Good morning, everyone.
As we ease into a weekend without Arsenal action, it might not be the worst timing. Don’t get me wrong—I love watching Arsenal play. Yet, with the team struggling to find the back of the net recently, a little downtime could be just what Mikel Arteta needs to crack this conundrum.
Historically, scoring goals hasn’t been a significant issue for Arsenal. Sure, there have been those frustrating matches where we’ve come up short, and those slips have certainly stung. But overall, we’ve managed to find our scoring stride more often than not.
Watching yesterday’s Match of the Day—seeing Crystal Palace give Aston Villa a 4-1 thrashing—I thought, “Thank goodness we don’t have to visit Selhurst Park soon.” Funny enough, in a lapse of memory, I checked the fixtures and realized we’ve already braved that journey. Take Saturday, December 21st, for instance—a simpler, happier time. We had two strikers score, a winger score, and even a central midfielder netting a goal. A day like that makes you long for the past when goals seemed more achievable.
At this moment, with our apparent goal drought—it only spans two matches, mind you—it feels much longer. There’s a scene in a Coen Brothers movie, Raising Arizona, where Nicolas Cage’s character muses about his wife’s inability to conceive, describing her insides as a “rocky place where my seed could find no purchase.” That’s the current state for Arsenal and goals.
It’s not hugely perplexing though. Tim’s column this week pinpoints some forward-looking solutions, but it really comes down to a limited number of forward players. Lack a strong lineup of defenders, and you might concede more. Similarly, having a short supply of forwards affects your scoring ability.
The solution isn’t complex: we need to score a few goals. Arteta’s tasked with positioning players to create and seize chances, although that’s what they work on daily. Training grounds serve as practice arenas for in-game execution, yet some players excel over others in finding the net.
These are the strikers or forwards we currently lack, which makes this cyclical as I jot it down. Football can be a wild ride. In our last trio of fixtures, we’ve averaged 25 crosses per game—be it 18 against Leicester, 30 with West Ham, or 27 at Forest. Twice, someone got on the end of these deliveries in good positions, like Mikel Merino did years ago at Leicester, where we eventually ended our scoring drought after an agonizing wait.
When folks ask, “Can we do more to ignite our goal-scoring again?” I say, “Indeed, we can.” Yet, the full answer requires us to solve the striker conundrum, bolstering with players who weave chances and make magic happen. Playmakers surface the solution.
Imagine you’re building a chapel—perhaps a whimsical notion, but go with it. You assemble folks who can lay foundations, stack bricks, plaster, plumb (because chapels need toilets—let’s be practical), wire, and roof. Countless skilled workers ensure completion, skills I admire but admit elude me. Then comes the pièce de résistance: the ceiling. Enter artists—people who transform spaces with killer murals. It’s Michelangelo level; not one, but a proverbial pair are required for translation into football terms. Hence, a striking chapel deserves its acclaim. Apologies for the metaphorical stretch—the strikers’ fit into this is as perplexing to me as to you.
Suffice to say, our groundwork is firm, the walls robust, and thanks to Big Dec, the roof is stellar—but the finishing touch remains elusive. Skilled finishers—our artists—are key to unlocking those elusive goals.
With all these thoughts, a little breather from matches might be the mental break needed.
And on that note, I’ll wrap up here. Thanks for your warm feedback on yesterday’s post. If you haven’t tuned into our post-Forest Arsecast, it’s there for the taking. Enjoy your weekend!
