Arsenal: Striker merry-go-round reveals a deeper issue

The ramifications of the January transfer window roundabout of strikers has revealed a deeper-rooted issue of this Arsenal team: The isolation of the centre-forward.

Arsenal and Arsene Wenger attempted to revamp their attacking options in the January transfer window. Evidently unhappy with their current results and deeming some of the squad members short of the required standard, investment, and significant investment at that, and subsequent change came.

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Out went Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud; in came Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the latter of which was signed for a club-record £56 million fee, displaying the clear intentions and willingness to bolster the striking department. The deal for Aubameyang, and the greater three-way trade that is was a part of, has revealed some rather stark truths.

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In Aubameyang coming to North London, Borussia Dortmund, his former club, wanted an assured and ready-made replacement to fill the hole that he left behind. The man they acquired was Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea. That meant that the Blues had to replace their outgoing man. They did so with Arsenal’s very own Giroud. It was complicated, long-winded, but ultimately successful. However, the recent ramifications of the striker merry-go-round that took place on transfer deadline day revealed a far deeper-rooted and concerning issue: The isolation of the centre-forward.

In the last two fixtures Aubameyang has featured in — both were, funnily enough, at Wembley: The first was the North London derby; the second was Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City — he has cut an extremely singular, individualised, unsupported figure. In the two games, he has enjoyed a combined 41 touches. In both games, only four of them came in the penalty area. To provide a little more context for those numbers, Claudio Bravo, in just one game, had 48 touches of the ball, seven more than Aubameyang in both games.

Now, there is an argument to be made that Aubameyang is that type of player. He likes to be on the periphery of the game, only to burst into action, often taking the defence by surprise with his searing pace and intelligent movement. But Alexandre Lacazette suffered from the same isolation.

In the Premier League this season, Lacazette has averaged 43.6 touches per 90 minutes. That is not exactly prolific. For centre-forwards, he ranks seventh in total touches taken, behind the likes of Jordan Ayew and Salomon Rondon who play for teams who have a far lesser share of the possession. Lacazette should be having far more touches, not fewer. Roberto Firmino, for example, is averaging 55.8 touches per 90 minutes in the Premier League.

The problem is not the striker himself, as many fans are beginning to point out; the problem is the service, or the lack thereof. Arsenal no longer play through the midfield with accuracy and control, at a tempo that creates openings, angles and passing lanes. They are ponderous, slow, lethargic. They are too conservative and considered. They do not take risks, they keep possession for keeping possession’s sake, they do work through the phrases and put players in positions close to the lone centre-forward.

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It was painfully evident on Sunday. It has been painfully evident with Lacazette for some time. It will not change with the addition of another centre-forward. It is the system, the style, and the service that is the problem, and it is a much more deeper-rooted issue than simply changing the personnel.