ppg. However in the 2022/23 season, Arsenal amassed 1.90ppg against the ‘Big six’, last term they averaged 2.11ppg, and this season it stands at 2.00ppg in the same category. Arteta’s Arsenal have transformed into big-game players. This season, only Liverpool (14) have more points than the Gunners (12) in games between the ‘Big six’ teams in the Premier League.

As highlighted in the graphic above, if we take it back over the last two and half seasons to the start of the 2022/23 campaign, then Arsenal would still be on top of the ‘Big six’ Premier League table taking just games between those teams into account. Arsenal have a point per game record of 2.04ppg in 1st place, beating Man City’s 1.65ppg, who take second on that list. For so long before Arteta and even during his early reign, Arsenal games against the ‘Big six’ teams usually ended with pundits and journalists alike slating the Gunners for being ‘too nice’ and ‘having no backbone’. It was usually justified. But that’s no longer the case, and for the first time in a long time, Arteta’s team will come up against Guardiola’s serial-winning juggernauts as favourites at the Emirates.