Mikel Arteta this week vowed to only give up on the title race “over my dead body”, but it is hard for Arsenal to do that when their attack shows no signs of life.
Arsenal have failed to score in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since May 2023 after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham was followed up by a 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
The Gunners are now 13 points off leaders Liverpool and, even with a game in hand, it is difficult to see how they rein them in over the next 11 matches.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are now 13 points behind leaders Liverpool in the title race after Wednesday’s 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest
Getty Images
Jesus and Havertz are out for the rest of the season and Arteta has confirmed Martinelli and Saka will not be back before the March international break.
Arsenal have four more games before then, including their Champions League last-16 tie with PSV Eindhoven, so what does Arteta do?
Back the current plan to come good
Arsenal have stuck with their 4-3-3 set up during this injury crisis and Mikel Merino has filled in as an emergency striker.
It proved successful at Leicester, where Merino came off the bench to score twice, but in the last two games Arsenal have had no joy.
They have averaged 66 per cent possession across their last two matches, had 57 crosses and 72 touches in the opponent’s box. They have also had 33 shots on goal, but just three on target.
Arteta could be tempted to stick with the formation given this is the system his players are most comfortable playing and, for all their lack of a cutting edge, they are controlling games.
Mikel Merino was again used as an emergency striker at Forest
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
He may also hope that Arsenal’s next four opponents – Chelsea, Manchester United and PSV twice – do not sit deep in a low block like Forest and West Ham.
If the opposition are more willing to attack the Gunners, it could give space for their own forwards to cause some problems.
Arteta will point to the fact that Arsenal do use different formations during a match when in and out of possession.
Indeed, last season, Arteta claimed he used 43 different formations in one match against Manchester City.
Largely, however, Arsenal set up in a 4-3-3 and there is an argument to say a new formation could get more out of the players available.
The Gunners have an abundance of defenders fit and no attackers, so why not a shift to a back three?
It was a 3-4-3 formation that Arsenal played when Arteta first arrived and was used on the way to Arsenal winning the FA Cup in 2020.
The football was far more pragmatic, with play centred around being direct and Arsenal exploited the pace on their left flank that came via Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kieran Tierney.
It may not be the flowing football Arteta wants, but it could prove more effective than the current plan.
Possible XI (3-4-2-1): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel; Timber, Partey, Rice, Tierney; Odegaard, Nwaneri; Trossard
Arteta has already trusted young players this season, blooding Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
An option now would be to turn to the academy again and see if they can offer a solution in attack during this run.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji has routinely been on the bench and he was joined by Ismeal Kabia at Forest on Wednesday. Both have made just one appearance each this season.
Teenager Ismeal Kabia was on the bench at Forest
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
There are clearly doubts as to whether their long-term futures are at Arsenal but, as natural forwards, they could surely work as an option now off the bench?
Merino has worked hard and toiled as the No9, but he lacks the instinct a natural striker would.
At Forest, it was noticeable how Tierney put in a few dangerous crosses from the left – but no one was on the end of them.
More experiments with players out of position
It is a sign of how quickly football can change that Arsenal beat Manchester City 5-1 at the start of this month with five goals from open play – and now Arteta is using Riccardo Calafiori as a striker.
That was Arteta’s latest experiment on Wednesday at Forest, with Calafiori pushing forward from left-back when Arsenal had the ball to join Merino.
Riccardo Calafiori was used as a striker at the City Ground
Getty Images
In the first half, Calafiori was the second most advanced player when it came to the Arsenal team’s average positions.
The Italian, in fairness, looked lively and he was unlucky not to score when a slick turn and shot resulted in the ball hitting the post.
Arteta has got creative in his search for solutions and, perhaps in a show of desperation, tried things he has previously ruled out doing. Oleksandr Zinchenko has played in midfield and Tierney as an traditional full-back.
What else is there left to try? Nwaneri as a striker? Tierney on the left wing? Gabriel up top?
The unique role Calafiori had on Wednesday shows nothing is off the table.
