Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could be made to eat his words by his forwards (Image: Getty)
Arsenal’s players could make Mikel Arteta look silly if they flounder in the Gunners’ crunch Premier League clash with Liverpool on Saturday. A lack of goals has seen the north Londoners fall behind the Reds in the race for the title.
Gabriel Jesus scored only his fourth top-flight goal of the season in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest in midweek. Arsenal would have entertained signing a new centre-forward in the January transfer window but a tight budget meant they were unable to acquire a prolific star.
It meant that target Ivan Toney remained at Brentford, while Victor Osimhen - who was also suggested as a possible transfer candidate - stayed at Napoli. Both will be eyed by Arsenal ahead of the summer.
But Arteta insists he is happy with the options he has. That is despite Jesus and fellow senior striker Eddie Nketiah scoring just nine combined goals this term.
Asked about concerns over his side’s lack of goals, Arteta hit back: "And if we win tomorrow and we score a lot of goals? I love my players and tomorrow they are going to score goals and be top. They deserve all of the credit for the way they are."
Gabriel Jesus bagged his fourth Premier League goal of the season against Nottingham Forest (Image: Getty)
A failure to provide a frequent threat to the goal of title rivals Liverpool will show how far away Arsenal are from winning the league. Jesus and his fellow forwards will leave Arteta red-faced if they do not justify the faith of their manager.
Jesus admitted last week that he had made a ‘mistake’ by not prioritising scoring more goals. The 26-year-old is determined to change his mindset to ensure he is more prolific in the Premier League, and subsequently improve Arsenal’s title chances.
“Sometimes it is all about stats and sometimes it is all about watching the game. Let’s go, come on. If you watch the game, you see me playing… I am close to 100 in the Premier League – that’s not easy,” Jesus argued after the victory over Forest.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has placed his trust in Gabriel Jesus to score goals (Image: Getty)
“Then in the Champions League I am scoring a lot, in the national team I score. Sometimes, like I say, I am not focused on that (scoring goals) and that’s my mistake.
“So now, I think I change my mindset and I will be in the box more – and I try everything to score.”
However, Jesus must back up his promise with more goals in the second half of the season. Otherwise, Arteta will regret placing his unwavering trust in his attacking players.