Arsenal’s Goalless Draw: Does the Club Need a Striker?

The full-time whistle on Saturday at Emirates Stadium was met with a smattering of boos from Arsenal supporters, who recognized a significant missed opportunity to re-enter the Premier League title race. This outcome occurred as Gabriel Jesus (right) has not scored in his last 23 Premier League matches. Arsenal, known as the Gunners, were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Everton, a result that limits their margin for error if they aim to bring the league trophy back to north London for the first time in over two decades. Having established a high standard by closely challenging Manchester City in recent seasons, Mikel Arteta’s squad is currently trailing league leaders Liverpool, who themselves drew 2-2 with Fulham at Anfield. In their match against Everton, Arsenal maintained 76% possession and registered 13 shots, yet they could not penetrate Everton’s determined defensive line. Manager Arteta stated, “I am disappointed not to win the game. There is only one team that deserves to win and that is Arsenal.” He continued, “We gave nothing away – no shots conceded, dominated the play, did not allow them to run, no set-pieces and the high press was excellent.” Arteta added, “We generated chances but you have [to score] with all the dominance. I cannot ask more more from the boys apart from putting the ball in the net. We have to put them away.” Arsenal, currently in third place, have accumulated 30 points after 16 games, having not secured a victory in half of those matches, which indicates a decline in form compared to the preceding two seasons. At the equivalent point last season, they held 36 points and were in second position, whereas the season prior, they led the table with 40 points. While they have suffered only two defeats this season, matching the number from the previous two campaigns, six draws are proving costly this term. Following their inability to defeat Fulham last Sunday, Arsenal have now recorded consecutive league draws for the first time since April 2023. Additionally, this marks their first goalless draw at home since January 2023, when they faced Newcastle. This raises the question of whether the absence of a prolific striker is emerging as an issue. Arsenal’s goal tally is four fewer than at this point last season and 11 fewer than in the 2022-23 campaign. Their shot conversion rate stands at 12.8%, aligning with their expected conversion rate of 12.3%. While they have scored the same number of non-penalty goals (27) after 16 games this season as they did last season, they have been awarded four fewer penalties. The Gunners have registered 13 fewer shots compared to the equivalent stage of the previous term. Their current expected goals (xG) total is 27.7, which is lower than the 29.71 recorded after 16 games last season and the 31.53 at the same stage in 2022-23. Arsenal have scored 29 goals this season; however, top teams in the division typically exceed their expected goals (xG) due to the quality of players available to them. In contrast, Arteta’s team surpassed their xG by three goals last season and by 8.5 goals in the 2022-23 campaign. Out of the 27 non-penalty goals scored in the Premier League this season, nine originated from set-pieces, accounting for 33.33% of their total. Therefore, Arsenal’s finishing, measured by overperforming xG, has declined, a situation a top striker might alleviate. Furthermore, their creativity, indicated by the volume of shots generated, has also decreased. It could also be contended that a striker could enhance creativity through superior movement and anticipation, enabling them to convert opportunities that others might miss. As the January transfer window approaches, Arsenal has been associated with potential moves for Newcastle’s in-form Alexander Isak and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown recently commented on TNT Sports that the team could benefit from a “different tool in the box” and a player capable of finding “an opportunity out of nothing.” Since the beginning of last season, Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka have collectively contributed to one-third of the team’s goals, yet a specific moment in the second half underscored the team’s need for a clinical finisher. A pass was delivered into the penalty area for Havertz, but the Germany international struggled to control the ball, allowing Everton to clear it. A clinical number nine, by contrast, might have controlled it and scored. Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott remarked on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Any opportunity that Arsenal don’t get a result is always going to be a missed opportunity because Liverpool are relentless. You wouldn’t have thought Liverpool had 10 men in that game.” He further stated, “It was a dogged performance from Everton – you could have predicted that performance before the game but of course it is a missed opportunity.” The outcome of the match against Everton has significantly reduced Arsenal’s margin for error in the title race. On Saturday, the home side exerted considerable effort without success, leaving them six points behind league leaders Liverpool, having played one more game. While scoring from corners has been an effective strategy since the start of last season, yielding 23 goals from such situations, Arsenal failed to convert any of their eight corner opportunities in this match. During open play, they were unable to penetrate Everton’s deep-sitting defense, largely attributed to the absence of a central attacking focal point. Arsenal delivered 28 crosses, but without a dedicated centre forward to target, opposing centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski were able to clear the ball effectively. Arteta stated: “When you do what we did today against them, you have to win the game. This is football and the hardest thing is the last 20-25 metres.” He added, “Credit to them for blocking shots and to Jordan Pickford for making saves and the desire they defended with, but honestly, it is difficult to ask something else from the team.” Everton manager Sean Dyche commented: “They were trying to cross it to force something, which shows how defensively solid we were.”