I find it slightly amusing that I have felt compelled enough to write about criticism of anyone in the Arsenal team let alone the arguable catalyst for the Gunners’ top-of-the-table status. However, there is some sense of duty to point out these facts potentially hiding in plain sight in defence of Gabriel Jesus.
To those that might be slightly stunned to hear that Gabriel Jesus is even garnering any form of criticism or doubting it even exists, a quick search on social media will turn up a circulating statistical graphic that the Arsenal striker is leading the list of missed big chances across Europe’s top five leagues. ‘Oh no!’ I hear you cry but fear not.
Despite Jesus missing the most ‘big chances’ with a total of eleven he isn’t exactly in bad company. Joint second with ten is Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Tammy Abraham, Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David. Hardly a ‘Who’s Who?’ list of the world’s worst forwards.
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It’s stunning that this list would even be used as a criticism, considering one of the obvious conclusions is that the Brazilian is surely, therefore, getting into great positions and with some more confidence and composure could see his goal tally soar. For context, Alexandre Lacazette missed six in the whole of last season and if it’s okay, I’d rather not trade back.
The second piece of evidence to suggest that Jesus’ lack of recent goalscoring form is somewhat of a talking point is that Mikel Arteta has found himself asked about it in most of his recent press conferences. Ahead of the game against FC Zurich match, he was asked whether his number nine needed to make any adjustments; this was not the first time he had been asked but a good example of his feeling on the matter.
Arteta responded by saying: “If he makes three assists in a game, I don’t think he has to make any adjustments! I would be really happy if he were to do that every game.”
After not scoring in the game against FC Zurich he was asked again. He said: “That’s going to change [his bad luck], he’s getting the situations, he’s getting the chances, he’s contributing to the team an awful lot, he’s helping to win matches, the way he competes for every ball in every single action is incredible.”
He failed to score again in the game against Chelsea, his ninth appearance without a goal. He was also handed a great opportunity to score by Gabriel Martinelli in the first half, a chance he headed wide.
However, and this is key, Gabriel Jesus despite neither scoring nor assisting was absolutely integral to the Gunners’ victory at Stamford Bridge. Jesus had 62 touches in the match compared to former Arsenal-turned-Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 8.
Neither player scored but Aubameyang was hooked early in the second half, with his most notable contribution to the match being a yellow card for a bad foul on Ben White. On the goal and assist stats sheet Aubameyang and Jesus’ games were identical, but the reality couldn’t be more different.
Arsenal last season came very close to finishing fourth but in the end, lacked the goals to get them the three extra points needed to make it. This season finds them top and the two notable consistent changes to the starting eleven are William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has also joined but appeared in just seven of Arsenal’s 20 games at the time of writing. Saliba has been outstanding and a massive factor in the improvement of the squad.
Jesus though has scored five of Arsenal’s 31 Premier League goals so far this season, assisting a further six. He is in some way responsible for more than a third of a goal tally which is just 30 away from the entirety of the 2021/22 league campaign despite being six games away from the halfway mark.
Arsenal are scoring more goals and Jesus is a big reason for it not only because of his direct contribution but his energy and leadership. He demands more of his team and it is no surprise to see Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and even Granit Xhaka performing better because of his presence.
Gabriel Jesus represents the missing piece of Arsenal’s attacking puzzle and the need to find something to try and undermine his contribution to this season’s exploits seems more out of a lack of things to be critical of than anything else. I look forward to his next goal, and I am not worried when that might be.
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