Mikel Arteta faces a mounting striker crisis ahead of Sunday's heavyweight clash at Anfield, with both Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres failing to deliver Premier League goals since early September. Yet the data — and a closer look at past meetings with Liverpool — suggest Havertz remains the right man to lead the line.

A drought no one expected

The scale of Arsenal's attacking problem is stark. Their defenders have outscored their strikers across all competitions this season — a damning statistic nearly three months into the campaign. Havertz has gone 561 minutes without a goal in any competition, while Gyokeres has managed only one shot — a harmless header against Nottingham Forest — across 148 Premier League minutes.

Gyokeres finally registered on the scoresheet when he bundled in an equaliser during Tuesday's Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Fleetwood Town. But his inability to generate shots, let alone goals, is a concern. He has failed to register a single shot in eight Premier League starts — the second-highest such total among out-and-out strikers since the start of last season, surpassed only by Randal Kolo Muani during a difficult loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur.

Why Havertz still makes sense

Despite his goal drought, Havertz brings considerably more to Arsenal's attacking play than his barren run suggests. A comparison of both strikers' last two Premier League appearances against Liverpool is revealing. Gyokeres did not register a shot in either match — a 1-0 loss in August or a 0-0 draw in January last season — and accumulated only 25 combined touches, with just four inside Liverpool's box.

Havertz, by contrast, registered five shots worth 1.22 expected goals across his two most recent starts against Liverpool, accumulated 80 touches, and contributed far more in general play — creating chances, winning duels, and helping Arsenal build attacks fluidly through the final third.