Should Arsenal target Premier League hitman Luis Suarez?
After a superb start to the Premier League season, many had tippedArsenal to go on and lift the title this season. But Sunday’s defeat toManchester United exposed a lack of depth in Arsene Wenger’s squad as they failed to impose themselves on the game. So, could signing Luis Suarez be the answer?
Suarez has a fantastic record for Liverpool since returning from a ten-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, scoring eight goals in just six Premier League appearances.
Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud has also been in fine form for season, bagging five goals in 11 top-flight games and eight strikes in all competitions so far. But his poor showing at Old Trafford shows how much the north London side need an alternative.
The French striker’s Squawka Performance Score was a frightening -41 as he had a pass completion rate of just 60% and could only muster up two shots at goal, neither of which tested David de Gea in the home goal. But his heat map is the most revealing, as it’s clear he had to drop deep to collect the ball and was unable to get behind the United line. In fact, only 10% of his time was spent in the opposing box.
Giroud’s heat map in Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Man Utd
Compare that to Luis Suarez, who put in a fantastic performance on Saturday with two goals against struggling Fulham as he racked up an impressive Performance Score of 85. His ability to get beyond the defence was demonstrated perfectly in that match as he latched on to two excellent passes to clinically finish on both occasions.
The Uruguay international was full of running and determination, and his action areas show that over a quarter of his time was spent causing all sorts of problems in the Fulham box.
Suarez’s action areas vs. Fulham
So can he fit into Arsenal’s system? In short, yes. Brendan Rodgers has instilled a fast-paced style of play at Anfield and has based it around two talented strikers. The Gunners, meanwhile, are screaming out for support for Giroud and an extra outlet for Wenger’s wealth of creative midfielders. The likes of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozilwould relish finding that killer pass to meet Suarez’s dangerous runs.
There’s no doubting Suarez’s ability, and when you compare his record to Giroud and former Gunner Robin van Persie, he has better shot accuracy than both, as well as an impressive rate of a goal every 67 minutes in the Premier League, while it’s 117 minutes for Van Persie and way up at 190 minutes for Giroud.
Suarez, Giroud and RVP’s shot accuracies compared
Arsenal must, however, also consider where their priorities lie. In the summer they signed Mathieu Flamini to fill a defensive-midfield-shaped hole in their squad, but his absence in the recent defeat to Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Stadium against demonstrated the Gunners’ lack of depth. They need back-up further down the pitch. Ozil was a marquee signing but wasn’t the arrival many were arguing was needed in north London, and perhaps Arsenal should consider this before pondering a bid for Suarez.
But the main problem Wenger – and almost certainly many Arsenal fans – will have with Suarez is his chequered past. His poor discipline and tendency to implode is enough to put anyone off signing him. That said, Suarez has yet to receive a caution or a red card in the Premier League this season. Is this a new man we’re seeing?
If it is, he could soon become one of the top strikers in world football, and with that acclaim comes a hefty price tag. Wenger may have raised a few eyebrows after finally splashing out a large transfer fee on Ozil, but he could feel that Suarez would be too much of a risk to gamble that kind of money on.