Mikel Arteta has a dilemma on his hands after a shock cup exit against League Two side Fleetwood Town. And it’s a familiar issue, too. It comes in Arsenal‘s frontline, with both strikers underperforming so far this season.
Viktor Gyokeres has been forced to watch on from the bench for the majority of the campaign. In many ways, it summed up his season full of cameos and European appearances when he bundled home a scrappy first goal of the season against Fleetwood in mid-week.
12 months into his Arsenal career, it’s difficult to see a world in which the Swede becomes one of the most reliable players for the Premier League champions.
The flip side to that, of course, is the form of Kai Havertz. The German rarely looks untidy, but that elegance doesn’t always result in needed impact – sparking a striker crisis for the Gunners.
Why Kai Havertz is becoming a problem for Arsenal
There would be little complaints about Havertz’s role in this Arsenal side if goals were coming from elsewhere. The forward is excellent at linking play and dropping deep. It’s led to comparisons with the likes of Roberto Firmino, who held a similar role in Jurgen Klopp’s historic Liverpool side.
The problem is that the goals are not coming from other areas. As such, the responsibility naturally falls to the man leading the frontline. That man has often been Havertz, who has scored just three goals in 13 games so far this season and just struggled against Fleetwood.
It’s clear that the former Chelsea man is not a natural goalscorer. That’s been clear since his time at Stamford Bridge and during his time in the Premier League, when he has hit double figures for goals just once.
|
Kai Havertz vs Fleetwood Town |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Shots |
7 |
|
Box touches |
14 |
Against Fleetwood, that weakness reared its head in the most frustrating fashion as he took more touches inside the area than anyone else on the pitch and took more shots without finding the back of the net once.
Why Gyokeres is not the solution for Arsenal
On the same night that Havertz struggled to make his mark at League Two opposition, his strike partner also had an evening to forget. Even whilst finding his first goal of the season, it was once again difficult to point out where Gyokeres successfully linked play or took hold of the game for Arsenal.
As Havertz was wasteful, Gyokeres was fairly quiet. By the time penalties arrived, the Swede had taken just two shots, just seven touches inside Fleetwood’s box and didn’t win a single ground duel.
In a side which often struggle from open play, Arsenal are stuck with a striker who desperately requires service to be at his best.
The best solution for Arteta in the long run lies in the transfer market. He needs a player who can link play and finish in clinical fashion. That will be the instruction to club chiefs. For the time being, however, he can only turn to a star who’s waiting to make his mark from the bench.
How Arsenal can solve their striker problem
The problem may not be solved in the January transfer window, where prices are inflated and availability becomes limited. Instead, Arteta must solve his problem with what he has.
It shouldn’t take long to draw up a list of candidates to replace Gyokeres and Havertz, either. With a trip to Anfield awaiting, the Spaniard should turn to his fellow countryman Mikel Merino.
A midfielder by trade, Merino has become a clinical finisher since arriving in England. Even for the national team, he has become Mr Reliable.
He links play well, using his midfield traits, and has the ability to finish with both feet as well as in the air. If Arteta wasn’t mistaken, he may well believe he already has a £100m striker waiting in the wings, potentially even their best striker since the great Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. After all, not a single striker has been as reliable as him since his departure, but Merino may well fit the bill.
The numbers paint quite the picture. Merino only need a 3.15 XG to find the back of the net four times in the Premier League last season, whilst also linking play with more than one big chance created per 90.
He was clinical when called upon and should be called on for Arsenal’s toughest test yet as champions at Anfield this afternoon.
