Arsenal now rank above Man City in stat which shows title race is far from over

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Arsenal have been dealt a big setback in the title race in recent weeks after back-to-back defeats against West Ham and Fulham.

Mikel Arteta’s side went into Christmas on top of the Premier League, but now find themselves five points behind leaders Liverpool, and many have questioned whether they can still win the Premier League title.

January additions look unlikely, and internal solutions will have to be found to address their poor form and their inadequacy in front of goal, but it is not all doom and gloom.

Despite recent results, Arsenal are still performing at a very high level overall, and a stat has now emerged which suggests that they will find themselves close to the top and results improving very soon.

Arsenal’s performances have been statistically strong

Despite struggling in front of goal, amid calls for a new striker in January, Arsenal have created a fair amount this season, and coupled with their excellent defence, they seem well equipped to compete at the top.

Arsenal arguably have the best defence in the Premier League right now, with Declan Rice, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes forming an outstanding unit, but they are constantly punished by careless individual errors.

Statsbomb have now revealed that Arsenal are second in the Premier League when it comes to measuring the quality of their performances. This is done by taking their total expected goals value, and subtracting their total expected goals against value to create xG difference.

Arsenal are marginally behind Liverpool, but marginally ahead of Manchester City, and well above Aston Villa in this metric, despite the Gunners’ current position in fourth place.

Arsenal’s problems in both boxes is holding them back

In terms of overall performances, chance creation and defensive solidity, it is clear that Arsenal are an elite side. However, the problems in both conceding calamitous goals, and an inability to finish clinically, has meant that results haven’t been as good as they should be.

There is still a long way to go in the season, and currently all three of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are out of form.

If they can return to their best, and the defence continues to remain solid as a unit, then results will pick up, and if Arsenal do not lose further ground in the Premier League over the next month, they will still be very much in the title picture for the rest of the season.