Toothless Arsenal warned over ‘top-four’ slide as Arteta heads ‘back to the drawing board’

Legendary Arsenal centre-back Martin Keown is fearful that Arsenal could slip out of the Premier League top four if they don’t find a very quick solution to their lack of a goalscoring threat.

After a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham last time out, the Gunners needed a victory to keep alive their already slim title hopes but ended up playing out a 0-0 draw with high-flying Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Wednesday evening.

Liverpool’s 2-0 triumph over Newcastle at Anfield sent Arne Slot’s men 13 points clear at the summit with only 10 games to go, although Arsenal do have a game in hand.

But with both their strikers, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz sidelined, midfielder Mikel Merino has been used as the focal point of Arteta‘s attack but did little to trouble Forest’s impressive back line.

And, having mustered just one shot on target in the entire game, the Gunners were forced to settle for a disappointing goalless draw and more dropped points in front of their travelling fans in Nottingham.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli still appear some way of a return to full fitness and Arsenal are in immediate need of attacking solutions, having now failed to score in back-to-back league games for the first time since May 2023.

And while accepting that Arsenal’s title hopes are over, Keown admitted that this former side will soon be looking over their shoulders if they can’t rediscover their threat in front of goal – although they remain eight points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea.

“Well you’re going to keep playing for the shirt, you’re going to keep going for it but obviously now you have to adjust your targets,” the former Arsenal defender told TNT Sports at full-time.

“Just because you can’t be champions you can’t sling it all away. There’s definitely a chance now that if they don’t score goals there is a danger that they might slip out of the top four.

“So tonight now, coming away with a point, is a very important so Forest don’t catch Arsenal. They need to get back to winning ways, they have to win their next game.

“They’ve got a rest now before PSV (Eindhoven) but their next league game is away at Manchester United and they certainly have to win that one.”

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Arteta searching for goalscoring solutions

Speaking after the game, Arteta admitted that he and his coaches will go back to the drawing board and try to find solutions to reignite Arsenal’s attacking spark.

“We try and adapt to the qualities they have, how we can help the team to create different things, to have threats from different qualities,” Arteta said.

“Probably they are not about arriving in the box and creating some magic moments. They are all the kind of players and we try to adapt to that and do the best that we can.

“We have another day or two now to think before the PSV game. Other options that we have, especially against a team that will set up in a low block.”

As for the game itself, the Gunners boss added: “I’m very disappointed not to win, the standard was different to the previous game [a 1-0 defeat to West Ham] with the energy and the willingness to make things happen.

“We dominated the game, apart from one experience in the second half and one or two giveaways which allowed them to run. Apart from that nothing. When we opened them up we lacked the quality in the final pass and delivery and be more efficient.”

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