Arsenal vs Liverpool - Wenger knows his side need to score more goals this season

Posted Sunday, August 14, 2016 by PA

Arsene Wenger knows his Arsenal side need to score more goals this season - and he has backed his current crop to answer the call as they prepare to start against Liverpool.

The Gunners were the lowest scorers of last season's top four as they finished a distant second to surprise Premier League champions Leicester.

Their total of 65 goals means it was also their most barren season in front of goal in nine years, with only Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez scoring more than five in the league.

It was widely anticipated that Wenger would sign a proven striker during the summer transfer window but a move for Leicester striker Jamie Vardy fell through.

That means 21-year-old Japan international Takuma Asano is so far the only forward to move to the Emirates Stadium despite links with Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette and Gonzalo Higuain, who instead joined Juventus from Napoli.

Wenger believes his players already possess the quality to score more, although he said: “That's one of the domains where last year we were not the most efficient.

"We were the highest team in expected chances created. We were the highest team in quality of chances created in the final third."

He has backed the likes of Giroud, Sanchez and Theo Walcott to produce the goods.

"We have Sanchez, we have Walcott, we're not at our level in the finishing qualities and I think that where we want to improve," Wenger said, when asked if he needed another striker to complement Giroud.

"Our finishing last year was of a worse quality than the year before and we had the same players. That means that it's a bit cyclical.

"I think it's linked with the fact that we had some players out for a long period last season and hopefully we will have everybody available for much longer this season."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is paying little attention to Arsenal's defensive crisis and is more concerned his side might be undone by a direct approach from Wenger's men.

The Gunners begin the new season at home to Klopp's men with limited options in the centre of defence due to injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel as well as concerns over Laurent Koscielny's fitness.

However, Klopp does not subscribe to the theory that it is a perfect time to face a team lacking any senior central defenders and has warned his players they must prepare for a repeat of the longer passes which caused them issues in a 3-3 draw at Anfield back in January.

"Defensive problems only play a role in a game when the other team is really strong and offensive," the German said.

"If you want to make a mistake then you think about if there are defensive problems. We haven't thought a second about this. We think about our play and our game and what we saw from them in the pre-season, their style of play, how they defend, how they attack.

"We know Arsenal usually are a football-playing team but when they played last time against us (they played) a lot of long balls.

"Always (to) Giroud, second ball (to Mesut) Ozil. That caused us a lot of problems in this game. It was 3-3 in the last second. That's what we think about and not what kind of problems they could have."