Coach Mikel Arteta.
Excluding penalties, set pieces and own goals, Arsenal have only scored 22 goals in 23 Premier League games this season. Meanwhile, Manchester City (36), Liverpool (28), Manchester United (26), Aston Villa (24), Bournemouth (24) and Brentford (24) have scored more, with Chelsea also scoring the same number of goals. This despite the fact that Mikel Arteta’s team is the one with the most attacking options in the Premier League.
This is a time in football where squad depth is more important than ever. And Arsenal are missing a standout striker this season. While it is not essential to have a forward who dominates his scoring ability, it is rare for a team to win a championship without a forward having an exceptional individual season.
Arsenal’s attacking stats have been disappointing in recent months. For example, Saka has not scored in his last 13 games in all competitions, and Gyokeres has not scored from play in his last 11 Premier League games. The Gunners’ top scorers in the Premier League are Trossard and Gyokeres, who have only managed just 5 goals each in 19 and 21 games, respectively.
According to a rule of thumb reinforced by an academic paper by the late Professor Garry Gelade, a graduate of Cambridge University and a key figure in the development of football analysis: the quality of a team’s defense is determined more by its weakest defender, but the quality of its attack is determined more by its best attacker.
That makes sense. The defense is mainly reactive, and the opponent can target a specific player or area. The attack is proactive, and you can try to get the ball to your best striker. But who is Arsenal’s best striker currently?
Trossard is currently Arsenal’s best attacking player in terms of statistics.
From a purely statistical point of view, Leandro Trossard has contributed to goals on 9 occasions, including 5 goals and 4 assists. Trossard is a technically talented player who has scored important goals this season. But perhaps a player like Trossard should be a strategic backup option for a championship-contending team, rather than a pillar of the attack.
In fact, Arsenal’s best player in recent seasons is undoubtedly one of two: Bukayo Saka or Martin Odegaard. Saka scored 25 goals in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, most of them from penalties. Last season, due to injury, that number was reduced to 16. This season, he has also had physical problems and has only scored 7 goals. Odegaard has experienced a similar decline: 22 goals, then 18, then just 11 last season and just 4 this season.
The key is your strong connection. In their prime, Saka and Odegaard formed one of the best offensive duos in the league. Two seasons ago, Saka and Odegaard led the Premier League in crosses from outside the box. In his prime, Martin Odegaard was the glue that held Arsenal’s attackers together. Gabriel Martinelli used to play well with Odegaard in right midfield.
Some argue that Arteta’s coaching style sometimes stifles his players, especially attackers. However, the Spanish tactician still allows Saka and Odegaard to play in their preferred positions, as they do when they are at their best. In particular, Odegaard has positional freedom, being able to drop back and move to the wing to receive the ball.
During his prime, Odegaard had a significant influence on his teammates and Arsenal’s style of play.
While Arsenal are clearly not lacking depth in their squad – in fact, they have impressive depth compared to title rivals Manchester City and Aston Villa – what they are missing right now is the ability to link the midfield with the attack, and Kai Havertz is the right player to do that. The German has suffered numerous injuries this season, having not played in the Premier League since the opening match against Manchester United. While not a prolific goal scorer, Havertz has a greater ability to connect play than the other three attacking options: Gabriel Jesus, Viktor Gyokeres and Mikel Merino.
But another key player could be Ben White. Although Jurrien Timber is having an impressive season and offers the potential for crucial forays into the box, despite being a right-back, Arsenal’s right wing attack will be more effective when White is fully fit. The Englishman frequently doubles up to create opportunities for Saka to penetrate and finish from dangerous positions. At the same time, White, Saka and Odegaard form a very effective offensive triangle on the right. Curiously, in Arteta’s fourth substitution against Manchester United, he brought on White instead of Piero Hincapie, while Timber moved to left back.
Arsenal lead the standings, but that is the position of a giant on the tightrope. The statistics of goals in decisive plays are a clear warning: consistency from set pieces can take you far, but only moments of individual brilliance can take you to the championship. Mikel Arteta has built a machinery that works perfectly, but that machinery lacks the spark capable of deciding the match in those moments of tension. Without someone to step up and become the hero like Henry or Ljungberg did in the past, the Gunners’ dream of winning the title could end in disappointment.
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