Arsenal dominate but finishing falters as Gyökeres-Jesus debate heats up; Saka, Rice stand out

Arsenal bossed territory and tempo but left the door open with wasteful finishing. The discourse centered on Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice as the top performers, while Martin Ødegaard scored and dictated control without the cutting-edge many demand from a pure attacker. The center-forward slot drew the fiercest debate: Viktor Gyökeres’ direct runs and wrestling contrasted with Gabriel Jesus’ fluid link play and blindside movement. Gabriel Martinelli offered elite off-ball timing in flashes. The consensus: dominant structure, imprecise execution. With Kai Havertz nearing involvement, roles may shuffle, but chance quality must translate into goals sooner to match the control.

Post-match discussion after an Arsenal fixture featuring heavy attacking rotation and a late-game tactical shift at center-forward. The conversation was driven by analysts and long-time supporters reacting to the team’s control, missed chances, and the comparative impact of different profiles up front. Key talking points included Ødegaard’s leadership and goal from range, Saka’s decision-making in final actions, Rice’s authority in midfield, and the contrasting movement patterns of Gyökeres and Jesus.

Arsenal were entirely dominant but made it harder for themselves than they should have. Collectively wasteful in front of goal. Gyökeres almost too eager to score, Trossard in and out of games, Ødegaard is Ødegaard, Jesus/Martinelli good impact but wasteful. Saka and Rice top.

@EBL2017

Impact Analysis

Arsenal’s performance reinforced a familiar split between process and payoff. The structure was elite: high regain points, suffocating rest-defense with Rice anchoring second balls, and Ødegaard orchestrating triangles that tilted the block. Yet the finishing lacked clarity. When Arsenal flooded the half-spaces, they generated enough touches to force a lead earlier, but decision-making on the final action wavered. Saka’s bar is sky-high, so any shot from a suboptimal angle draws criticism; still, his gravity created multiple cutback windows his teammates failed to meet on cue.

The center-forward debate is tactical, not emotional. Gyökeres stretches backlines in straight channels and thrives in contact, pinning center-backs to open half-space lanes. Jesus, by contrast, unlocks third-man runs and blindside attacks with constant double-movements and wall passes. You could feel the team’s tempo change when the 9 linked play rather than only threatening depth. Neither profile is wrong; each flips the reference point of the attack. Against low blocks, Arsenal often benefit from overload-to-isolate patterns, which suit Jesus and Martinelli’s timing. Against transitional games or high lines, Gyökeres’ power runs make sense.

Rice was the stabilizer, stepping in to compress distances and recycle attacks. Ødegaard’s goal and control under pressure were vital, even if his shot volume is not that of a pure striker. The upshot: Arsenal’s underlying control remains title-caliber, but their shot selection hierarchy needs a cleaner order - cutback, inside-out pass, then shot - to cash in the advantage.

Reaction

Fans split along familiar lines. A vocal group insisted Ødegaard was the best player on the pitch, pointing to his edge-of-box strike and constant security under pressure. Another camp argued that calling him “top” mislabels his role: a world-class controller rather than a world-class attacker. That nuance matters in a side already stacked with ball-dominant pieces.

Saka drew scrutiny for a few rushed shots when slip passes were on, which triggered debate about standards. Some argued his baseline is so high that anything short of the extraordinary feels underwhelming. Others felt today’s choices directly fed into the wastefulness. Rice, by contrast, earned near-universal praise for his coverage, tempo control, and line-breaking passes.

Up front, the tone hardened. Supporters who favor Gyökeres highlighted his value pinning center-backs and demanding attention. Skeptics countered that Martinelli’s blindside darts and Jesus’ elastic link play immediately raised Arsenal’s collective IQ in the final third. A pragmatic thread emerged: the best version of Arsenal pairs a depth runner with a connector, not two who want the same spaces. Anticipation around Havertz’s return added fuel, with many predicting his off-ball timing could balance the equation.

Social reactions

Last season's creativity issue was still there.

Din Jr Rosli (@DinnRosli)

Huge respect for your tactical eye, but I just don't see it with Gyökeres yet. Martinelli shows here exactly what Viktor lacks. Gyökeres relies on straight lines or wrestling. Gabi attacked the blindside to manufacture space. That is elite movement.

W. | 2nd Look (@2ndLookPL)

We were too wasteful. Arteta needs to work on that but a good win at the end

Liquid Gooner (@LiquidAy)

Prediction

Mikel Arteta will likely calibrate the 9 based on opponent profile. Versus deep, compact defenses, expect more minutes for a connector who can knit Ødegaard, Saka, and Martinelli into cleaner cutbacks - often Jesus, with Havertz offering a tall wall-pass option and late-area runs. Against teams that hold a high line or leave transition lanes, Gyökeres’ straight-line threat and ability to wrestle center-backs will be prioritized.

Training emphasis should shift toward decision trees in the last 20 meters: first option cutback, second the reverse to the edge, third the shot, with strict triggers tied to the weak-side winger’s run. Expect tailored rondos that end with a numeric advantage finish to raise the team’s pass-before-shot instinct when angles are poor.

Saka will keep drawing two and three defenders; the coaching staff will funnel that gravity into pre-set patterns for the back-post runner. Rice’s role will inch further forward in settled pressure to add a third presence at the box edge for second shots. As finishing variance regresses, expect the scorelines to start matching the territorial dominance.

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Conclusion

Arsenal are where elite teams often live in late winter: the process is humming, the margins are loud. The defensive platform is robust, the circulation sharp, and the team can impose its rhythm on almost anyone. What lags is the clinical edge that turns control into comfort. That is solvable without ripping up the blueprint.

The selection at 9 is a feature, not a flaw. Gyökeres changes the conversation by threatening depth and wrestling space open. Jesus rewrites it by connecting everyone around him. Havertz gives a third path with timing and aerial threat. Surround those with Saka’s gravity, Ødegaard’s control, and Rice’s security, and the ingredients are already in-house.

Hold the nerve, sharpen the final decision, and nudge the shot map two meters closer. Do that, and the scoreboard will start telling the same story the pitch has told for weeks.