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ARSENAL have been the stand-out team in the Premier League – and perhaps Europe – this season.
Mikel Arteta has developed his team to a point where there is genuine depth in all areas, which allows them to deal with any injury or suspension issues.
But crucially, the profiles that have been recruited or developed through the Hale End academy are suited for the way that Arsenal want to play.
The Gunners have been getting a lot of attention for the quality and effectiveness of their set pieces and the goals they are scoring from them.
They are also, however, setting records at the other end of the pitch with their defensive performances.
Arsenal have not conceded a goal in any of their last eight competitive matches.
Their defensive performances have been so good that Arteta and Co are being mentioned in the same breath as the 2004-05 Chelsea side that won the Premier League title and conceded just 15 goals across 38 games.
But how does this Arsenal team compare to that Chelsea squad? SunSport has taken a look…
THE CENTRE OF DEFENCE
A large part of the success that Arsenal are currently experiencing on the pitch comes from the performances of their central defenders.
The pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes has developed into one of the most complete and well balanced central defensive partnerships in football.
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They are both capable of defending with aggression and tight to the opposition striker and when dropping off and providing mobility and cover in behind for one another.
What we have seen in the last 12-18 months, however, is that Arteta and his recruitment team have developed the squad to make sure that they have back-ups who can provide cover.
Cristhian Mosquera can play as a traditional centre-back, while Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori are able to play centrally or as full-backs.
The current defensive structure for Arsenal is full of players who are comfortable when asked to defend man to man in aggressive defensive situations.
We regularly see the central defenders and full-backs isolated but defending with power against their opponents.
If we look back at the Chelsea team of 2004-05 it is fair to say that they also had their share of dominant defensive players in the likes of John Terry, William Gallas and Ricardo Carvalho.
All three played significant roles across that season with Terry playing nearly every match.
While they were powerful and aggressive defensive types, the Premier League is a very different place now.
The modern Prem is full of extremely athletic players who are also physically strong and the tempo of games in general is much higher now.
This puts extra pressure on players who look to defend in space and from a higher line in the way that Arsenal do.
With that said it is important to acknowledge that Terry in particular would not look out of place in this Arsenal side.
The centre-backs for Arsenal tend to retain a close connection in the middle while the full-backs are strong when covering from the opposite side or in 1v1 defensive duels.
Given that one of the biggest strengths of this Arsenal squad comes in the centre of their defence, it would be fair to suggest they are stronger than the Chelsea squad that set the record.
FULL-BACKS
Arsenal have created a structure in their squad where they have full-backs who are strong and dominant in defensive situations.
Timber and Calafiori seem to be the first choice for Arteta, but White, Hincapie and Myles Lewis-Skelly have also seen time in the first-team so far.
In their full-back options, Arsenal have sourced a number of stars who are capable of playing either centrally or in the wide areas.
This does not mean that the full-backs are not capable of playing effectively in the attacking phase.
Indeed, the forward runs and ability to make runs into the final third and to stretch the pitch by providing width adds a lot of value for the Gunners in the attacking phase.
When defending, the Arsenal full-backs are all strong when isolated in 1v1 situations.
Above, we see Timber isolated against Anthony Gordon of Newcastle and his angles and body shape are excellent to prevent the opposition player from being able to outplay and attack inside.
Chelsea’s full-backs in their 04-05 season had slightly different profiles.
Gallas played there at points but they also used the likes of Pauo Ferreira, Wayne Bridge and Glen Johnson in that position.
All of those – aside from Gallas – are more natural fullbacks in the traditional sense as opposed to being hybrid players who can also play centrally.
With that said, the likes of Ferreira were more defensive-minded and perhaps less effective in the attacking phase.
Chelsea in that season, however, relied more heavily on their wide attackers for their attacking outputs and not as much on their full-backs to provide support going forward.
On the left-side of the defence for Arsenal, Calafiori is extremely aggressive and athletic in his approach. He can, at times, concede fouls because he is too keen to get to the ball and win possession high.
In the above example, we see Burnley play down into his zone and he immediately moves high to press and win the ball back.
When it comes to full-backs, Arsenal have a clear advantage in their options over the Chelsea team from the 04-05 season.
DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS
The signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad this summer appears to have been the last piece of the puzzle for Arteta when building his midfield.
Zubimendi has provided the profile, both in and out of possession, that many expected Mikel Merino to bring.
The presence of him in the midfield unit along with England international Declan Rice has brought real balance.
Against the ball, Zubimendi tends to be the player who sits deeper and looks to protect the centre of the defence.
He reads the game very well and his positioning and movement against the ball allows him to generate a lot of blocks and interceptions.
Rice, on the other hand, is the more mobile midfielder who plays and defends wide and in the channels.
Zubimendi is aggressive in his defensive performance. He will routinely look to close gaps and win the ball back early as it is played into the midfield and opposition stars are receiving the ball facing their own goal.
The more defensive-minded midfield position is one area where Chelsea from 04-05 may actually have the advantage over Arsenal as they had the Claude Makelele at the base.
He was a midfielder who would cover the roles of both Zubimendi and Rice.
Above, we see Arsenal when they had been attacking but now have to transition to the defensive phase.
On the right side both Timber and Bukayo Saka had been caught high and out of position and the opposition looked to exploit that by playing forward quickly.
Rice, however, was able to read the threat and moved into the wide area in order to stop the opposition counter.
A player like Makelele would bring value to this Arsenal team in the attacking phase.
CONCLUSION
It is hard to compare teams across eras – especially because the modern Premier League is so much more physical and athletic than it was in the 04-05 season.
With that said, the squad Arteta has built makes Arsenal a stronger overall defensive unit than the Chelsea team that won the league in 04-05.
Makelele is the only player who would clearly be an upgrade on the options that Arteta has at his disposal.
