Can Arsenal defy the odds and win the Premier League without a consistent top goalscorer? It's a bold question, and one that has many football fans divided.
No team has ever achieved this feat, but Arsenal's current season is shaping up to be a remarkable one. With an impressive record of just two defeats across all competitions, a perfect Champions League run, and a commanding six-point lead at the top of the Premier League, the Gunners are on fire.
But here's where it gets controversial: Arsenal's success is being achieved without a reliable goal machine. While Manchester City leads the league in goals, Arsenal has not had a single player consistently finding the back of the net.
Take Erling Haaland, for example, who has already netted an impressive 20 league goals this season. In contrast, Arsenal's top scorers in the division, Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres, have only managed five goals each, placing them 21st in the goalscoring rankings.
Arsenal's £64m investment in Gyokeres has not quite paid off yet. The Swedish forward, who previously shone with 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting in Portugal, has struggled to replicate that form. His recent performances have been lackluster, with a noticeable lack of confidence. In the recent league game against Liverpool, Gyokeres managed only eight touches and failed to take a single shot.
Despite this, Arsenal remains a strong contender for the title. They haven't won the league since 2004, but many are predicting this could be their year. If they do lift the trophy, it will be their first major silverware since 2020 when they won the FA Cup under Arteta's management.
So, could Arsenal's fortunes change by the end of the season?
The return of Kai Havertz provides a glimmer of hope. The German international, who has been out for almost a year due to hamstring and knee injuries, made his comeback in the FA Cup win over Portsmouth. Arteta praised Havertz's awareness and movement, suggesting he could become Arsenal's starting striker once fully fit.
Gabriel Jesus, who recently returned from an ACL injury, has also shown glimpses of his quality, giving Arteta three strikers to choose from.
But is it a concern if Arsenal doesn't have a regular goalscorer? History suggests not. The lowest goal scorer from a Premier League-winning side was Frank Lampard with 13 goals in Chelsea's 2004-05 campaign, a record matched by Ilkay Gundogan in Manchester City's 2020-21 season.
When asked about this, Arteta emphasized the importance of spreading goals across the team, stating, "We want the goals to spread and our strikers scoring over 20 goals, that's the idea."
And that's exactly what the Gunners are doing. They've had 13 different top-flight goal scorers this season, second only to Brighton's 15.
Arteta's focus is on the team's performance and winning matches. He believes the quality of the players will shine through, and the team's success is the priority.
There are parallels to be drawn with Chelsea's title-winning side in 2005. Mourinho's team had a formidable defense, conceding just 15 goals throughout the Premier League campaign. Similarly, Arsenal has conceded only 14 goals in 21 league games, an impressive feat considering key defensive injuries to players like Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, and Riccardo Calafiori.
Despite Gyokeres' underwhelming performances, Arsenal has only lost once when he started.
Manchester City's title-winning season in 2020-21 also saw goals spread across the team, with Gundogan, Sterling, Foden, Gabriel Jesus, and Mahrez all contributing.
With 17 league games remaining, Trossard and Gyokeres would need to dramatically increase their goal-scoring rate to reach 13 goals each.
Arsenal has consistently been the best all-round team this season, with opposition managers unable to pinpoint a weakness. They are the league's best side from set-pieces, scoring 17 goals from corners across all competitions, the most by any Premier League team.
After three consecutive second-place finishes, the Gunners are poised to take the next step and claim the title, even without a dominant goalscorer.
What do you think? Can Arsenal defy the odds and win the Premier League with their current approach? Let us know in the comments!
