Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has failed to score in his last seven appearances for under Mikel Arteta sparking concerns over his form.
The Brazilian striker vowed to end his goal drought following the disappointing 1-1 draw against Southampton, a game in which he had many chances to put the ball in the back of the net. Jesus has shown he has the quality to be the main man in attack for Arsenal, scoring five goals and providing seven assists in 16 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
The 25-year-old is much more than just a goal scorer as his play style allows the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard to find more space and boost their own respective goal tallies, as shown in the 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest. Whilst Jesus did not get on the scoresheet himself, despite his teammates' best efforts to set up the Brazil international, his movement and passing saw him pick up two assists.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta sets major target for Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah amid Arsenal goal drought
Mikel Arteta has set both Jesus and Eddie Nketiah the target of ending their goal droughts before the World Cup begins later this month, with the Premier League set to be paused until Boxing Day. Arsenal legends David Seaman and Ian Wright have both expressed concerns over the Brazilian striker's form of late, with the former claiming Jesus' confidence will be 'lower than ever'.
"The fans were so desperate for Jesus to score [on Sunday]," he told Seaman Says. "Every time he was around the box, they were saying, ‘Give it to Jesus! Give it to Jesus!'.
"They were saying his confidence is low, because he hasn’t scored for a while. I was thinking it might actually be a bit lower you know, because we have scored five and he hasn’t scored one. You know, so it’s a bit… it was weird. As soon as Odegaard gets [the ball] he looks for Jesus, they are looking for these little passes."
Seaman's concerns have been echoed by Wright who claimed Jesus looked 'clunky' during the win against Forest. "Arsenal need goals," Wright said after the win against Steve Cooper's side.
"They need goals from wherever they can get them from. We need people getting in the box, taking opportunities to shoot and score.
"We’ve got five goals today and our centre-forward [Gabriel Jesus] hasn’t scored. Everybody is talking about it. You’re hoping it’s just something… He’s got a couple assists, but we want our centre-forward scoring as well.
"‘Jesus had a very good chance [in the game]. He’s got to hit the target there. He’s just in that form at the moment. He looks a little bit clunky. He seems to be attracted to the ball. There’s no reason for him to do that. I’d rather he stayed up there [leading the line].
"We’ve got enough players to do that. He can make runs. That’s where you want him."
Jesus has four games left before the World Cup begins to end his drought - beginning with Thursday night's Europa League game against FC Zurich and continuing against Arsenal in Sunday's highly-anticipated London derby - as he looks to regain his impressive form from the start of the season.
The Brazilian will be hoping he gets back in amongst the goals as he looks to nail down a spot in Tite's Brazil squad for the tournament in Qatar after being snubbed in the most recent international break.
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