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Through eight games this season, Arsenal are now 6-1-1 and are only in second place behind Manchester City on goal differential.
To put this start in context, I thought it might be useful to look back at previous seasons to see how things panned out after crossing the 1/5th pole.
| Year | W | D | L | Pts | Place | Final W | Final D | Final L | Final Pts | Final Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 3rd | 19 | 11 | 8 | 68 | 3rd |
| 1997-98 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1st | 23 | 9 | 6 | 77 | 1st |
| 1998-99 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 3rd | 22 | 12 | 4 | 78 | 2nd |
| 1999-00 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 3rd | 22 | 7 | 9 | 73 | 2nd |
| 2000-01 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 3rd | 20 | 10 | 8 | 70 | 2nd |
| 2001-02 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 2nd | 26 | 9 | 3 | 87 | 1st |
| 2002-03 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 1st | 23 | 9 | 6 | 78 | 2nd |
| 2003-04 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 2nd | 26 | 12 | 0 | 90 | 1st |
| 2004-05 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1st | 25 | 8 | 5 | 83 | 2nd |
| 2005-06 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 8th | 20 | 7 | 11 | 67 | 4th |
| 2006-07 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 4th | 19 | 11 | 8 | 68 | 4th |
| 2007-08 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1st | 24 | 11 | 3 | 83 | 3rd |
| 2008-09 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 4th | 20 | 12 | 6 | 72 | 4th |
| 2009-10 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 4th | 23 | 6 | 9 | 75 | 3rd |
| 2010-11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 3rd | 19 | 11 | 8 | 68 | 4th |
| 2011-12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 10th | 21 | 7 | 10 | 70 | 3rd |
| 2012-13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9th | 21 | 10 | 7 | 73 | 4th |
| 2013-14 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 1st | 24 | 7 | 7 | 79 | 4th |
| 2014-15 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 7th | 22 | 9 | 7 | 75 | 3rd |
| 2015-16 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 2nd | 20 | 11 | 7 | 71 | 2nd |
| 2016-17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 2nd | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Hard to get any generalized taeks out of that, what with such a wide variance in the dataset. If anything, it’s impressive that we’ve been able to escape the rough starts (I SEE YOU 2011-12 YOU FETID PILE) and still qualify for Champions League. But the great starts don’t directly correlate to stronger finishes either. Points are points, no matter when they’re acquired; the key, obviously, is a consistent acquisition of said points, regardless of what the calendar says.
In fact, this is the sixth season under Wenger in which Arsenal have had at least 19 points after eight games. We only won the league in one of those years: 2003-04. You might have heard of that campaign.
Oddly, one of the worst starts the team had under Wenger, in 1998-99 - in which Arsenal won just three of their first eight games - saw us finish 2nd overall.
If nothing else, there’s reason to be thankful for a good start, but leagues aren’t won in October. Well, except for the Chinese Super League...but forget about that.
Arsenal’s off to a bright start. Here’s to not squandering it as we head toward the Boxing Day pole.