Feature

Days of Arsenal

Behind the Numbers - Days of the Week

This week our statistician Josh James looks at Arsenal's record on various weekdays throughout Premier League history.

Arsenal's next three games are all scheduled for Saturday 3pm kick-offs - and Arsene Wenger's side have won each of their past seven Saturday Premier League fixtures.

Arsenal have played 18 Saturday matches in the Premier League so far this season, with a record of W11 D3 L4, F36 A18. That's an average of two points per game, compared to 0.83 points per game from six Sunday matches, and 1.8 points per game from the five midweek games.

"More than half (54.2 per cent) of all Arsenal's Premier League games have been staged on a Saturday"

The Gunners are, however, unbeaten from midweek Premier League games this season, with a record of P5 W2 D3 L0 F14 A7 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Those trends largely reflect Arsenal's form throughout Premier League history for the various days of the week.

Arsenal have played 434 Premier League matches on a Saturday, winning 244 of them, drawing 116 and losing the other 74 for a 1.95 points per game average.

On Sunday the points per game average drops to 1.72, while the record for midweek matches is 96 wins from 190 games, for an average of 1.83 points per game.

Friday is actually the most successful day for Arsenal in the Premier League, with five wins and a draw out of six games played (2.67 points per game).

Arsenal in the Premier League

Day Played Goals Against Won Drawn Lost PPG
Saturday 434 792 381 244 116 74 1.95
Sunday 177 279 197 89 37 51 1.72
Wednesday 80 138 74 37 32 11 1.79
Monday 52 85 38 28 11 13 1.83
Tuesday 47 82 49 24 13 10 1.81
Friday 6 19 7 5 1 0 2.67
Thursday 5 5 3 2 2 1 1.6
Total 801 1400 749 429 212 160 1.87

More than half (54.2 per cent) of all Arsenal's Premier League games have been staged on a Saturday, with Sunday the next most popular day (22.1 per cent).

Arsenal's Premier League breakdown this season

The Gunners have played at least one Premier League fixture on every day of the week, with Friday (six games) and Thursday (five games) the least popular days.

Throughout the years, the spread of matchdays has not altered considerably, and in fact there have been more Saturday fixtures this season for Arsenal than usual for a Premier League season. So far in 2012/13, 62 per cent of the Gunners' games have been on Saturdays, 21 per cent on Sundays and 17 per cent midweek.

In the first Premier League campaign 55 per cent of Arsenal games took place on Saturdays, with just two more matches (five per cent) played on a Sunday.

In fact the general trend over the years has been away from midweek fixtures towards more weekend games, to accommodate the growing European schedules.

In each of the first six Premier League seasons there were at least 10 midweek games, but since then only two different campaigns have reached double figures for midweek games.

 

When Arsenal have played Premier League games

When Arsenal have played Premier League games

 

 

When Arsenal's Premier League games are played, season-by-season

When Arsenal's Premier League games are played

 

Thierry Henry is the only Arsenal player to have scored at least one Premier League goal on every day of the week, with Friday his most productive day in terms of goals per game.

From four games played on Fridays, he scored 11 goals - including hat-tricks on successive Fridays in April 2004.

"Thierry Henry is the only Arsenal player to have scored at least one Premier League goal on every day of the week"

Sunday was his next favourite game day, with a very healthy 0.69 goals per match return. His tally of 46 Sunday goals is bettered only by Wayne Rooney (48) in Premier League history.

Just over half (50.3 per cent) of all Henry's Premier League goals came on a Saturday however - including his very first (against Southampton on September 18, 1999) and his very last (against Sunderland on February 11, 2012).

The Gunners' second top scorer in Premier League history, Ian Wright, scored more than any other Arsenal player on Mondays - 14 from 19 appearances for a 0.74 goals per game average.

Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of Wrighty's goals were scored on a Saturday though - 66 from 109 games at a rate of 0.61 goals per game.

In terms of appearances, David Seaman, who played 325 times for Arsenal in the Premier League, leads the way on Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays, while Dennis Bergkamp has played more Sunday fixtures for Arsenal than any other player (75).

Ray Parlour - the Club's overall appearance maker in the Premier League with 333 - leads the way on Wednesdays, with 39.

Arsenal player record in the Premier League by day

  Top appearances Top scorer
Saturday David Seaman (180) Thierry Henry (88)
Sunday Dennis Bergkamp (75) Thierry Henry (46)
Monday David Seaman (28) Ian Wright (14)
Tuesday David Seaman (26) Thierry Henry (9)
Wednesday Ray Parlour (39) Thierry Henry (14)
Thursday Martin Keown (3) Jose Reyes (2)
Friday Patrick Vieira, Kolo Toure (5) Thierry Henry (11)

Top three appearances by day

  Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Total
Ray Parlour 26 22 39 2 4 171 69 333
David Seaman 28 26 30 2 1 180 58 325
Dennis Bergkamp 21 18 29 1 4 167 75 315

Top three goalscorers by day

  Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Total
Thierry Henry 6 9 14 1 11 88 46 175
Ian Wright 14 1 12 0 0 66 11 104
Robin van Persie 4 3 7 0 0 53 29 96

 

Thierry Henry goal breakdown

Thierry Henry goal breakdown

 

Arsenal's fixture this Saturday will be the Gunners' only game over the Easter period.

The last time Arsenal played on Easter Saturday was 2009 - a 4-1 win away to Wigan Athletic.

Last season Arsenal's Easter fixture fell on the Sunday (the Club's first ever home match on Easter Sunday) and finished in a 1-0 win over Manchester City thanks to a Mikel Arteta goal.

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Arsenal have played 26 Easter fixtures during the Premier League era, winning 15 (58 per cent) and taking an average of 1.92 points per game.

The traditional Easter Monday fixture appears to have become a thing of the past. The Gunners have played 46 times on that date since 1946/47 (winning 24) but have played just one Easter Monday game since 2002 (a 0-0 draw at Newcastle in 2007).

Arsenal's two Good Friday fixtures in Premier League history both ended in victory - 4-2 against Liverpool in 2004 and 1-0 against Wolves in 2010. 

 

Arsenal's Easter record in the Premier League

Arsenal's Easter record in the Premier League

 

All stats correct as at March 26, 2013. With thanks to Opta.

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