Arsenal news & stats: Mikel Arteta identifies area for improvement amid forward search
Mikel Arteta has demanded that Arsenal punish teams if they are to avoid defeats such as the pre-season loss to Liverpool when the Premier League resumes.
In their most recent summer friendly, Arne Slot’s men emerged as 2-1 winners, initially taking a 2-0 lead before Kai Havertz reduced the deficit heading into halftime.
However, the scoreline didn’t tell the whole story, as the Gunners were on top, with Mohamed Salah scoring the opening goal against the run of play.
Amid calls from some supporters to sign a striker, they were let down by their wasteful finishing, much to Arteta’s annoyance, even though this wasn’t an official game.
“We have to punish teams. It’s an area where we can obviously improve. The first chance they had, they scored, and that’s what makes the difference as well,” he said post-match.
“We created the situations. We had two or three more big situations as well. We have to improve.”
It may be the difference if Arsenal builds on last season’s achievements. The North London side finished as Premier League runners-up for a second consecutive year, though by an even closer margin.
The eventual champions, Manchester City, ended two points in front, an improvement on the five-point deficit in 2022/23.
Only City scored more goals (96) than Arsenal (91), who also boasted the league’s fourth-best conversion rate (13.85%), with only Chelsea (14.03%), Aston Villa (14.76%), and Newcastle (15.43%) ahead of them. That said, Arsenal’s shooting accuracy was 51.94%, seventh-best in this metric, with City leading the way on 57.32%.
Arsenal also missed 63 “big chances” — which are defined by Opta as situations where a player should reasonably be expected to score, usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range when the ball has a clear path to the goal and there is low to moderate pressure on the shooter. Penalties are always considered big chances — placing them in seventh place, with City in third, having squandered 73.
Arteta’s side ultimately posted 657 shots with 34.7% on target (228); Bukayo Saka finished as the club’s top scorer in England’s top division with 16 goals, followed closely by Leandro Trossard (12) and Kai Havertz (13), the only other players to reach double figures.
20 goals and 14 assists in all competitions 🔥
🍿 Watch all of Bukayo Saka's contributions from 2023/24 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 8, 2024
As mentioned, fans are clamouring for a centre-forward. It may end up being wishful thinking, as the Spanish tactician is looking for a wide forward who can cut inside rather than an outright No. 9. This is especially true as reports suggest he prefers high-quality players with specific traits for that position, someone like Alexander Isak, who fits perfectly. Newcastle, though, have made it clear that he’s not for sale.
Arsenal briefly considered signing Ivan Toney earlier in the summer, but they are not pursuing the Brentford marksman. On the other hand, Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko was seen as a potential target due to his release clause, but the Slovenian signed a new contract before Euro 2024.
Given the scarcity of strikers of that calibre in the market, Areta has been open to considering other options, such as the development of Gabriel Jesus. Now, he wants to add a wide forward to complement the team, with plenty of talented options.
