Arsenals striking shortage laid bare as fourth place slips from their

Arsenal's Striking Shortage Laid Bare

The striking shortage at Arsenal has become a glaring issue since the injuries to Kierney and Thomas Partey in recent weeks. With only Arteta and Gabriel Martinelli available to fill that void‚ the Gunners' attacking performance has tended to be patchy and the absence of a striker is a key reason for that. But the club still have options.

Arsenal vs Tottenham

This weekend‚ the Gunners fell to Chelsea‚ their biggest win over the Gunners in 25 years. Chelsea will be buoyed by their win over Arsenal in the FA Cup Quarterfinal‚ and while they looked poor in the first half‚ the battling spirit of their players shone through. Arsenal have a lot to do in order to climb out of the drop zone. It will be a daunting task to keep pace with the champions of England and Europe‚ but there is a lot of work left to do. Tottenham have slipped down to fifth in the table and are now in the relegation zone‚ but they have a chance to make up ground in the league. Arsenal play Tottenham on May 12‚ a game that Tottenham must win to remain within four points. If Arsenal win that game‚ they will have a chance to seal fourth place‚ but Tottenham have a better chance of getting there. The striker situation is particularly worrying because the Gunners have had a tumultuous season. In the opening two months‚ they had a strong attacking squad‚ but injuries to Thomas Partey and Kierney have exposed their striking shortage. Meanwhile‚ the Gunners' strikers have been patchy this season‚ and there is no guarantee they will improve in the coming months. Saka has scored 13 goals this season and leads the goalscoring charts‚ but he is proving to be a huge drain on Arsenal's Champions League hopes. His absence against Everton means that the Gunners have to turn to different forwards to create a balanced attack. Historically‚ the team's top goalscorer was Brian Kidd in 1975-76. Charles Lewis scored four goals in 1912-13.

Arsenal's lack of a striker

The absence of a striker has been one of the most prominent problems Arsenal have faced this season. Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that the squad lacks potency and must address it this summer. However‚ the squad were utterly ineffective against Newcastle and the lack of a striker in the team was a clear cause for concern. Arsenal have spent most of the last two years doing much-needed surgery on their defence but they have been woefully ineffective going forward. Despite winning four points in a row from losing positions this season - including a draw against Norwich - Arsenal have fallen short. There is rarely one game that is won in isolation. Tottenham‚ as they've seen‚ was a costly loss. However‚ the team has consistently fallen short despite their high quality‚ and it is the lack of quality in their attack that has proved the biggest cause for concern. Arsenal's lack of a striker has been exposed once again in this season's Carabao Cup semi-final. The Gunners started with a few injured players and were punished when Diego Jota gave Liverpool the lead. Even with a lack of quality in attack‚ Arsenal have been patchy. Thankfully‚ their lack of a striker is now being exposed. Despite their shaky form‚ the Gunners were dominant in possession‚ and they were always a threat to score‚ but lacked the cutting edge to win the game. In fact‚ they failed to trouble Newcastle's defence despite being 2-0 up in the league. They were outclassed on the night by an own goal from Ben White and a late Bruno Guimaraes strike. The loss also leaves Arsenal with 13 defeats in a Premier League season.

Arteta's lack of potency

The lack of potency in the arsenal attack has been exposed after the team failed to take advantage of the injury to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January. The Frenchman has been unable to find the net in his last three appearances and the Gunners have now dropped to sixth place in the table‚ three points behind Tottenham with a better goal difference. Arsenal have scored just eight goals in their last three games since Aubameyang left for Barcelona.

Gabriel Martinelli's new contract

A year after joining Arsenal from Brazilian club Ituano‚ Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli has signed a new contract at the Emirates. The Brazilian has made an impressive start to his Arsenal career‚ scoring 10 goals in 26 games in all competitions. He has also impressed Mikel Arteta‚ who has tied down the Brazilian to a four-year deal. But does he have what it takes to become an Arsenal first team regular? While he has struggled to make a real impact in the last season‚ Gabriel has continued to impress and he has scored five goals in 27 Premier League appearances so far. He has started the last three games and has picked up two assists in that time. He recently made his senior Brazil debut‚ and has a contract at Arsenal until 2025‚ which could be extended. Despite this‚ Arsenal are also looking to strengthen other positions within the team.