Arsenal embark on what manager Arsene Wenger considers their most crucial run of games all season, but one thing more than any other is troubling the Frenchman. Where have the goals gone?
Arsenal have been defined over the years by their attacking flair, but while their squad is full of exciting talent, the goals have mysteriously dried up.
They have not scored in five of their last eight games and individuals are struggling. Olivier Giroud is eight games without a goal and Alexis Sanchez has not scored in the league for four months. Theo Walcott has one in his last 13 matches and Danny Welbeck, another injury absentee, has nine in 37. Mesut Ozil made 17 goals in 24 league games, but has only one assist in his last seven.
‘It’s going through my head at the moment,’ admitted Wenger, whose side face Manchester United on Sunday.
‘I agree that our goals have dried up seriously and we have to find a solution. I’m conscious of that.’
Sorry to break it to you, Wenger, but the statistics are even more troubling than that. Arsenal have scored at a rate of 1.58 goals per league game this season. Project their goal total over the whole campaign and they are set to score only 60.
Manchester United hold the record for the least goals scored in a Premier League winning season, 67 in 1992-93. This is Arsenal’s best shot at winning the title in years. They are two points behind leaders Leicester and joint on points with second-placed Tottenham.
‘It’s important to remember that we worked very hard to be in this position,’ said Wenger on a day the club revealed cash reserves of £159.4million. ‘At half-time against Leicester [in the last league match], we were eight points behind them. Today, we are two points behind. We have to take advantage of that.’
United manager Louis van Gaal, believes the spirit among his players has never been stronger following Thursday’s comeback win over FC Midtjylland in the Europa League.
Captain Wayne Rooney led a 14-man contingent of injured players into the home dressing-room to congratulate their teammates and Van Gaal admitted: ‘I have never seen the dressing room like that. They were all there laughing and talking with each other and happy.’
Van Gaal added: ‘Sunday is a challenge, and more of a challenge because we have to play within two days. But I think the recovery shall go better than ever. We’ve had a lot of bad luck. Nevertheless, we are still in three competitions, we have a lot to fight for.’
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