Can Arsenal Clinch the Premier League Title Without a Consistent Goal Scorer?

Arsenal’s Title Challenge: A Unique Approach

Historically, no team has won the Premier League without a player featuring in the top 10 goal scorers. However, could Arsenal break this trend? The Gunners are currently enjoying a remarkable season, having faced just two losses across all competitions. They boast a perfect record in the Champions League and sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Mikel Arteta’s squad is also in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and has advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup. What makes their success even more notable is that they are doing so without a prominent goal scorer.

Despite Arsenal ranking only behind Manchester City in total league goals—with 40 this season—they lack a standout player for consistent scoring. While Erling Haaland has notched up 20 league goals thus far, Arsenal’s leading scorers are Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres, who find themselves down in 21st place in the scoring charts, each with five goals.

Arsenal made a £64 million investment in Gyokeres over the summer, yet the Swedish forward has struggled to replicate the impressive form he showed while at Sporting in Portugal, where he found the net 97 times in 102 matches. His recent performances have raised concerns, with a notable lack of confidence evident in his play. In the latest league match against Liverpool, Gyokeres had just eight touches and failed to register a shot, managing only one goal from open play in his last 15 appearances.

The Gunners last claimed the league title back in 2004, yet many consider them strong contenders to lift the trophy this season. Achieving the title would mark their first major trophy since their FA Cup victory in 2020, which coincided with Arteta’s inaugural season in charge.

Will Things Shift as the Season Progresses?

The landscape of Arsenal’s attacking options is beginning to change with Kai Havertz’s return to the squad. The German international, who had been sidelined for nearly a year due to a hamstring and knee injury, made a comeback by playing the final 21 minutes in the Gunners’ recent FA Cup match against Portsmouth.

Arteta expressed his delight at Havertz’s return, emphasizing his unique movement and spatial awareness. He noted that the team has greatly missed him and highlighted the importance of keeping him fit moving forward. With Havertz back on the field, there’s a possibility that he could soon take up the role of Arsenal’s primary striker.

Gabriel Jesus has also returned following recovery from an ACL injury sustained in December and has displayed glimpses of his talent, giving Arteta more options in the attacking department after having heavily relied on Gyokeres.

Is Lack of a Regular Scorer a Concern for Arsenal?

Historically, the lowest-scoring player from a Premier League-winning team is Frank Lampard, who scored 13 goals for Chelsea in their victorious 2004-05 campaign, a figure matched by Ilkay Gundogan with Manchester City in their title-winning season of 2020-21.

When questioned about this topic ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Liverpool, Arteta noted the importance of distributing goals across the team, stating he expects his forwards to achieve scores upwards of 20 goals. This season, Arsenal has had a diverse scoring sheet, with 13 different players finding the net in the league, trailing only Brighton, who have 15.

While Gyokeres has not scored from open play in 10 consecutive matches, Arteta prioritized team performance and victories over individual scoring statistics. He implied that the team’s collective talent could lead to numerous goals in the future.

Historical Context: Teams Winning Without a Top Scorer

The current Arsenal side draws parallels with Chelsea’s title-winning team in 2005 under José Mourinho, which featured a stellar defense, limiting their opponents to only 15 goals against throughout the campaign. This season, Arsenal has allowed just 14 goals, a league low, despite contending with injuries to key defenders.

Despite Gyokeres’ inconsistency, Arsenal has only lost once when he starts. In their 2020-21 title-winning season, Manchester City also spread their goal-scoring among the squad, with no individual reaching 20 goals.

With 17 games left to play, for Trossard and Gyokeres to reach 13 goals each, they would need to score at an impressive rate, which seems challenging given their current form. Nevertheless, Arsenal has consistently appeared to be the most well-rounded team this season, with managers from opposing teams noting their lack of evident weaknesses.

Additionally, Arsenal has proven to be particularly competent at set-pieces, scoring the most corner goals in the Premier League this season, showcasing an alternative route to scoring that diminishes reliance on any single prolific goal scorer.

As Arsenal strives to shake off their reputation of finishing second, their current position at the top—despite the absence of a regular goal scorer—demonstrates their readiness to seize victory in this campaign.