Mikel Arteta's team lost their creativity in early November, but with Saka's form and Martin Odegaard's return, they are once again a formidable force.
The Gunners put five past West Ham in the first of their Premier League match on Saturday. Arsenal appear to be rediscovering their best form just in time for the busy festive period. Despite facing a nine-point deficit, they appear poised to challenge Liverpool in the upcoming months.
Market | Odds |
|---|---|
Arsenal vs Manchester United - Over 2.5 Goals for Arsenal | |
Fulham vs Arsenal - Over 2.5 Goals for Arsenal |
Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Arsenal’s Attack Share the Burden of Goals
Arsenal have faced criticism for not having a traditional striker, yet their diverse attacking options could be a major advantage for Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard has deployed Kai Havertz as the team’s focal point in attack since the early stages of last season.
The German isn’t a traditional number nine, but he brings a lot of creativity and physical strength to the table. Havertz is the team’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League with four goals, however, he excels when he involves his teammates in the play.
Kai makes an average of 2.88 progressive passes and has an average of 3.29 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes over the last 12 months.
Bukayo Saka also has four goals to his name. The winger is top of the assists chart with 10 after 13 matches. Only Cesc Fabregas and Mesut Ozil have reached that milestone in fewer games. Bukayo has scored and assisted in his last three games for Arsenal, so he seems set for a productive December.
Martin Odegaard’s importance to Arsenal cannot be overstated. The midfielder picked up an injury in the September international break and didn’t return until the clash with Chelsea in November.
The Norwegian ranks in the top 10% for shot-creating actions, progressive passes, successful take-ons, touches and assists, when compared with midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year. Martin’s return to full fitness has certainly added firepower to the Gunners attack.
The Gunners Hitting Their Stride
Since the start of last season, Arsenal have scored the second-most goals in the Premier League, averaging 2.29 goals per game. Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard all scored more than 10 league goals for the Gunners last season, demonstrating that the team thrived even without a standout number nine.
Saka, Havertz, Trossard and Odegaard all found the net as Arteta’s side netted five first-half goals in the win over West Ham. The team have now scored 13 goals in their three competitive matches since the international break and had eight different goalscorers. During that run, the Gunners have accumulated an xG of 8.68.
Arsenal have scored 26 goals in the league so far, tying with Liverpool for the second-highest total, and their attacking prowess is expected to continue against Manchester United. The Gunners have scored three goals in their last three clashes with the Red Devils at the Emirates.
At the weekend, Arteta’s men head to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham. Despite their good form, Marco Silva’s side are yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet at home. Arsenal have scored three or more in four of their last five visits to Fulham.