Arsenal are without a defence

Inside the numbers: The London club consistently underachieve when it comes to the climax of the league season.

Cesc Fabregas knows Arsenal's hopes for silverware are over for the season following the defeat from Bolton on Sunday.

It seems to happen every season. Arsenal put in dazzling displays for the first five months, manoeuvre themselves into a position to challenge for the Premier League title - and more - and then their hopes go up in smoke when it comes to the business end of the campaign.

Just over two months ago, Arsenal were in with a shout of winning the league, the FA Cup, the Carling Cup and the Champions League. Now, 11 games later, they are out of the running in all four competitions.

They lost a Carling Cup final they were expecting to win, against Birmingham City. They were then knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona, the FA Cup by Manchester United and, last week, the Premier League title race by Bolton Wanderers.

In that span they have only managed to beat Leyton Orient - who play two divisions below them - and a Blackpool side who have won just once in 14 games. It means a sixth season without a trophy for the Gunners.

This seemingly annual fall from grace sees the same old statements being thrown around by fans and pundits. Arsenal need a big target man to convert the chances their pretty football creates. They must spend big on top-class centre-backs. They don't have the mental strength for a title fight. The squad is too young.

Some Arsenal fans are even calling for Arsene Wenger's head, despite the legacy their manager will undoubted leave for both the club and English football.

However, since their February 27 defeat to Birmingham in the Carling Cup, Arsenal have amassed just eight points in seven games.

In that same period, their title rivals have 22 from eight (Chelsea) and 13 from seven (Manchester United). If you were to compile a league table since that date, Arsenal would be in 13th place.

Their defence must take some of the blame for that. In the seven league games since the Carling Cup final, Arsenal have thrown away three winning positions and a draw. That is seven points down the drain which would have put them ahead of United at the top of the table.

Arsenal's defence (36 goals conceded) is the worst of the top four, but not by a significant amount - Chelsea have let in 27, Manchester City 30 and United 32.

But things consistently start to fall apart in Arsenal's back four when it matters most.

Looking back at the same stage of the season (from February 27 to the end) from the past five years, a consistent pattern emerges.

In that time, Arsenal have played 53 games with a win ratio of just 47 per cent. In the same span, Chelsea have won 75 per cent of their games, United 70 per cent.

No surprise then that United have won the title three times and Chelsea twice in that period.

The root of that poor record is at the back. Arsenal have conceded more than a goal per game during that time when their defence needs to be at its tightest. Not since United in 1999 have a title-winning side conceded more than a goal per game.

You can put up all sorts of theories to explain Arsenal's woes. You could say that Wenger's mentality has rubbed off on his players. Admitting it is fine to finish second, as he did three weeks ago, is not the way to approach a title run-in.

But part of the solution to the problem has to be to improve the defence. "Wenger should make an English centre-half his main priority. Arsenal don't need a player that will reach his peak in three or four years, they need someone to come in and do the job straight away," Paul Merson, a former Arsenal player, said in a recent interview.

That might seem jingoistic, but the sentiment is correct. They need a centre-back in the mould of John Terry at Chelsea - dominant in the air and powerful in the tackle.

Then perhaps they can shore up a defence that has seen 56 per cent of Arsenal's league goals conceded from set pieces, the highest ratio in the Premier League.

Bleak outlook for Rovers

The most valuable commodity in a relegation battle is three points. As West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City have shown in recent weeks, a couple of victories can propel a team way up the table.

It helps to be in the winning habit and things do not look so good for Blackburn Rovers, who have not won in 10 games. Maybe they will regret sacking Sam Allardyce in December, when they were in 13th place.

Bottom of the table

Team P W D L GD P
Blackburn 33 9 8 16 -14 35
Blackpool 34 9 7 18 -22 34
Wigan 34 7 13 14 -23 34
Wolves 33 9 6 18 -20 33
West Ham 34 7 11 16 -22 32

Games since a win

Team Games
Blackburn Rovers 10
Blackpool 7
West Ham United 5
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4
Wigan Athletic 3
Birmingham City 3

Dropping down fast

Blackpool have won plenty of friends this season and what's not to like - a colourful manager who readily speaks to the media, an average of three-and-a-half goals in their games and they play in orange. But, after their impressive start to the season, their slide down the table has turned into an steady drop.

Blackpool's progress

After Position

1 game 2nd
10 games 9th
20 games 9th
30 games 15th
34 games 17th

Quick off the mark

The race to be the Premier League top scorer has become an anticlimax, with Dimitar Berbatov (21) and Carlos Tevez (19) both injured.

A better competition has emerged between players in their first (full) Premier League season.

New boys Player Goals
Carroll (Liverpool/Newcastle) 13
Odemwingie (WBA) 13
Hernandez (Man Utd) 12
Van der Vaart (Tottenham) 12