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It’s nothing new, but the Gunners struggled to create many clear-cut chances against Hull’s defensive 5-4-1 shape for the first hour of the game, requiring four changes to inject more urgency into the team.
We know defence is the foundation that Mikel Arteta will hang his hat on, and that has clearly worked at the highest level, but the lack of ruthlessness in both chance creation and in front of goal week in week out will always raise questions. The eye test plays a big part in that, as Arsenal’s attack is often not as bad as the media makes it out to be.
Heading into the second international break, just four players in the Arsenal squad have scored three or more goals across the 17 games in all competitions. Ødegaard leads the way with five, already surpassing his tally last season. Outside of that, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz have scored four, and Noni Madueke has three.
While the defence-first approach explains the lack of goals in some respect, we’re left to wonder if we can get more out of the existing players or whether it’s simply a case of bringing in more quality in the transfer market.
We know Arsenal were exploring attacking options over the summer, including a big push for Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, and that type of move should be in the plans again, but it’s hard to imagine the club committing to more than one deal of that magnitude, alongside weighing up a potential hefty extension for Kai Havertz, all while there are lots of numbers in the attacking areas.
Madueke has stood out over recent games in the absence of Saka, adding more end product to his game alongside his elite ability to dribble past defenders. Eberechi Eze has looked livelier in his cameos, netting the opener against Slavia Prague. While Viktor Gyökeres has picked up his game somewhat with better hold-up play.
It feels like those three, in particular, are auditioning to keep their spot in the squad for next season should a big attacking signing come in, and all of them will have a big part to play as Arsenal compete for the Premier League and Champions League.
Assuming Arsenal make several big attacking moves in the summer, it’s on Arteta to get more out of the attackers he’s already got.