Arsenal had to resort to taking the ball to the corner flag in injury time against lowly Ipswich Town to hold on to their 1-0 lead and see off the game. That doesn’t seem odd for a team challenging for the title, but considering Ipswich is a newly promoted team and had done nothing for the entire game, it raises a few questions.
The Gunners controlled the game for the majority, but Ipswich’s late changes added more impetus to their dreary-looking attack and pushed Arsenal to the backfoot. Many fans expected the Gunners to take control of the game, which they did, but Mikel Arteta’s side didn’t create too many openings. A scoreline of 1-0 makes it a marginal victory, but perhaps it was a result that might force the board to dip their toes in the transfer market.
Arsenal’s problems without Saka
Saka averages two successful dribbles per game, which suggests that he attempts at least two of them per game. Against Ipswich, none of the Arsenal attackers hit that number. Gabriel Martinelli made four attempts, but couldn’t beat his man a single time to put a meaningful cross or have a shot on goal.
Against a low-block, the absence of that flair could haunt Arsenal in the coming months as Saka will be unavailable until March at the very least.
Bukayo Saka is a big miss for Arsenal.
He has scored or assisted 31% of Arsenal’s 213 Premier League goals since the start of the 2022-23 season.
(Stat: @oilysailor) pic.twitter.com/3HxsTjPbc9
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) December 27, 2024
The Gunners will see more joy against teams who play a more high-pressing style or even a midblock, but then again, the question of prolificity might come into the picture when they don’t come up against a team who “park the bus”.
Kai Havertz was the only Arsenal player to manage an xG higher than one against Ipswich, which suggests he got into good positions more than once. But the same can’t be said of other attackers. Of course, Gabriel Magalhaes missed an absolute sitter, but one can’t expect the defenders to score every game no matter how good the set-piece scheme might be under Nicolas Jover.
The absence of Saka could be massive. While his on-the-ball quality and numbers don’t lie and will be hard to replicate, his mere presence draws more defenders and opens up spaces for the likes of Havertz and Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal need another attacker in January
It was perhaps expected that Arsenal’s attack would not be at their free-flowing best without the influential Saka. The 23-year-old has so often been the player to put teams to the sword even when Arsenal haven’t been at their best, so naturally there is going to be a drop-off.
Arsenal must ensure they add some backup to their attack. Title-challenging teams often need to be proactive in the transfer market, and Arsenal learned this the hard way last season, albeit belatedly.
Last season, they had a drop-off towards the end of the year, but picked up their form in the second half of the season suggesting that it was not a big problem to avoid strengthening in the winter transfer window where player valuations are often inflated.
However, they were close to Liverpool in the league table, unlike this time around.
The Gunners cannot afford to drop any more points in the race for the title. Back-to-back title challenges is bound to see some dropoff as the mental toll is inevitable, and Arsenal might feel that come the end of the season. With more games to play this season – the added fixtures in the new Champions League format – the squad is not going to get much of a break.
Arsenal can either go for a striker or add another player who can create from the left flank. The striker situation has gone on for a while as the Gunners don’t have an out-and-out forward who is clinical enough.
While Martinelli has done well in patches on the left flank, it’s clear that the Gunners need an upgrade on quality. Martinelli’s top performances have come when the Brazilian has been backed with a full-back with the license to make the overlapping runs. That’s too much of a conditional output for a team competing for the title. The same can be said of Leandro Trossard who seems a better option off the bench, akin to what Divock Origi used to do for Liverpool a few seasons ago.
Compare Arsenal’s attack to Liverpool and they are a clear second. Arne Slot’s side can rotate and their attack can turn it on when required. The same cannot be said of Arsenal’s attack which is heavily reliant on Saka and Odegaard. The table doesn’t lie, and Arsenal are a deserved second. Until the board can sign someone, they will remain second.
