Arsenal supporters weren’t happy with BBC pundit Garth Crooks after he made a number of comments about Danny Welbeck and the Gunners’ strike-force.
Crooks picks a team of the week after every round of Premier League games. This time around, he selected Danny Welbeck after his two goals helped Arsenal to a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth.
While he was impressed with the 26-year-old’s performance, Crooks used the opportunity to criticise Arsenal for not having “genuine finishers”.
“The number of times I have seen Welbeck score goals that aren’t clean connections makes me wonder, is he what you would call ‘a genuine finisher’ in the same way you would categorise other Arsenal forwards like Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry?” he asked in his BBC article.
“Not in my opinion. But does that matter when you are a very willing athlete who will score goals provided he remains fit and healthy? So what, you might say. When the ball ends up in the back of the net, who cares how it got there? Well genuine finishers do.
“I was so impressed when Welbeck scored his second and when he almost got a third with the most exquisite chip. But even if he had scored that attempted effort, my opinion of him would not have changed.
“The difference is that I’ve seen Wright, Bergkamp and Henry all score goals like the one Welbeck went for and missed with remarkable regularity. Arsenal might have brushed aside Bournemouth but until the Gunners have genuine finishers in the team they can forget about Premier League titles.”
Welbeck might not be the most graceful finisher in the world, but Crooks’ comments come off as very misinformed considering the number of goals Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette scored for Arsenal and Lyon respectively last season.
Then there’s the likes of Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud, who contributed over 30 goals between them, despite not being regulars. The Arsenal fans were quick to pick up on this and reacted appropriately, reports 101 Great Goals.
Garth Crooks said Arsenal lack genuine finishers, but Sanchez and Lacazette scored 67 goals last season… pic.twitter.com/SNXJEASjBK
— Daniel (@Dan_J_Farrell) September 10, 2017
"but until the Gunners have genuine finishers in the team they can forget about Premier League titles." Alexis and Lacazette? Hmm.
— Etienne (@etienne_smith23) September 10, 2017
Lacazette has had 3 proper chances against Leicester, Stoke and Bournemouth and has finished all with aplomb. Genuine enough? Tchhhhh
— Mike (@LondonMike83) September 10, 2017
It’s an odd point to pick up on, given that scoring goals has rarely been Arsenal’s problem. The Gunners were amongst the Premier League’s highest scorers last season and have enough talent up front to repeat that feat again this season.