When Noni Madueke fired home Arsenal's opener against Mansfield Town on Saturday lunchtime, it marked the Gunners' 100th goal in all competitions this season.
Only two other teams in Europe's top leagues, Barcelona and Bayern, have managed that same accomplishment. Not bad for a team who are supposedly ruining football, eh?
Martinelli-Madueke-Jesus-Dowman-Arsenal
The narrative surrounding Mikel Arteta's side has been a strange one this term. Yes, they are phenomenal from set-pieces and yes, they have brought back the long throw (Tony Pulis eat your heart out), but they are not the only team in the Premier League using situations like that to their advantage.
All of that has led to claims that football is now boring. Maybe there is credence to that claim, but while Arsenal have struggled from open play at times this term, they still clearly have a very strong attack.
At the heart of it this term has been summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, although it may be time for a spell out of the team again for the Swede.
Why Gyokeres needs to drop out of the Arsenal lineup
Gyokeres may not have started against Mansfield on Saturday, pointing to the fact that he is likely to start against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night, but the time has come for the striker to drop out of the team.
Jesus-Gyokeres-Mosquera-Mansfield-Arsenal
It's safe to say this has been an interesting first campaign at the Emirates Stadium for the former Coventry City man who has not set the world alight by any means.
Last term, the centre-forward scored 54 goals in 52 games, winning the Gerd Muller trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony, an award handed out for being Europe's top marksman.
Gerd Muller trophy winners (timeless-Gyokeres)
Yet, he's not shown many signs of replicating that feat in London to date. The first half of the campaign was a particularly tricky one for the 27-year-old who didn't hit the net with any great regularity.
After scoring against Nottingham Forest on 13th September, it took the Sweden international another seven games before he scored again for Arsenal.
That said, 2026 has been kinder to Gyokeres. By the end of February, the attacker had scored eight goals in 14 matches this calendar year. That was much more like it.
His most memorable game yet came in the 4-1 win over Spurs where he scored twice, subsequently delivering his best performance in the famous red and white yet.
Yet, during the last two games, the big-money signing has reverted to type and has failed to kick on. Against Chelsea, he was subbed on the 76th minute mark, having had just one shot and managing 27 touches.
Versus Brighton, he was even worse in that 1-0 win. On that occasion he was dragged off just before the hour. He completed a dire 47% of his passes and did not win a single one of his eight duels. He also lost the ball on 13 occasions from 20 touches.
Gyokeres-Arsenal-Van-Hecke-Brighton
This was a simply hopeless display, perhaps his worst yet. As a result, despite having a rest on Saturday, he should come out of the team for a tricky away tie with Leverkusen in midweek.
How Arsenal can solve their Gyokeres issue
Gabriel Jesus had an ideal opportunity to stake his claim for a regular starting berth when he was selected and made captain against Mansfield.
However, despite the fact that Arsenal won 2-1, it was another abject performance from the Brazilian who may well have started his last game for the club in that victory.
Gabriel-Jesus-Arsenal
He took three shots but only one of them was on target while he also looked rather weak, particularly in ground duels, winning just one of five battles.
As a result, there is simply only one option for a big away match in Europe: Kai Havertz. The German travels to his former team on Wednesday night and this represents a fabulous opportunity to throw him into the fold.
Havertz-Arsenal-Diego-Gomez-Brighton
The German has really struggled with injury over the last year, but prior to another small lay-off in February, he had returned to the Arsenal team with an almighty bang, showcasing precisely why Bacary Sagna thinks he is "like Robin van Persie".
On the face of it, that may be a strange comparison considering Havertz has never been truly prolific, but he was particularly Van Persie-esque with his attitude to scoring and creating, just like the great Dutchman, prior to his recent injury niggle.
Indeed, he scored and assisted against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League, assisted Gyokeres against Sunderland in the league and scored that goal against Chelsea to take them to the Carabao Cup final.
It's been a stop-start new year for the German but Arteta's side are undoubtedly a much better team when Havertz plays, particularly as the striker.
Havertz Arsenal career by position
Position
Striker
Attacking midfielder
Second striker
The Gunners are certainly favourites to beat Leverkusen but they will need a professional away performance to get the job done and that includes fielding a player who can hold the ball up well.
While Arsenal have tended to get more space in behind in continental competition this year, you only need to look at the performances of Mikel Merino - a similar player to Havertz - in the latter stages of Europe's premier tournament last season to understand how vital a focal point can be on the road.
Merino was particularly strong in the two-legged tie with Real Madrid, scoring in the first leg at home and providing an inch-perfect assist for Bukayo Saka inside the Bernabeu.
Havertz, not just a goalscorer but also a provider of goals, could provide a similar sort of spark in midweek. For now, it's time to forget Gyokeres for a game or two.
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