Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a blend of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know Premier League stories. This week:
🔺Arsenal’s striker dilemma analysed
🔺Araujo helping shore up Liverpool
🔺A player to watch this weekend
Why Arteta should keep backing Havertz
While Alexander Isak heads into Sunday’s game at Anfield having scored six goals for Liverpool this season, Arsenal’s frontmen continue to misfire. Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres haven’t hit a Premier League goal between them since early September.
Havertz has been Mikel Arteta’s first choice since returning from injury last season. The 27-year-old started and scored in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in May and appeared to pick up where he left off in the new campaign.
After scoring in the Community Shield against Manchester City, Havertz added Premier League goals against Coventry and his former club Chelsea. Since then, though, he has played 561 minutes, more than nine hours, without finding the net in any competition.
Gyokeres finally broke his duck for the season in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out loss to Fleetwood Town when he bundled in Arsenal’s equaliser from close range. But it has been a struggle for him to even produce shots never mind goals.
Gyokeres has only mustered one shot, a header which looped harmlessly into the air against Nottingham Forest, in 148 Premier League minutes. The Sweden international hasn’t registered any shots at all in his 160 minutes in the Champions League.
For the most part, the lack of goals from Arsenal’s strikers hasn’t mattered. They sit level on points with City at the top of the Premier League having won all but one of their eight games and have taken seven points from a possible nine in the Champions League.
But Arteta will be aware of just how tough it will be to continue their strong start to the season if they don’t start to produce.
Nearly three months in, it is damning that Arsenal’s defenders have scored more goals in all competitions than their strikers.
Sunday’s meeting with Isak, a striker Arsenal coveted before his £125m move to Liverpool from Newcastle, is a reminder of what they lack. The club have built formidable resources in defence and midfield but still don’t have a world-class goalscorer.
It is partly a result of how funds have been allocated.
The club have spent only £224.5m on forwards since Arteta’s appointment, initially as head coach, in 2019 compared to £550.1m on midfielders and £350m on defenders.
Arsenal tried to address the issue in the summer. But after their unsuccessful pursuits of Vinicius Jr and Julian Alvarez, they opted to stick with what they had, hoping Havertz could stay fit and Gyokeres could build on a 21-goal first season at the club.
Havertz’s form has tailed off after a bright start and he was the main culprit for Arsenal’s wasteful display against Fleetwood on Tuesday, when he was unable to score from seven shots.
His failure to capitalise frustrated Arsenal fans but his efforts called to mind comments by Brentford owner Matthew Benham earlier this year on how he assesses strikers. “For a striker, getting in position is way more informative than finishing,” he said.
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz celebrates his goal against Coventry on the opening day
Benham believes that generating a high volume of chances is the biggest indicator of future success for a striker. And that is one area in which Gyokeres, who only had three shots to Havertz’s seven against Fleetwood, has struggled at Arsenal.
Gyokeres has failed to register a shot in eight Premier League starts. It is the second-highest total of any out-and-out striker since the start of last season, behind only Randal Kolo Muani, who spent last term fighting relegation while on loan at Spurs.
Gyokeres can of course point to a decent scoring record. His 14 Premier League goals last season helped Arsenal win the title.
But none of them came against opponents of Liverpool’s quality, which is why Arteta may hesitate to start him on Sunday.
A comparison between Gyokeres and Havertz’s last two Premier League starts against Liverpool illustrates the differences in what they offer against top opposition.
Gyokeres didn’t register a shot in either of his, which came in last season’s 1-0 loss in August and the 0-0 draw in January. He had a combined total of just 25 touches, only four of which came in Liverpool’s box. He only made 11 passes and won three duels.
Havertz didn’t score in either of his last two starts against Liverpool either, in the 2-2 draw in October 2024 and the 3-1 win in February of the same year. But he caused problems in both, registering five shots worth 1.22 xG and having 14 touches in the box.
He also contributed far more in general play, as is typical. Havertz had 80 touches – more than three times as many as Gyokeres. He made considerably more passes, created more chances, won a far higher number of duels and won possession more times too.
Havertz’s ability to combine with team-mates, interchange positions and help construct attacks makes Arsenal far more fluid in the final third and helps to explain why their open-play threat has increased this season, even as their striker’s goal drought continues.
Arteta could opt for another player up front on Sunday. Mikel Merino is an option after proving his value as a makeshift striker. But Havertz remains the most likely candidate given the breadth of what he brings. A first goal since September would be timely.
Araujo a Liverpool favourite
Ronald Araujo will face Arsenal on Sunday having produced another excellent performance for Liverpool in their Carabao Cup win over Chelsea. The summer signing’s resolute defending helped his side through. He made 10 of the team’s 15 clearances.
He was similarly effective in their 2-0 win over Brighton last weekend, drawing roars of approval from fans at Anfield with his crunching tackles. “When you see someone like Ronald making challenges, being aggressive at the right times, everyone responds and that energy can help the team going forward,” said Virgil van Dijk.
Ronald Araujo has made a big contribution defensively, despite only playing 496 of Liverpool’s 720 Premier League minutes so far this season
Araujo played in his natural position at centre-back against Chelsea but has mostly been used by Andoni Iraola at right-back. The size of his contribution to Liverpool’s defensive efforts, even in a relatively unfamiliar role, can be seen in the numbers.
Iraola has also noted his offensive improvement. Araujo scored in Liverpool’s Champions League wins over LASK and Villarreal and would have had a third goal against Chelsea if not for a superb save from Mike Penders. It all adds up to a positive impression.
Player Radar: Who else to keep an eye on
Newcastle face Everton on Monday having beaten Crystal Palace thanks in part to full-back Amar Dedic, who had a hand in both goals and now has four assists in eight games this term.
Live Radar: What’s on Sky this weekend?
Four Premier League games are live on Sky Sports this weekend, starting with Tottenham vs Crystal Palace on Saturday, kicking off at 5.30pm. Aston Villa then host Fulham at 8pm.
On Sunday, Liverpool vs Arsenal headlines the action, with kick-off at 4.30pm. The weekend’s live coverage concludes on Monday Night Football, when Newcastle United take on Everton at 8pm.
Read last week’s Radar column
Rio Ngumoha’s unstoppable dribbling for Liverpool and Luka Vuskovic’s vital role at Brighton were covered.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
