Arsenal saw the curtain come down on their pre-season US tour with a defeat against Liverpool in Philadelphia last night.
Mikel Arteta named a strong Arsenal starting XI for this match. However, the Gunners still came off on the losing side in this friendly fixture.
Arsenal created plenty of chances throughout the match. Martin Odegaard impressed with his creativity, Kai Havertz offered intelligent movement in the final third, Gabriel Jesus caught the eye with his energy and endeavour, and Gabriel Martinelli found himself in dangerous positions on a number of occasions.
Ultimately, though, the final touch was lacking from the North London club. Havertz was able to prod in from close range just before half-time, with Arsenal already two goals down, but in general it was a performance that lacked ruthlessness in front of goal.
Arsenal need to find more of a cutting edge this season. Havertz is never going to be the most prolific forward, and Jesus only netted four times in the Premier League last time around.
If the Gunners are to overcome Manchester City and win the Premier League title this season, then they need to take their chances. Arteta knows this, and has been told many times.
Arsenal have been told that they need a striker above anything else this summer. Pundits have been saying this for some time.
Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal must improve in front of goal after Liverpool loss
After his side’s profligate display against the Reds, Arteta confessed that his side were wasteful, and that they must improve in this regard.
As quoted by the club’s official website, the manager said: “Obviously we can improve. The game would have been very different if the first chance that we had, we scored but that’s the goal.
“It makes the difference when you’re in those areas in those spaces in the box, putting the ball in the back of the net and we created a situation, we had another two or three big open situations to go better but we didn’t, so we have to improve.”
How Arsenal can solve striker problem
Arsenal are pushing to sign Viktor Gyokeres this summer, and the Swedish striker certainly has the capacity to be prolific. Last season, he scored 43 goals in 50 appearances for Sporting, across all competitions. Whether he can translate anything like that kind of form across to the Premier League remains to be seen though.
Arteta also needs more from his current strikeforce. Jesus has convinced Arsenal to keep faith in him, and now needs to repay that trust by proving that he can reliably find the back of the net.
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