Does Arsenal still lack a ruthless streak?

England international Danny Welbeck will have to become more clinical if he is going to be successful at Arsenal

Arsenal drew 2-2 with champions Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium earlier today.

The Gunners were leading 2-1 until Martin Demichelis’ 83^rd minute headed equaliser. The draw was Arsenal’s third consecutive Premier League draw.

Arsene Wenger’s men have at least got difficult games against Everton and Manchester City out of the way, but still they do not seem to have ruthless streak needed to be champions.

Outsiders

The team from north London started the campaign as outsiders for the Premier League title and they are now odds of 66/5 to claim the league title this season. The chances of the Gunners claiming the title this season seem remote at the moment.

Improvement

Arsenal will have to improve their performances if they are to have any chance of becoming genuine title challengers this season. Last season they made a blistering start to the campaign and for much of the season seemed like sure-fire champions.

A late season collapse lead to the Gunners ending up in a tussle for fourth spot with Everton, which they eventually won, despite the Toffees claiming a club record Premier League points total of 72 points.

Arsenal seems to be lacking consistency in their performances at the moment. They have produced some good football, but at times they have also looked flat. Germany international playmaker Mesut Ozil has produced some very disappointing displays so far this season.

Encouraging

England international midfielder Jack Wilshere has at times flattered to deceive in his short career for the Gunners. However against Manchester City he was at his dynamic best, scoring one and also creating Alexis Sanchez’s goal.

He does have a lot of potential, but injuries and lack of consistency have prevented him from fulfilling that immense potential. Maybe this is the season he stays fit and finds a bit of consistency. His performance against City, especially in the second half gave supporters a glimpse of what he is capable of.

Comparison

A good illustration of Arsenal’s lack of ruthless streak was when Danny Welbeck went through on goal and hit the post with a dinked effort. Some may claim he was unlucky, but others would claim that he should have been more clinical in front of goal.

By contrast City’s Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero was clinical in front of goal. Welbeck’s critics will state that the reason the forward left United was because of his lack of killer instinct in front of goal. If Welbeck is going to become a top striker he will have to improve, become more clinical and not waste so many chances.

Had Welbeck scored that first half chance the game may have been very different and Arsenal may now be celebrating a victory against the champions. Instead the Gunners had to settle for a draw against the Citizens.

Quality

On their day Arsenal can arguably give anybody in Europe a game. They have quality in abundance, but when they are not firing on all cylinders then they can struggle to perform, no matter the quality of the opposition.

For periods of today’s game they looked flat and in periods of the game against Leicester it was the same. Against Everton they did not perform for much of the game, but when they did get going the Gunners scored two good goals.

Unlikely

The Arsenal team does have enough quality in the team to go on a good run of form. However it does not appear like Arsene Wenger has yet sorted the problems of last season. Their backline is still vulnerable because there is a lack of protection in front of them.

The team still seems to lack leaders, who when in a winning position can cajole and organise the team to keep hold of a lead. When the going gets tough Arsenal seem to struggle and they will probably mean that the Gunners fail to put in a genuine title challenge this season.

Does Arsenal still lack a ruthless streak?