Arsenal and Crystal Palace have vastly underachieved in 2016.
Arsenal and Crystal Palace have been the biggest underachievers since the turn of the New Year as both have seen what looked like decent campaigns turn upside down within 12 weeks.
The Gunners led the Premier League table heading in to the New Year, with Manchester City seemingly their biggest challengers at that point following Chelsea’s disatrious start to the season.
Manchester United and Liverpool were also in no great shape, causing many pundits and observers alike to recognise this season as Arsenal’s biggest chance of winning the title in over a decade.
However, while Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur have admirably kept up the pace, Arsenal have imploded and it has contributed to the most bizarre Premier League seasons in modern history.
| Appearances | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals | Goals Conceded | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicester | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 21 |
| Chelsea | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 10 | 20 |
| Tottenham | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 20 |
| West Ham | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 20 |
| Man Utd | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 17 |
| Southampton | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 17 |
| West Brom | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 16 |
| Bournemouth | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 15 |
| Liverpool | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 15 | 14 |
| Man City | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 14 |
| Swansea | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Stoke | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 14 |
| Arsenal | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Sunderland | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
| Everton | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 11 | 12 |
| Watford | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
| Aston Villa | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 21 | 8 |
| Newcastle | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 7 |
| Norwich | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 22 | 4 |
| C. Palace | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 2 |
As shown by the table provided by Opta, Arsene Wenger’s men have won just three league games – and taken 13 points – since the turn of the New Year, less than Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion.
Considering the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Francis Coquelin have returned to the team following injuries, their form is inexplicable and their title bid is in tatters.
The North London club trail Leicester by eight points with only nine games remaining, and it’s widely regarded that they now must win at least eight of those to have any sort of chance of pulling it off.
But that said, there is arguably one team which can feel just as bad right now and that’s Crystal Palace.
The Eagles were flying earlier in the campaign and many had tipped Alan Pardew’s men for a top eight place, yet a run of 12 games without a win has seen them slip alarmingly towards the relegation zone.
The South London side have picked up just two points in 2016, and one point from their last two matches – against Sunderland and Liverpool – where they let leads slip in the dying moments.
No team has picked up fewer points than Palace since the turn of the New Year, and unless they get their act together quickly, they could find themselves looking nervously over their shoulder in the next two months.
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