Arsenal dropped points in the Premier League for the second game in a row on Wednesday night after a goalless draw away at Nottingham Forest.
The result further damaged any slim title chances Mikel Arteta’s side had, especially as Liverpool extended their lead at the top to 13 points thanks to a comfortable 2-0 victory against Newcastle at Anfield.
Yet Arteta is still not giving up hope of chasing down Arne Slot’s side, saying in his post-match interview to BBC Sport after the Forest draw that he “absolutely” still stands by his comments that he won’t give up on the title race.
His view is seemingly not shared by the Arsenal fans, however, with many taking to social media to express their concern at their side’s toothlessness up top.
Arsenal fans react as Gunners fail to score again
The failure to score against Nottingham Forest followed Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to West Ham.
And with Arsenal registering just three shots on target across those two games, Gunners fans are concerned about where the goals are going to come from over the rest of the season.
“This Arsenal team might not score until the Summer transfer window opens,” one fan wrote, while another added: “we genuinely might not score a goal for the rest of the season.”
While there was agreement that their side’s bluntness was cause for concern, Arsenal fans were split over who was to blame.
Some pointed the finger at Arteta. One fan pinned the deficiencies in Arsenal’s current squad and the lack of signings on the Spaniard, stating: “Arteta has the most say in transfers.”
Another wrote: “It’s undoubtedly Arteta’s fault. After he lost Havertz for the rest of the season, if he had made it clear to the board that getting a striker was a must, I don’t think the board [wouldn’t] make funds available.”
Others made clear that it was the Arsenal board’s fault for not signing a striker in January and leaving Arteta without a recognised striker to field. One fan wrote: “It’s not Mikel Arteta’s fault we can’t get anyone in… blame the board and not the manager that the board hired.”
Their view was shared by another who wrote: “By not signing a single player in January in the middle of a title race, the board essentially wrote the season off and said we go again in the summer. I feel for Arteta.”
Mikel Merino experiment flatters to deceive again
After playing him from the beginning against West Ham, Arteta again opted to start Mikel Merino as his striker against Forest.
The midfielder scored two goals off the bench for the Gunners earlier in February against Leicester but, since then, has struggled to play a position he is not accustomed to.
At the City Ground on Wednesday night, he kept dropping deep into midfield to get involved in Arsenal’s buildup play, leaving them without a focal point in the box.
This was something Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo recognised would happen, revealing after the game that he played with four at the back, not five as Forest have done recently, because “Arsenal doesn’t have a striker so… there’s no need to have an extra body [in defence].”
Whether Arteta persists with Merino after two blanks remains to be seen. The Arsenal manager must sort out his side’s attacking problems, however, especially with the first leg of their Round of 16 Champions League tie against PSV next up.
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