Arsenal have started the season below the high standards they set last time out and Mikel Arteta needs to turn things around sooner rather than later despite impressive results on paper

There’s a world in which Arsenal fans turn up to work today lauding their North London Derby bragging rights over their Tottenham supporting colleagues. As they streamed out of the Emirates Stadium yesterday, many would have felt that that’s the one they should be living in.

Make no mistake, Spurs were good. Ange Postecoglou is clearly on to something at the other end of the Seven Sisters Road and their brave, diligent approach was night and day when compared to Antonio Conte’s cowardly tactics in this fixture last season. Still, Arsenal should have won the game.

If Jorginho hadn’t uncharacteristically gifted possession to James Maddison 90 seconds after Bukayo Saka’s penalty, they could have done. In fact, if they had defended a late set piece against 10-man Fulham, they could have won all of their games this season. And yet, something still doesn’t feel quite right.

Mikel Arteta has put this down to the fine margins. If only his team had been able to put away their chances, then there would be nothing to worry about. Arsenal’s attacking metrics suggest something a little more sinister, though.

The Gunners rank down in ninth for expected goals so far this season with 11.33 (as per understat). After six games last season they were up in third with 12.85. Of course there are mitigating circumstances that can explain that. If they hadn’t spent most of the second half against Crystal Palace down to 10 men, for example, then the chances are that they would have produced a lot more in the final third.

However, with their kind start to the season you would have expected more. Of Arsenal’s opening six Premier League opponents, only crisis-riddled Manchester United finished above eighth last season. Still though, they have scored just 11 goals this season – the joint lowest of any team in the top eight.

They could probably get away with this if the defence was watertight. However, the Gunners have kept just three clean sheets at home in 2023 – one of which came in their final day rout of a Wolves side so on the beach they may as well have been wearing sunglasses and flip-flops.

It’s certainly possible to frame Arsenal’s start to the season in a positive manner. The Gunners haven’t quite clicked yet and are still unbeaten in all competitions – just imagine what they could be like when they finally get up and going!

After transforming Arsenal from barely a Europa League side to one that can legitimately count themselves among the top contenders to win the Premier League and Champions League, Arteta has probably got enough credit in the bank to earn that reservation of judgement. Having spent north of £200million this summer though, the Spaniard will know that he has to get his attack to click soon. The discerning voices have thus far been background noise, but another passive performance like the one against Tottenham, and criticism could well come to the foreground at the Emirates once again.