Whenever Arsenal have a bad start to the season (almost always), besides the criticism of Arsene Wenger losing his touch or being cheap, comes the constant comparison of their stadium for the last 10 years, the Emirates, to Highbury, which was the gunners home from 1913 to 2006.
Arsenal opened the 2016-2017 season with a 4-3 home defeat against Liverpool, followed up by a 0-0 draw away against Leicester City. Wenger seems to be in his usual defensive mode (maybe more aggressive than ever) when it comes to not spending money, while fans bring up the usual points, including the highest ticket prices in England, without spending the kind of money rivals like Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City are.
This is a table comparing Wenger’s seasons as Arsenal’s manager when playing at Highbury (missed the first two months of the 1996-1997 season) and since moving to the Emirates in 2006, not including the loss to Liverpool. (Only league matches)
While Arsenal are still quite successful at home, they’re scoring less (down 10%), their goal difference is slightly worse, and overall, they drop more points at home: It’s 0.82 points lost per match at the Emirates, compared with 0.65 points lost per match at Highbury with Wenger on the sidelines.
There are many factors involved in Arsenal being unable to win a championship in the last 12 seasons, struggling to make an impact in the Champions League, and anything else Arsenal fans have to complain about. Losing some of their home field advantage in a bigger, but less intimidating stadium, is one of the main reasons.