Arsenal mired in five-year creativity slump as Liverpool’s attack shamed

· Football365

Arsenal’s Premier League title defence could be derailed by a five-year slump in creativity. But Liverpool are even worse…

The Gunners go into the international break in second place in the table, three points behind Manchester City, with Mikel Arteta stewing over a 3-0 defeat at Brighton.

At the AmEx, the Seagulls showed Arsenal what a fluent, creative attack looks like, with Fabian Hurzeler’s side currently the highest-scoring in the Premier League.

Brighton have scored 16 goals – double the number Arsenal have notched.

Perhaps more worrying for Arteta, the Gunners aren’t missing a hat-load of chances; they just aren’t creating anything like the volume their rivals have mustered through the first five weeks of the season.

Arsenal have created seven big chances so far this term. That’s half the number created by Brighton; while Manchester City have carved out nine more big chances and Sunderland 10 more.

In the big chances created table, Arsenal are a lowly 15th.

Premier League Big Chances created table – 2026/27

Big Chances Created

2026/27

Martin Odegaard has created three of those seven big chances but none have led to an assist for the Arsenal skipper.

Collectively, Arsenal have carved out an average of 1.4 big chances per game so far this season. Not since 2021/22 has their creativity been so low.

On their way to the title last season, Arteta’s men created 2.21 big chances per game and a total of 84, which was bettered only by Brentford and Manchester City.

This term, though, 14 sides have made more big chances, including winless trio Spurs, Fulham and Bournemouth.

Still, it could be worse for Arsenal. They could be Liverpool.

Despite a win at Bournemouth on Sunday, Andoni Iraola’s side are still in the bottom three for big chances created, averaging only one per game.

Only Coventry have created fewer. That is despite a £450million spend on the Reds’ attack in the last two summers.

Of their forwards, only Cody Gakpo has contributed to the big chances created – and they wanted rid of him in the summer. Three of the five were laid on by Dominik Szoboszlai and the other courtesy of Jeremie Frimpong.

Iraola is certainly entitled to expect more of Florian Wirtz.

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