Misfiring Gunners – a closer look at Arsenal struggles since international break

Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle on Saturday continued a difficult spell since the October international break.

Here, the PA news agency looks at their contrasting fortunes throughout this season.

Faltering form

Mikel Arteta’s side are winless in their last three Premier League games, falling seven points behind leaders Liverpool in the process.

– Arsenal lost only five league games in the whole of last season.

– The Gunners have failed to score twice in the last three games, which they also did only five times in the whole of last season’s Premier League.

– The 2-2 draw against Liverpool was the third time this season Arsenal have dropped points from a winning position, only one fewer than the whole of last season.

– They lie fifth in the table – last season they did not drop that low other than in the first six games, and were in the top three from January onwards, while in 2022-23 they were never out of the top two.

– Arsenal have already had more red cards in this season’s top flight (three) than last season (two).

Unbeaten start

The recent slump is in contrast to Arsenal’s form up to last month’s internationals, when they were unbeaten in their first seven league games and 10 in all competitions.

– Five wins and two draws gave Arsenal 17 points from their first seven games, averaging 2.4 points and 2.1 goals per game.

– The latter figure rose to 2.2 in all competitions, helped by a 5-1 Carabao Cup win over Bolton, but has fallen to 1.2 since the resumption of domestic action.

– The shift in Arsenal’s defensive record came earlier as the Gunners kept three clean sheets in the first four league games but have since gone six games without a shut-out while dealing with defensive injuries as well as William Saliba’s suspension for the Liverpool game.

Edu exit?

Sporting director Edu, one of several ex-Arsenal players to play a key role in re-establishing the Gunners as title challengers, is reported to be leaving the club.

– Arsenal finished eighth in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 and had gone six years without qualifying for the Champions League until their runner-up finishes the last two seasons.

– All of Saturday’s starting XI were signed after Edu’s appointment with the exception of academy product Bukayo Saka, who had made a single Premier League appearance as an 83rd-minute substitute prior to the Brazilian’s return to the club.

– Ex-Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere also recently left his role as under-18s coach to join Norwich as a first-team coach. Arteta and academy manager Per Mertesacker remain as former players in the coaching set-up.