Last Sunday saw the meeting of two of the league’s form teams, Chelsea and Arsenal. The Blues were undefeated in their last 10 games while the Gunners were on their best winning run since 2004. Chelsea had the opportunity to all but seal the title early with a win or draw and Arsenal needed a win to keep their title hopes alive. Jose Mourinho’s side saw injuries remove their best striking options and he seemingly opted for a much more open affair, judging from their first half line up and the onus was then on Arsenal to take the game to Chelsea. Mourinho teams are known for robust, compact and unified defending, regardless of the criticism of such a style and teams need to find a way to get the job done against them and it was a similar case for Arsenal.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, the game ended in a scoreless draw, with target man Olivier Giroud having little service or effect and Alexis Sanchez, while threatening, remained on the periphery throughout. Arsenal’s other forward options, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck, came off the bench to little effect, leaving the thought that, despite the praises heaped on the squad this calendar year, questions still have to asked of them in the final third with regards to the creating and taking of chances.
Therefore, the question must be asked. Are forward additions still needed?
In short, yes. A staple of any elite team in world football is having reliable goal scorers. Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich each have 3 forward players guaranteed to hit 15 or more goals per season, which should be more than enough reason for Arsenal to move for an additional forward. That aside there are other aspects that point towards Arsenal needing another reliable source of goals.
Firstly it must be noted that the addition of a forward does not replace Olivier Giroud as a key player and starter in the Arsenal squad, as he deserves his position and the team relies heavily on his style of play. Also the majority of the Gunner’s forwards are capable of playing in wide roles (often confused with wingers) which is possibly where Arsenal will need to find the necessary additional goal threat. Both Alexis and Giroud have played their part in adding goals but Arsenal have failed to outscore City and Chelsea, the latter of which is often accused of pragmatic approach. This highlights the clear need for an additional and efficient goal scorer as well.
Three matches that standout where Arsenal have been wasteful and would have done well with another reliable options were the three home games against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City. These were games where Arsenal’s efficiency and decisiveness in front of goal was sub par, therefore showing a need for another potent source of goals.
Another fact worth noting, is that in the last three seasons, the league’s top scoring team went on to win the title, which adds an interesting perspective on the old saying “goals win games, defence wins titles,”. This was most apparent after Manchester United’s acquisition of Robin Van Persie from Arsenal after losing out on the title to cross town rivals Manchester City on goal difference in 2012. In 2013 United went to score the most goals in the league with RVP the top goal scorer , winning the competition by 11 points.
Interestingly Liverpool almost showed that last season, when they had the top 2 goal scorers in the league and finished 2nd , scoring 101 goals to City’s 103. Liverpool greatly overachieved that season, in part due to their goal threat, and were able to mount a serious title charge at the turn of 2014. Therefore a team with Arsenal’s style and ball movement must ensure end product, especially in the current Premier League era, to have any hope of mounting a serious title challenge.
In Walcott and Welbeck Arsenal have two players who could very well turn out to be the alternative sources of goals the squad needs to push on. Unfortunately they’ve been unable to show that during this campaign. Both have understandable reasons for that, yet they have come into games where Arsenal needed a goal and have not had the necessary impact. This has lead Arsene Wenger fielding Aaron Ramsey on the right as the best option in terms of stability, creativity and goal scoring threat.
Ultimately, Ramsey has and will continue to improve but a goal scoring season like the one he had during the 2013/2014 campaign is unlikely to reoccur. Therefore Arsenal must assess new options in the coming summer transfer window. Marco Reus would the most ideal target, while players such as Pedro from Barcelona, or Lacazette from Marseille would also be viable options. All have proven goal scoring records and are top talents that could have great impact in the Premier League.
Other options such as another competitive defensive midfielder and possibly a goal keeper need to be assessed, but based on the relative sterility of Arsenal’s goal threat this season, as well as the trends noticed from previous season, Arsenal may very well need another top class forward option for the coming season to truly challenge for top class honours.
