Arsenal ace Gabriel Jesus has now named the ‘one thing’ he is working on in training at London Colney to prove that anyone who questions the Brazilian as a striker is wrong.
The 26-year-old was decisively among the stars of the show as Arsenal thrashed RC Lens 6-0 in the Champions League. Jesus assisted Kai Havertz to break the deadlock before scoring to double the Gunners’ lead. It handed the north Londoners full control after just 21 minutes.
Jesus now boasts five goals and two assists from 13 appearances over all competitions this season so far. But while he has excelled in Europe, just one of the Brazil forward’s goals have come in the Premier League. He further scored his sole top-flight goal back on September 3.
Jesus is thriving in the Champions League but not in the Premier League
Arsenal relished Jesus opening his account for the season to settle their 3-1 win at Emirates Stadium over Manchester United. The 64-cap Selecao star stayed composed in the box and evaded Jonny Evans’ desperate lunge before firing beyond Andre Onana to settle the result.
Jesus had only entered the match in the 76th minute amid his return from knee surgery this summer. But despite starting five of his following six Premier League fixtures, interrupted by a hamstring injury, he has so far failed to add to his domestic tally amidst thriving in Europe.
Jesus reveals what the Arsenal striker is working to improve in training
Scoring at home to Lens meant Jesus has found the back of the net in all of his four matches in the Champions League this season. But scoring goals is not all that Jesus feels he offers under Mikel Arteta at Emirates Stadium. He also feels those who believe that it is are wrong.
Instead, Jesus respects his other roles in Arsenal’s team like creating space for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to attack. Yet he is working on getting into the area more often during training at London Colney. The striker also hints that it will let him prove his doubters wrong.
“I know my qualities and I know what I can bring to the team,” Jesus said, via quotes by the Independent. “I can score and I can also help with other things, like opening spaces. But the only people who can see it are those who watch the game and understand.
“Those who don’t understand me will say that, ‘Oh, he didn’t score today’. But maybe I run and open space for someone and, let’s be honest, I don’t miss a lot of chances.
“I think it is not about, ‘He doesn’t know how to score’. Sometimes, I have to be more in the box [and] that is the one thing I am working on.”
Despite only scoring one goal in the Premier League so far this season, Jesus has attempted the fifth-most shots by an Arsenal player. He has taken on 14 shots across 430 minutes, per WhoScored. But just five of those have hit the target, with five going wide and four blocked.
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