Friday, October 4, 2024

Arteta: We have to score 90 goals to compete

On Wednesday night, Mikel Arteta lamented a lack of cutting edge in the box as Arsenal were downed 2-0 by Liverpool in a game decided by fine margins.

He’s since laid down the gauntlet to his squad, and those charged with bolstering it, by saying the Gunners will need to hit between 90 and 100 goals to have any chance of challenging for the title in the coming seasons.

For context, Arteta’s squad are plodding along at a rate of 1.59 goals per game this season. To hit 90, we’d have to up that to 2.36 goals per game. It’s a substantial increase and one that will likely have to be solved in the transfer market alongside improvements on the training ground.

“To be with the top teams this season you need to score 90 to 100 goals at least,” said Arteta on Friday.

“Somehow you need those goals in the team. Don’t ask me how, but you need them. They have to come. That contribution, how it’s done and how possible it is to happen, you have to find the right pieces to do it. But it’s a non-negotiable.”

While “non-negotiable” might be pushing it, the boss does have a point. Liverpool and City have netted 712 goals between them in the last four seasons, a staggering amount.

Arteta also pointed to examples on the continent. “You look at the Barcelona team that won six titles; they scored 100 goals for three years,” he noted.

“If you don’t need that then you need to have 30 clean sheets.”

He added: “In the last 11 games if we can score 11 goals and concede zero we’re going to win 11 games. Or we can score 35 and concede, and we’re still going to have 33 points. But in a very different way.”

Arsenal did try to add goals in January with a substantial offer for Dusan Vlahovic before the Serbian decided to join Juventus from Fiorentina. We’ve since settled for Alex Lacazette leading the line but know with the Frenchman and Eddie Nketiah both out of contract in July, recruiting a striker (or two) this summer is a top priority.

The last time we were active in the market, the club deliberately targeted players with a younger profile. When it comes to strengthening the attack this summer, it sounds like we’re open to a ready-made option.

“There are certain things that we have to achieve in the summer that are not always especially age-related, but things we want to add to the squad,” said Arteta.

“There are a lot of topics that are very important and we have to find the right piece. When we find that player, maybe the top priority won’t be the age in that position. Maybe in another one, yes. So we’ll have to get that right.”

__

Goals, Goals, Goals, we’re looking for a good time…

  • George Allison was Arsenal manager the last time we hit more than 100 goals in a top-flight season. Taking over from Herbert Chapman, who had passed away on the job, George’s side smashed 115 goals in 42 games on their way to the 1934/35 First Division title, our third in a row.
  • The Gunners twice surpassed a century of goals in the early 40s but with World War II in progress, we weren’t competing in a national league but rather the Football League South.
  • The Gunners haven’t hit 90 goals in a top-flight season since 1963/64. That year we ended with a goal difference of +8. We conceded 82 times!
  • The best single-season tally achieved under Arsene Wenger was 87 in 2004/05 – the season the Invincibles gave up their crown. Arsene’s title-winning sides scored 68 (97/98), 79 (01/02), 73 (03/04) respectively.
  • The last time Arsenal surpassed 80 goals in a league campaign was 2009/10 (83). That season, the players shared the burden with Cesc Fabregas ending up as the top scorer with 15 goals.

Stats sourced from TheArsenalHistory.com and PremierLeague.com

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Cliff Bastin

Because Pool and City have warped the number upwards.

Walter White

My take from this article is we’re going to sign Lewandowski.

UzesGooner

Or Hazard. Think we should steer clear of any players over 30….youth is working!

BTW, has Partey’s conversion to Islam coincided with Ramadan? Do any muslim fans know if Ramadan is hard work and debilitating if you’re doing it for the first time? Bit worried about his energy levels…….

Kedah Gooner

Ramadhan fast-adhering Muslim here, fasting in the period of strenuous exercise will naturally take a toll upon the body. But for those in adherence, we also take faith from God’s promise that fasting during this time will be eased for use (referring to Quran, 2:185). Faith, as Gooners know all to well, is a powerful force to fall back on and we can only hope Partey recognizes it. Let’s hope Elneny helps him to make it easier too 🙂

Mentalista

That’s one goal for every 3,333 passes.

C.B.

https://twitter.com/ltarsenal/status/1504963882913308677?s=20&t=FZpOQ_SXTOqwvMoM2f9pLg says that our strikers haven’t scored a goal from open play ALL season, away from home…

MarkL

It must be that Haaland is on his way to the Emirates to play with his mate Martin 😁

Magneto

Alternatively, perhaps Mbappe wants to play for the mighty Arsenal after all. 🙂

crapaud

Looking at Burney as an example, not conceding too many goals by having a good defense & goal keeper isnt enough (Burnely 38 goals conceded to Arsenal’s 31 goals against) we need to score more goals to become title contenders so roll on the summer and lets hope Edu pulls a rabbit out of the hat in the shape of Haaland

Forrest Moore

Considering how coy Arteta was at the beginning of his Arsenal managerial career – very tightly so, we needed to accept that we were a mid-table team, now making comparisons and emulations to peak Barca seems like he has just put the whole club up a couple gears. It’s gonna be very interesting to see who survives this new level.

Santi's Thigh Grab

Despite both playing at their individuals peak levels, we could upgrade in the central striker and and eight positions, Laca and Xhaka. If we are CL we will need an Elneny replacement as well, maybe someone from the Academy. Likely will need two central strikers.

Merlin’s Panini

“ In the last 11 games if we can score 11 goals and concede zero we’re going to win 11 games.” Not necessarily Mikel. You could draw 0-0 10 times and win 11-0 once, for example. Anyway, he raises a reasonable point. It’s been a while since we really thumped anyone on a regular basis. Even under Wenger we seemed to sometimes ease off at five goals when we could have scored more. But it’s good to set ambitious targets. We have the goals from midfield we were lacking before. Next we need to find that balance with a top… Read more »

Martin Tornberg

“In the last 11 games if we can score 11 goals and concede zero we’re going to win 11 games.”
One-nil, to the Arsenal.
Perfect.

MojoWillneny

If we finish 4th and get CL spot next season—a suited pair from:
Isak (know he’s not scoring this year but he’s young and has everything needed to explode as a top goal scorer in our system under Arteta); Rashford; Schick; David; Nkunku; and long, long shot, Haaland.
If we don’t get CL spot we may still be able to attract first tier strikers but it will be much harder—we’ll probably be looking at a group of uninspiring second tier strikers:
Calvert-Lewin; Asensio; Immobile; Terrier; Aspas; de Tomas, Olie Watkins.

Merlin’s Panini

Nkunku? Thought he was a midfielder.
I wouldn’t mind Calvert Lewin. He’s still reasonably young and was playing well for Everton before they became shite.
He’s more suited to central striker than Rashford in my opinion.

Guns Up

Not that he’s even a likely option, burning what way is Immobile a second-tier striker? He might not be the right age profile, but he’s scored 144 Serie A goals in 5+ seasons, on pace for 30 this season.

Guns Up

*but in what way

Qwaliteee

That’s one in the eye for those who like to chalk off Wenger’s years at the Emirates as a non event, conveniently forgetting in the process (no pun intended) that for the most part we finished in the top four and squeezed in three FA Cups in four years.

That’s more than many a top flight manager of a Premiership team will achieve in his whole career.

Fezec

Taking over from Herbert Chapman, who had passed away on the job,

One of the greatest arsenal men of all time and died having sex!

What a fucking legend.

Paul

Soooo… He came and went? 😁

JerryJay

The best young striker that fits into this Arterta’s style of play is Victor Osimhen, he has a great hold-up play, good passer and presser, and a good finisher of the ball, but would Arsenal pay a £100 million to Napoli??

Fuzz

That 63/64 season must have had some cracking games!

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