How Premier League sides are doing compared to a year ago as shock stats show Arsenal are WORST team in top flight

A YEAR is a long time in football, especially in the Premier League.

Giants can fall, minnows can rise and challengers can fade into obscurity. Such is the nature of the beautiful game.

Despite sitting second in the league stats have revealed Arsenal have had a big drop off compared to 12 months agoRex

ReutersMarco Silva’s Fulham have been reeling off the loss of Aleksandr Mitrovic[/caption]

ReutersInjury-ravaged Newcastle have also been big losers compared to last season[/caption]

Arsenal fans were crushed on Thursday night when their side crashed to a 2-0 home defeat to West Ham, losing their grip on top spot in the table in the process.

And it was symptomatic of the Gunners’ downturn in form this campaign.

New stats have revealed how each Premier League team is faring in comparison to the same stage of last season.

And the Gunners have suffered the BIGGEST decline of any side.

In fact, Mikel Arteta‘s side are ten points WORSE OFF than they were at this stage last season.

Last night’s loss to the Hammers was their third league defeat of the season, and has left them in second place on 40 points.

On the face of it, that doesn’t sound too bad.

But at this stage last year the Gunners were on 50 points, having won 16, drawn two and lost just one game in the league.

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ReutersChelsea have won fewer points under Mauricio Pochettino this season than they had last year[/caption]

Pep Gaurdiola’s Man City have won two points fewer but played one game lessRex

However, they are not alone in their woes, with Marco Silva‘s Fulham also ten points worse off than last season – likely due to the loss of Aleksandar Mitrovic to the Saudi Pro League.

Injury-ravaged Newcastle and Manchester United have also suffered a heavy dip compared to 12 months ago.

Eddie Howe‘s Magpies are nine points worse off than last year while Erik ten Hag‘s Red Devils are eight points behind last season’s tally at this time.

Like Fulham, Brentford have suffered a drop off of seven points after losing key striker Ivan Toney, although they have played one game fewer than all teams bar Manchester City.

Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea are also among those with deficit records, with the Eagles five points worse off while Forest and the Blues are both three off.

Treble-winners Man City are two points worse off than last season but have played one game less than their rivals due to competing in the Club World Cup before Christmas.

Brighton are the closest to being consistent, with the Seagulls one point worse off than last season.

Ange Postecoglou has breathed new life into Tottenham since joining but only has them three points better off than they were last season.

The remaining sides have all shown registered major improvement compared to last year.

Under new manager’s Wolves and Bournemouth have moved up by eight and nine points respectively.

PAEverton are big winners under Sean Dyche despite their point deduction[/caption]

GettyUnai Emery’s Aston Villa have been one of the Premier League’s best sides this season[/caption]

Sean Dyche‘s Everton have won 11 points more than they did this time last season.

However, the ten-point penalty they were slapped with earlier this season means they remain narrowly above the relegation zone when they would otherwise be in the top half.

League-leading Liverpool have improved by 13 points compared to last season following a desperately needed midfield overhaul.

Although the tally is still smaller than Unai Emery‘s Aston Villa, who are well and truly in the Champions League race this season.

This being said, it is another claret-wearing team who sit top of the pile in West Ham.

David Moyes‘ side enjoyed a cup-winning Europa Conference League campaign to land the club’s first trophy in 43 years but struggled in the league last season.

But so far they have been the big winners in the top flight since last season, racking up 18 points more than they had this time 12 months ago to see them climb back into the top six.

And SunSport has revealed this is set to see Moyes handed a new two-and-a-half-year deal with the Hammers.

How Premier League teams compare to last season

SunSport has revealed David Moyes’ marked improvement with West Ham is set to land him a new dealRex

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