What's Behind Arsenal's Struggling Attack and How Can Arteta Revive It?

Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column where Nick Wright combines data and opinion to shed light on key Premier League stories. This week, the focus is on Arsenal's attacking woes and potential solutions. Despite their first-leg lead against Sporting, Arsenal fell back on their defense in the Champions League quarter-final second leg, highlighting the need for improvement in their attack. Mikel Arteta hopes to see defensive solidity against Manchester City on Sunday, but their attacking struggles continue. Arteta's approach has been scrutinized, with questions about his perceived aversion to risk and over-reliance on set-pieces. Personnel issues, including injuries to key players like Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, have limited Arteta's options. The front three of Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, and Viktor Gyokeres has not worked, with the trio struggling to retain possession high up the pitch. According to Opta, Gyokeres has lost possession 246 times in the Premier League this season, with a high rate of touches ending in possession losses. Martinelli and Madueke also rank high on this list. The introduction of substitutes like Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus improved Arsenal's control and technical quality. Arteta may be forced to change his team selection, with Havertz potentially providing the outlet they lacked. Havertz's effectiveness as a focal point was evident against Sporting, where he won more aerial duels and completed more passes than Gyokeres. His deployment up front on Sunday could help give Arsenal's attack the balance it has lacked. Manchester City's quality means Arsenal will need to fall back on their defense, but raising the technical level of their attack could be key to a positive result. Other Premier League storylines include Sunderland's run of three wins from four, Granit Xhaka's return from injury, and the upcoming Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool.