Arsenal's struggles in front of goal were laid bare against Tottenham as they produced the fewest second half shots of any of the 92 teams in the Premier League and EFL this season.
The Gunners are ranking among the bottom clubs in Europe for shots per game and have been unable to create clear-cut chances in the league this season.
"In terms of the performance they did everything that I asked them to do, absolutely everything," manager Mikel Arteta said after the game.
"We played a way that I believe we had to play this game. You look at all our stats, they were in our favour, but at the end of the day it is about putting the ball in the box."
Arteta attempt to secure the signing of a creative player over the summer. Houssem Aouar was the main target for Arsenal, while football.london understands that Philippe Coutinho was offered to the club by his representative Kia Joorabchian.
The arrival of Thomas Partey on transfer deadline day provided a much-needed boost to Arsenal's attacking reinforcements but the lack of creativity in the final third remains a huge concern
An under-firing Arsenal side have scored 10 goals in 11 games this season with goals coming from Alexandre Lacaette (3), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2), Gabriel (2), Eddie Nketiah (1), Nicolas Pepe (1) and Bukayo Saka (1).
It makes grim viewing for Arsenal fans who have seen their team begin their worst start to a Premier League since for over 40 years.
"You could see some of the chances that we created as well, there were crosses, cut-backs, we penetrated the penalty box on numerous occasions to find the last pass or the final ball and when the ball came through we didn't hit it or they blocked it.," said Arteta after Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Spurs.
"There were a lot of things happening. If we generate that every week, we will win football matches for sure. But at the moment it looks like we need a lot to score a goal."
Football is a game of two halves but Arsenal have had the fewest second half shots of any of the 92 teams in the PL/EFL this season so yeah maybe not
— Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) December 6, 2020
They have taken an average of 9.5 shots in the league per season and what makes it worse is that they have one of the highest wage bills in the league.
A squad where many players are looking to leave in January and next summer, Arteta has admitted over the last few weeks that he needs '5 or 6' reinforcements to fit into the 4-3-3 formation that he wants to deploy.
The Gunners have a testing December fixture list which includes matches against Southampton, Everton, Manchester City (EFL Cup) and Chelsea in the space of 10 days later this month.
football.london understands that Arteta has the full faith of owner Stan Kroenke who will support the manager with finances in January as they look to bolster their attacking options.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been heavily linked with the club and a recent report from The Athletic claimed that the Hungarian must give notice to his club Red Bull Salzburg by December 15 if he wishes to leave, while a bid must be lodged by December 31.
Arsenal are currently weighing up their options over adding a creative midfielder in January, as Norwich midfielder Emi Buendia remains a potential target of Arteta and technical director Edu.
