Arsenal's title defense could be under threat due to their poorest creative stats in the last five years.
The Gunners head into the international break sitting second in the Premier League table, trailing Manchester City by three points. However, manager Mikel Arteta is left seriously concerned following a heavy 0-3 defeat to Brighton, where the Seagulls illustrated exactly how a smooth and creative attack should look. Under Fabian Huerteler, Brighton are currently the highest-scoring side in the Premier League, with 16 goals to their name—double that of Arsenal.
What’s most troubling for Arteta is not just the missed opportunities but the stark reality that his side is struggling to create chances in the quantity their competitors are managing this season. So far, Arsenal have mustered a mere seven clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities, which is half of what Brighton has achieved. In comparison, Manchester City have created nine more opportunities, while Sunderland outstrip the Gunners by ten. In terms of creating goal-scoring chances, Arsenal currently sit in a modest 15th place.
Captain Martin Odegaard has been involved in three of Arsenal’s seven goal-scoring chances, yet none have resulted in goals. The team averages just 1.4 clear chances per match—a troubling decline compared to last season’s title-winning efforts, where they created 2.21 chances per game. Currently, they are outperformed by 14 teams, including strugglers like Tottenham, Fulham, and Bournemouth who are still to secure a victory.
Plight doesn’t stop at Arsenal, though, as Liverpool find themselves in an even worse situation. Under Andoni Iraola, the Reds rank among the worst in the league for creating chances, only eclipsed by Coventry. This comes despite a hefty £450 million investment in strengthening their attacking lineup over the last two years. So far, only Cody Gakpo—whom the club reportedly considered offloading in the summer—has contributed significantly to the chances created, alongside Dominik Szoboszlai who has created three from the five opportunities generated. It’s clear that Iraola is right to demand more from playmaker Florian Wirtz.
