Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that he would rather see goals scored for the side by a number of different players – as opposed to having just one or two great goalscorers.
With a number of top forwards in midfielders in the final third, the Frenchman told the media on Thursday morning that he believes a number of them are more than capable of scoring at least 20 goals or even more.
We will have to spread [the goals] through the squad.
I think Giroud, Walcott and Alexis can get around 20 goals without any problem.
Sometimes you have to trust your players and play them. Then they get there. People always want the absolute certainty that they will be absolutely successful. It is not like that.
I played Anelka and people asked me, ‘Why did you not buy anybody?’ and Thierry Henry the same. I said, ‘Let him play, maybe he will score’.
Football is a bit like that. It is not a science that everybody masters and where you can absolutely predict how many goals everybody will get.
Aaron Ramsey has previously shown his potential and ability to score a number of goals in a single Premier League season – but having been pushed out to the right of midfield to accommodate the likes of Mesut Ozil, Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla in the central areas, his goalscoring touch has not been as prolific.
I would rather have Ramsey [score] 15, Ozil 15, Cazorla 10. Otherwise, if you have only one player who scores, when he is injured you don’t know who will score.
Arsenal face Stoke City at 15:00 pm BST – and Wenger will be hoping to see the stars of the side getting in and amongst the goals.
