CPM Didn't intend as a jab at anyone on here, more this consensus that Arsenal need a "proper striker", this magic man up front. I think we need to think about creativity and goalscoring more broadly, across a variety of positions, and at a squad level. Havertz has been unfairly maligned, we've really been hurt by his absence.
No worries. I have no issues with Havertz per se. Aside from his shooting technique and his tendency to shy away from even taking a shot especially when he's not confident.
I think my main issue is the way we set up. We don't give our attackers enough freedom. It's just all too rigid and plays into your point a out the lack of creativity and goalscoring. We set up too slowly and give defences time to settle by passing wide and going around in the dreaded horseshoe pattern.
Worst thing about it however is when we get a very small shooting opportunity (and this is something we see with all our players bat Saka) and instead of taking the shot we dally on the ball trying to create a better opportunity only to end up with the space closed down.
How we fix this, I dunno. I'd start by trusting our defence a little more and not requiring every man back on corners and counter attacks when we're playing the likes of Everton and other midtable clubs and instead keeping our attackers higher up the pitch to capitalise on opportunities to break quickly. With everyone back it is very, very difficult to for us to counter and 2 vs 2 or 3 vs 3 the oppoonents.
Timber/Saliba/Gabriel/MLS are more than enough to defend most counters against teams who would be afraid to send too many players forward for fear of Saka and co hitting them on the break if they lost the ball. With everyone back we kind of invite opposition teams to push up on us and that leads to us inevitably winning the ball back through sheer numbers and having to play out from the back against a high counter press, which by the time we bypass it the opposition has settled back into shape.
