Surprising Arsenal truth proves Mikel Arteta critics wrong amid Stan Kroenke summer dilemma
For much of this season, Arsenal have been compared to their title-chasing campaign from 2022/23. It was a surprise for almost everyone to see the Gunners be Manchester City’s main contenders for the Premier League trophy and were it not for a combination of William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu's injuries and the quite unbelievable second half of the season run from Pep Guardiola’s side they might have gone all the way.
Much of the conversation has surrounded the Gunners' frustrations in both creating clear goalscoring opportunities and also, when created,their lack of a ruthless centre-forward like Erling Haaland. Last season Arsenal managed to rack up 88 league goals, more than they have ever scored before during a Premier League campaign.
This means that Arsenal sides of the past that included Ian Wright, Nikolas Anelka, Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn’t match it. All despite criticism levelled at Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah for not being a good enough strike partnership, which has led to speculation that owner Stan Kroenke may splash the cash in the summer on a new frontman.
This season, there has been even more scrutiny, especially with the return of Liverpool as one of the leading candidates for the title race turning it into a three-team affair. Despite this criticism and judgement, Arsenal have just come off the back of a 6-0 win away from home — both their 8000th league win and the biggest Premier League away victory in their history.
Somewhat surprising for a side that has seen such criticism for their goalscoring perhaps? However, I would offer up a statistic that is even more of a shock when considered in the context of how Arteta’s side has been viewed especially in
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