Predicting Arsenal’s Premier League goal haul this season
So four games into the new Premier League campaign and Arsenal have played out a 3-4, 0-0, 1-3 and most recently a 2-1 victory over Southampton.
Scoring the third highest amount of goals in the top flight so far this term, scoring goals has never been a problem for Arsenal given their expansive style of play but any hardened Gooners would claim the side are far from being in top gear as yet.
While the Gunners have always been able to score goals, question marks have long been raised over an Arsenal striker being able to score 25+ goals that could seriously put Arsene Wenger’s side in with a realistic shout of winning the title.
Olivier Giroud is yet to register a seasonal-haul of those proportions to date and in new boy Lucas Perez, the Spaniard will surely take the majority of this season to get used to the rigours of Premier League football.
Therefore, a lot of the goalscoring onus will once more be placed upon Alexis Sanchez who is more than capable from the left flank or up top while Arsenal’s collection of talented midfielders will have to get closer to 10 goals each in order to seriously threaten the Manchester clubs.
With goalscoring in mind, Arsenal Mania have today predicted how many goals each of the following FIVE Arsenal players will score in the Premier League this 2016/17 campaign.
Olivier Giroud – 17 goals
In Olivier Giroud’s four complete Premier League seasons as an Arsenal player, the French international boasts a tally of 11 goals in 2012/13, 16 in 2013/14, 14 in 2014/15 and 16 in 2015/16.
With an annual haul of 16 looking like Giroud’s glass ceiling right now, we’re backing the former Montpellier man to rank in and around this figure again this term.
It’s overstated in football but at the same time, it’s a true fact that Arsenal just haven’t boasted a striker able to score closer to 25 goals over the recent past.
While Giroud is an excellent all-rounder in respect of being able to hold up the play while also registering his fair share of goals season in, season out, he is quite simply not the world class calibre of forward such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez that can take their scoring to higher levels.
Alexis Sanchez – 15 goals
As for Alexis Sanchez’s first two full Premier League seasons as an Arsenal player, the Chilean scored a fantastic 16 league goals in his debut campaign while scoring 13 last time out.
We’re going down the middle for the Chilean this time who may still be alternated a lot this season depending on Arsene Wenger’s thinking.
While Alexis covered for Olivier Giroud before Lucas Perez’s signing, Wenger now boasts many attacking threats who can play in multiple interchangeable positions.
If this is to prove the case, do expect Alexis to chip in with his regular level of goals but they may not get as many goals out of him as if they constantly played him in undoubtedly his best position off the left flank all season long from this point forth.
Lucas Perez – 8 goals
Lucas Perez has now got his Arsenal debut out of the way and in reality, it probably didn’t get better than a 6.5 out of 10 for the Gunners’ new Spanish striker.
That said, let’s not be harsh on the arrival from Deportivo La Coruna given he will need time to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League.
Nevertheless, in the hyperactive modern world of impatience and social media, Lucas will need to score before too long to prevent scaremongers claiming he’s just not up to it.
A player we believe might need a full season in order to fully get up to speed with the Premier League like so many before him, we’re predicting eight top flight goals for Lucas.
And what’s more, given he is likely to play second fiddle to Olivier Giroud for much of the season, it can prove difficult to score regularly in such a bit-part role but all will be revealed as the weeks rumble on.
Mesut Ozil – 10 goals
Mesut Ozil has scored 5, 4 and 6 goals in an Arsenal shirt during his past three seasons in the Gunners’ side but Arsene Wenger has previously spoken about wanting to get more goals out of the German international.
Letting his assists do the talking season in, season out of course, Ozil’s contribution is undoubted but he’ll want to improve his level of performance following a below-par outing against Southampton at the weekend.
With this Arsenal team boasting more speed than previously with Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fit and ready to contribute at the minute, we feel Ozil will improve to register 10 goals this season.
Ozil is the calm influence when others are working at speed and now fully bedded in at Emirates Stadium following a slow start, we back him to score four more than he did last season.
Santi Cazorla – 7 goals
In his first three seasons at Arsenal prior to an injury-hit campaign last term, Santi Cazorla registered Premier League goal hauls of 12, 4 and 7.
One of Arsenal’s most vital cogs when fit and firing, Cazorla boasts the trickery and experience to add regular goals from the midfield.
The thing with Cazorla however is the fact that he’s Arsene Wenger’s trusted man from the penalty spot as showcased expertly against Southampton at the weekend.
With Arsenal surely set to receive their fair share of penalties (we hope!) in the remainder of the campaign, expect Cazorla to build on his haul from those scenarios, not to mention free-kick’s in dangerous areas of course.