There is a milestone that has stood firm for the past 20 years since the 2004-2005 Premier League season. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea have only conceded 15 goals in 38 games and are crowned.
Chelsea also conceded 22 goals in the following season, while Manchester United in 2007 2008 and Liverpool in 2018-2019 also stopped at 22 goals conceded.
To make a more multi-dimensional comparison, Wolves and West Ham have conceded 16 goals in just eight games this season, more than Mourinho's Chelsea in the 2004-25 season.
In that context, Arsenal are showing the ability to break this record. After a 1-0 win at Fulham last weekend, the Gunners have kept a clean sheet for the 5th time in the Premier League this season, with a total of 3 goals conceded after 8 matches (0.38 goals/match). If they maintain this efficiency throughout the season, Arsenal will end with 14.4 goals conceded, then they will break Chelsea's historic record.
When Arteta turned Arsenal into the Premier League's "defense lab"
The statistics prove Arsenal's incredible solidity. They are leading the top 5 European leagues in terms of average goals conceded and xG (expected goals conceded), only behind Inter Milan in terms of the quality of opportunities created by the opponent.
Arsenal are second in terms of the total number of shots and shots on target that must be received at least, and also second in terms of the average quality of each shot that must be faced at least. These are numbers that show that opponents have almost no chance of approaching their goal from dangerous positions.
Most of the opportunities created by the opponents came from outside the penalty area, while the 5m50 area in front of David Raya's goal was almost invincible. The centre of that wall is Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, the centre-back duo who are widely regarded as the Premier League's best at the moment.
Behind them, David Raya also affirmed his role as a "goalkeeper" with the ability to play with his feet, judge space and command a good defense.
Stability is the foundation of a record
One of the most important factors for this success is personnel stability. Arteta has almost always used his familiar defensive framework of Gabriel - Saliba - Calafiori - Timber.
The centre-back Gabriel - Saliba have started together in 6/8 matches, bringing solidity and harmony. When Saliba was absent, Cristhian Mosquera came on as a replacement and showed surprising maturity. On the two wings, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber are not only good at defending, they are also strong in situations facing each other. This was Arsenal's weakness in previous years.
Good defense is not enough to win the championship
The history of the Premier League has proven that a certain start does not guarantee a title. In the past 30 years, 7 teams have conceded 2 or less goals after 8 rounds and only 3 of them have won the championship: Chelsea (2004-2005, 2005-2006) and Manchester United (2007-2008).
Arsenal have experienced this feeling. In the 1998-1999 season, they only conceded 17 goals - a record for a non-champion team but still had to watch M.U crowned because the attack scored 21 goals less than their opponent.
That lesson is still valid. Although the "Gunners" are currently defending like a factory mechanism, they need to maintain a stable attack to turn the solidity of the defense into the foundation of success.
When the attack is not yet in the rhythm, the defense becomes the foundation
Arsenal have only scored 15 goals in 8 matches this season, good enough speed but not yet explosive. However, looking at the context of the whole tournament, where the average number of goals is decreasing significantly, this is not a worrying sign.
Arsenal's attacking xG of 14.1 is still 4th in the league, very close to the leader Crystal Palace (17.4). That shows that opportunities still come evenly, the problem is just to convert them into goals. It should be remembered that Arsenal have never had a full attacking force. Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz are all absent from many matches; Viktor Gyokeres has not really caught up with the Premier League, Bukayo Saka is constantly overloaded.
Chelsea's record is a symbol of perfection but Arsenal are close to reaching
Breaking Chelsea's record of 15 goals conceded in the 2004 2005 season is certainly a very difficult challenge. However, the most important thing is that Arsenal are building a truly championship foundation, where stability, organization and defensive confidence become a spiritual strength.
From the image of Chelsea "frozen" all opponents in 2005 to Arsenal now it is a long way. Mikel Arteta is helping the North London team rewrite history in his own way.
If the attack soon finds its explosive again and the "Emerited Wall" continues to stand firm, not only Chelsea's record could be broken, the Premier League 2025-2026 could see the most complete and cool Arsenal in the Mikel Arteta era.
