In my previous article I looked at the impact Aaron Ramsey’s return had on Arsenal attacking options. This article aims to focus on Arsenal’s attackers ahead of their double Gameweek 37 and see which ones are worthy of investment.
PLAYER OVERVIEW
Alexis Sanchez remains the most highly owned Arsenal player in the Fantasy Premier League game with an ownership of 33.4%, whilst also being the most expensive at 11.5. His rise in popularity has come on the back of his double-figure haul against Hull in Gameweek 35 and many managers are hoping that he continues in this form. Olivier Giroud is the next most popular Arsenal player with 18.6%, a slight decrease from 20.4% ownership a month ago. Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey are pretty much evenly owned at 13% and 12.7% respectively whilst Mesut Ozil continues to be a real differential at just 4.2% and could be a hidden gem for those trying to edge out rivals in their mini-leagues in the final few weeks.
ATTACKING DATA
I have focused on this data range as it is the week Aaron Ramsey returned from injury and allows for fairer comparisons to be made.
Looking at the data above we can see that Alexis Sanchez still remains the most attacking Arsenal player, as can be seen from his goal attempts (28), shots inside the box (17) and shots on target (12) which are second to none. Sanchez has also registered the fastest minutes per chance (21.7) and the highest touches in the final third (314) whilst being the second highest for touches in the penalty area (47), falling short of team-mate Olivier Giroud (56). Further down the list, we can see that both Ramsey and Cazorla have excelled in recent weeks and they sit at second highest for chances created (13) and goal attempts (17 and 19 respectively), with Giroud being tied second for goal attempts as well. Notably, Cazorla is joint-top for minutes per touch (0.9) and second for minutes per chance (29.8), a significant improvement from his stats between Gameweeks 29-32 in my last article (1.1 and 47.5 respectively). We can also see that Ramsey has been the most involved in the Gunners’ recent goal-scoring form with 58.3% goal involvement and this could be due to a change in position which has seen the Welshman line up on the right flank of a 4-2-3-1 formation. He remains third for shots inside the box (12) and shots on target (6) whilst also remaining third for touches in the penalty area (30) and in the final third (245 ).
Interestingly, Mesut Ozil’s stats seem to have significantly decreased from last time around and, although he has registered the most chances created (20), he has the fewest goal attempts (8), shots inside the box (5) and shots on target (5), whilst also having the slowest minutes per chance (67) of the Arsenal players compared and he has contributed the least to the goals the Gunners have scored (11.1% involvement). However, his statistics should be taken with a pinch of salt as he has played fewer minutes than his team-mates.
The data in the table above supports our initial analysis that Sanchez is the most attacking Arsenal player, boasting the highest rate of goal attempts (0.04605) and minutes per chance (21.7) whilst also being second for number of touches in the penalty area (0.07730) and final third (0.51645) per minute. Giroud’s form has regressed in recent weeks and this can be seen in his reduced rate of goal attempts compared to Gameweeks 29-32 (0.03146 vs 0.34188), with Cazorla ousting him to move into second place (0.03351). Giroud is also third for minutes per chance (31.8 vs 30.4) and last for minutes per touch (1.6 vs 1.5). All is not lost for the Frenchman, though, as he remains top for touches in the penalty area (0.09272), indicating he is seeing plenty of the ball close to the opposition’s goal.
Remarkably, Cazorla has climbed up the rankings and is top for minutes per touch (0.9) whilst also being second for chances created per minute (0.02293), goal attempts per minute (0.02293) and minutes per chance (29.8). Though his touches remain quite low, the Spanish playmaker is still an integral part of the Arsenal strike force and the stats suggest that an ‘explosion’ is imminent.
Conclusion
The burning question on every manager’s mind is ‘which three Arsenal players are worth the investment?’ It is difficult to say which combination of Arsenal players is ‘the best’ for this double but by looking at the statistics above, it is clear that Alexis Sanchez should be in everyone’s team and is arguably the best captaincy pick for the double. The next two picks should be a combination of Ramsey, Cazorla or Giroud. Ramsey’s recent upturn in form coupled with the underlying statistics suggest that he should the next player of choice to be included.
The third slot is down to one of Giroud, Ozil and Cazorla. I would not choose Ozil over the others as he does not possess the goal threat that will relate to the maximum points potential. However, the statistics suggest that he is more likely to assist one of the other players and his differential status could be appealing for managers chasing mini-leagues.
The third and final slot can go both ways but with Cazorla’s recent increase in form stats-wise, coupled with Giroud’s decline and his tendency to get substituted off early, I would be inclined to choose the Spaniard. However, having an Arsenal defender fill the third spot is a perfectly viable strategy and is one that many people are likely to adopt. In my opinion, the combination of players that will yield the greatest potential for points would have to be the trio of attacking players and we know Arsenal have the potential to score many goals, especially if they want to end the season with a bang and silence critics by finishing higher than the dreaded fourth-place position.
