The prevailing view is that Arsenal has to sign a ruthless striker this summer – but Jamie Carragher explains their real attacking problem on Monday evening football.
Here we break down their last third issues and how to tackle this if they want to be successful in the Premier League title race next season …
No double digits player
Kai Havertz is the top scorer of Arsenal in the Premier League this season with nine goals. Gabriel Martinelli (six) and Bukayo Saka (five) are the next one on the list.
Two seasons ago, Arsenal ended with four players in double digits. Last season there were three.
“But the problem they have is not a finishing problem,” says Carragher. “It's a creation problem.
“They don't create enough opportunities. That's the biggest problem they have now.”
The finish statistics from Arsenal are the best in the Premier League …
Arsenal has scored 20 goals more than their expected goals (XG) in total of the past two seasons suggests that they should have that.
That is the best over performance in the Premier League and undermines the idea that Arsenal is not clinical of openings in and around the frames.
Arsenal has scored 143 goals since the beginning of last season, with their XG total at 122.5
Liverpool – who scored 155 – have an XG of 155.4 during that period.
… but their coincidence is on the same footing with Crystal Palace
The XG figures of Arsenal this season backup of Carragher's casual creation criticism.
The Gunners create opportunities in volume and quality that is equivalent to the 11th -placed Kristalpaleis, and only marginal more than 12th placed Brentford.
Newcastle, Tottenham, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Liverpool all have higher XG totalers.
Arsenal's forward options have the capacity to take risks, but they don't get enough.
Would Haaland make a difference?
Carragher chose the best openings of Arsenal in their recent Premier League matches against Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham. They were not clear openings that he says that a top striker would not necessarily have influenced the results of those games that Arsenal would not win.
“I keep going back to people who say they need a number nine,” says Carragher. “If Arsenal had had a number nine – let's say that Erling Haaland played center -forward for Arsenal this season – would they have scored more goals?
“Of course they would do that, because he is a top striker and a great Finisher, but based on those three games I showed you, the best opportunities they had, Haaland does not make a difference. He doesn't do that.”
Slow structure and pragmatic – Why Arsenal is struggling in open play
Former Southampton -Baas Russell Martin joined Carragher in the MNF studio and explained Arsenal's game around the box in Manchester United on Sunday, was slow and predictable because Thomas Peny did not take central positions between the lines to get the ball over the field quickly, and there were no runs in the back.
“For Manchester United it is quite comfortable,” he said, and it led Arsenal to widely and crossed, what, what, explains Martin, does not play at their strengths.
Martin says that Arsenal's open-play problem is also part of a trade-off for their strong defense.
“I think what [Arteta’s] Done with the Arsenal team is incredible – in terms of mentality, she can go a man for people all over the field and they have recruited power. So they have become pragmatic and the best team defensive, and the figures support that with the expected goals.
“Then of course you lose something. If you decide:” We will be based on this, “maybe you lose a little creativity or place less dependence when you're recruiting.
“So now there might have to give something again to go the other way, try to play, exploit teams and open teams a bit, because they may have lost a bit of it by being really difficult to defeat.”
Set piece threat has fallen away
The attacking struggles of Arsenal in Open Play are also worse by a drop-off in Set-piece threat.
Between August and January, Arsenal scored 12 set-piece goals in 21 Premier League matches. They were on average a goal of every 13 corners and a mural was scored outside of Emirates Stadium of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover.
But since then they have not scored no goal of a set-piece situation in the seven league games.
Those are zero goals from their last 52 corners in the Premier League and 92 in all competitions.
Carragher said: “In terms of set pieces, which we saw at the start of the season, this team was brilliant, it was great. I had never seen anything like that.
“But you can't have that threat from every set piece. It is impossible and you will eventually come back to what other teams do, or perhaps one of the best teams in the competition, but not by far the best team.
“They were too dependent on set pieces and as soon as the set pieces are not that successful, do they have enough to score goals and score the defense defense of the opposition?”
So is the solution to sign more creative players?
“Forget to get a number nine, the first thing they might have to do is [sign] More creative players, “says Carragher.
“The fact that it looks like they are going to buy [Martin] Zubimendi in the summer and perhaps partey replaced in the position of midfield, you get a different profile of the player.
“That first step to actually be more creative next season will help them to be a bit more competitive in the Premier League.”
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