In an era where sports science is constantly developing at an incredible rate, very few football records can be considered unstoppable. Look at what Erling Haaland is doing as he continues to conquer and break a series of scoring records.
However, Chelsea's 2004 2005 Premier League campaign is still one of the rare exceptions. Jose Mourinho's team has only conceded 15 goals in their championship journey - a record that has existed for two decades and is considered almost unstoppable.
Since then, no team has come close to that number. Chelsea themselves also conceded 22 goals in the following season. Along with Manchester United in 2007 2008 and Liverpool in 2018-2019, these are the closest teams with 15 goals conceded, but still more than 7 goals.
To see more clearly the extraordinary level of that achievement, just look at the present. Both Wolves and West Ham have conceded 16 goals this season - one more than Mourinho's Chelsea in 38 games, while they have only played 8 and 7 games.
However, Arsenal seem to be on their way to challenging that record. The "Gunners" just had another clean sheet away from home against Fulham last weekend. The total number of goals conceded by them in the Premier League this season is only 3 goals in 8 matches, a rate of 0.38 goals per match.
If they can maintain this pace, Arsenal will end the season with about 14.4 goals conceded after 38 rounds. And they will officially surpass Chelsea's record if the number of goals conceded is only 14.
Mikel Arteta has built an almost perfect defensive system, and the numbers show that. In terms of average goals conceded per match, Arsenal leads the top 5 European leagues in both actual goals conceded and expected goals conceded (xGA).
They also rank second in total shots and shots on target, while the quality of opportunities created by the opponent (xG per shot) is among the lowest. This is a testament to Arsenal's incredible solidity in defence.
When observing the positions that The Gunners face with shots, not only the number of opportunities for opponents is significantly limited, but the quality of those situations is also very low. This reflects their limited defense and good organization in the box.
Most of that achievement comes from the powerful presence of the central defender pair Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba - the duo that brought absolute stability to Arsenal's four-man defensive center. In addition, goalkeeper David Raya is also showing stable performance, excellently completing the role of final blocker.
Arteta has a stable and familiar defense in front of Raya. This is a factor that plays an important role in creating solidity for Arsenal. The centre-back duo Magalhaes and Saliba have started six of their eight Premier League games this season, becoming a solid foundation for the defence.
With Saliba absent, Cristhian Mosquera has also had impressive performances, showing depth in Arsenal's midfield. On the wings, Riccardo Calafiori started all the matches, while Jurrien Timber started in 7/8 matches. Both of these defenders have a solid physical foundation and are especially excellent in one-on-one situations.
