Shocking statistic shows what Arsenal do much less of this season – Mikel Arteta must fix it

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There’s been a lot of talk about Arsenal’s attack and Mikel Arteta’s approach this season.

The Gunners have flattered to deceive going forward in certain matches, particularly with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka hardly playing together.

Saka is out until March after undergoing hamstring surgery, while Odegaard missed two months of the season through injury.

Despite these narratives about Arteta’s team’s attack and the injury situation, Arsenal have still scored more goals than any other Premier League team barring Liverpool.

However, this surface level statistic shouldn’t mask some of the glaring issues in forward areas.

• READ MORE: Forget Mikel Merino, Mikel Arteta must turn ‘outstanding’ Arsenal defender into complete midfielder and save millions in the transfer window

Arsenal are eleventh in total shots in the Premier League

Arsenal have broken their goal-scoring record in each of the last two seasons, netting an impressive 91 goals last campaign.

This term, however, they’ve taken a noticeable step backwards on this front, scoring 49 goals from their first 24 games.

This means they’re on course to score 78 goals by the end of the season, a total that isn’t typically sufficient for a Premier League champion.

Kai Havertz has been berated for his role in these problems, spurning multiple presentable opportunities.

However, an alarming statistic suggests that the German shouldn’t be scapegoated for Arsenal’s goal-scoring failings.

The Gunners are eleventh in total shots taken in the Premier League, behind the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and West Ham.

While Arteta’s side’s expected goals per shot is the third best in the league, they’re clearly not attempting enough efforts from outside the box.

Arsenal have been accused of ‘trying to walk the ball in’ in the past, and this would appear to be a genuine and valid critique of the team this season.

They dominate possession, but don’t let fly from more difficult positions

While it’s not advisable to constantly shoot from range, the odd pot-shot is important when playing against a packed defence, and the North Londoners got their reward for this against Manchester City.

Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri both scored from outside the box against the Citizens – the former with a fortunate deflection and the latter with an outstanding finish.

This demonstrates that taking lower quality shots throughout a game can lead to success, and if Arsenal do this more often, they’ll likely score more goals.

Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard are the most culpable

While it’s unclear as to whether the reduction in shot volume is instructional from Arteta or is a result of players not taking on the responsibility to shoot from distance, certain members of Arsenal’s squad are culpable.

Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have all seen significant decreases in their shot totals this campaign.

Odegaard has been criticised by Arsenal fans for his general lack of goal threat this term, and it’s evident that the Norwegian is a lot less trigger happy than he used to be from outside the box.

Meanwhile, Martinelli and Trossard have both struggled with confidence, although their respective shot volume declines could be related to how Arteta is deploying his wingers.

The Spaniard has largely tasked the wide man with committing to hugging the touchline, and thus they’re not breaking into the box as frequently.