Following unexpected defeats to West Ham and Fulham, Arsenal’s misfiring attack has been under the microscope this week. The manager admits it’s an area of their game his side must improve if they want to compete for the title again.
That the Gunners went toe-to-toe with Manchester City last season was largely down to the way they shared the goal-scoring burden. Four players – Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus – all reached double-figures as the Gunners hit a club-record 88 goals in the Premier League; a rate of 2.31 per game.
As noted in this fascinating piece by Billy Carpenter, we also led the league in how many goals we scored over our expected total (at +11.9, even with Manchester City).
Despite acquiring the likes of Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard in the last two transfer windows, the goals have started to dry up this season with the scoring rate dropping to 1.85 goals per game. We’re also far less clinical.
While Arteta is clearly concerned, he doesn’t seem wholly surprised that his stars aren’t posting the same numbers.
Ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Liverpool, he said: “I think what they [the forwards] did last year was exceptional. To maintain those numbers, we knew would be extremely difficult because it was a one-off. Not just for us, a one-off in the league.
“We know that we need all the resources and all those kinds of goals to maintain the level that we want in the league.”
While form and confidence of available personnel play a part, it’s clear there are multiple other factors contributing to the drop-off, including the way Arsenal build their attacks and the defensive tactics of opponents.
The challenge for Arteta is replicating in-game scenarios on the training ground so his players are suitably prepared.
“We have to, it’s our job,” he says, but clearly, it’s easier said than done.
“Overall the execution is in every part of the field, but when it comes to those spaces, the timing and the definition of the action, it becomes trickier to coach, and certainly to replicate as an action in the game. That’s probably the hardest thing to replicate in football.
“The timing and the behaviour of the opponent, the distance between the player and the opponent, the exact location of that shot, the position of the keeper, the game state – it’s very tricky but it’s something that we have to improve, especially in the way we transform those chances into goals.”
Arsenal’s scorers 23/24 season (after 20 games)
6 – Saka
5 – Nketiah
4 – Odegaard, Havertz
3 – Trossard, Jesus, Rice
2 – Martinelli
1 – Vieira, Tomiyasu, Zinchenko, Gabriel Magalhaes, White, Saliba (+1 own goal)
I find these comments really bizarre in a league when City/Liverpool have been battling it scoring this amount of goals.
If we’re going to win the league, we’re going to have to be hitting those numbers regularly- it’s as simple as that.
And Arteta’s previous comments suggest as much – “90 goals… you have to score 90 goals to win the league”. Perhaps the better reading of his comments is what JB_ suggested. He isn’t saying we don’t need roughly the same number of goals and that we shouldn’t expect that. He is saying we shouldn’t expect multiple players to overperform their xG by as much as they did last season. That seems, potentially, fair enough. Although, given that we were tied with Man City for overperformance last season, it also seems that the only way to get to 90 goals is… Read more »
We ain’t going to win the league I’m afraid!!!
This is a worrying comment.
Not really… Saying that over performing your expected goals is unsustainable is, by definition, true. It’s clear he wants us to score from other places, rather than over relying on wingers (that said, Saka and Martinelli have been underperforming on finishing so far, but I don’t expect this to continue with their class!), but have been misfiring so far. Given the team and the manager has done this previously, I think we should back them to do so again! Certainly with some proper atmosphere, not the sterile garage we had last few home games, we might see them win some… Read more »
I assume he means our xG overperformance last year? From Opta we scored 88 from 71.9 xG, but now we are meeting our xG. City also scored 94 from 78.6 xG last year though, so very similar. And they’re already on 45 goals from 36.8 xG again. Most years at least one team overperforms xG by a similar margin, and usually it’s City or Liverpool, so it’s a bit weird to say it’s a one-off for everyone. I do agree this year though a big problem has been our wasteful finishing from open play (according to Understat we have just… Read more »
I think he should have had faith in the overperforming attack and the mojo that surrounded it
The last two games have been grim watching indeed. I viewed the early games through a lens that, when I squinted, made me believe the disjointed attack was down to an intentional tactical switch to give us more control in games. And that once the team found its shooting boots we’d start smashing teams off the park. But more and more the concern has risen that this is not the floor of the attacking ability but the ceiling. How do you solve a problem like Saka being booted and doubled up on every game? How do you solve the problem… Read more »
My opinion on solving some of the Saka conundrum is get the ball to him quicker from deep in midfield.
Instead of passing it to him and expecting him to work his magic, don’t give the opposition time to get a second player back there.
I think what makes this more possible is a passer like Partey. I think Salah is the gold standard, but part of what enables him is Trent finding him before a team even has a chance to react. We have seen that play out against us, sadly.
Oh WELL SAID!
You’ve said all the things I was thinking – and so well too!
Thank U
Jesus?
The same Jesus that has scored three goals all season?
Christopher Wreh and Kaba Diawara scored more goals than Gabriel Jesus and they had Henry, Kanu and Wiltord ahead of them…
I’m mean… that’s just bollocks though isn’t it.
I think a fit Partey would have really helped us in the last month and given us that one extra option we need in attack. Though Rice prefers to be the lone DM, and boy is he good at it, I think Arteta would have rolled with Partey in that position and Rice in the more advanced midfield position on the left more often than not. This would give that left side of the pitch so much more security (teams target us there), Rice would be the late-arriving man in the box with goals on his mind, Partey would give… Read more »
He needs to hit those numbers to win the league. 100 goals I believe he himself said
It’s the style of play that has changed. Look at how easy it was to score when we broke at speed against Fulham, but the team soon reverted to slumber football.
There is absolutely no point in taking chances playing around the back, if we take so long to transition. By the time we reach the halfway line to start our horse shoe passing game, the option have had plenty of time to get their low block fully assembled.
its looking more and more like modernized crab football- is denilson available?
Exactly that. Its urgency that’s needed and knowing when to use it. Also, a bit of rope a dope to draw out the low block.
its not a one off, the manager has drastically changed the tactics and modified the personnel and its reduced the attacking efficacy of the team- the numbers reflect this. not only are we scoring less, we are more predictable and less dynamic and exciting to watch. teams have figured us out and the manager isn’t making the requisite adjustments in preparation or during matches. it all feels very late wenger/early emery to me and, when combined with the results, the officials, and the fixture congestion- has made the games less fun. i’m sure arteta’s plan will be to spend more… Read more »
Sounds like excuses are being made already.
At the end of the day it is kicking a ball into a net and it’s not rocket science.
We lack a 25+ goalscorer it’s that simple. Saka and martinelli are contributing enough goals akin to pires/Ljungberg. We need a consistent CF tally to tie it together. They get too much stick for very decent figures imo.
So he went off and spent 110m on a DM, instead of looking for a clinical striker.
Don’t get me wrong, Rice is by far our best player and I’m glad we signed him. Worth every penny.
But it does make him sound a bit daft after selling Balogun and holding onto bloody Nketiah…
How many has Balogun scored this season? You might need a telescope, just like the boss suggests
Balogun has been very average since he left. Eddie isn’t the answer but neither is Balogun.
Oh well that’s encouraging he doesn’t find us not scoring as much surprising. That bodes really well for the rest of the season and next.
Confusing because the chances have definitely been there to be as good, shirley some extra shooting practice after training type stuff would go a long way! 😄