It was pretty baffling as well as incredibly frustrating for Arsenal fans to see our team struggle at the start of the season, especially as they had given us every reason to think that Arsenal were really ready to take on the big spending Premier League clubs and beat then all to the title.
It looked like Arsene Wenger had finally built a well balanced squad but there have been problems all over the pitch; from Petr Cech´s horror show of a debut, to Gabriel and Chambers´comedy double act in the first half against Liverpool. The flowing football has not really clicked and the strikers have been misfiring.
But I think the consensus on what the Gunners need to do better against Stoke City on Saturday is to improve in that crucial final third and make the chances count. So there will be pressure on Alexis Sanchez and whoever elses Wenger decides to play, be it Giroud, Walcott or both.
At least they will go into the game feeling confident that the chances will come, as we do have the best creative player in Europe´s top five leagues so far this season, as a Metro report reveals. I also did a more thorough stats comparison on Squawka.com that showed our little magician having great all round stats and as a little bonus, shows Chelsea´s Fabregas struggling to have much influence at all.
Santi Cazorla´s 16 chances created puts him above the likes of David Silva, Messi and all and with Mesut Ozil also right up there with 12 chances (the same as Man City´s tricky Spaniard) we should not have to worry about creating some opportunities at the Emirates on Saturday. Now will someone please step up and stick them in the old onion bag?