Leeds United and Arsenal have vastly different ambitions this season.
Daniel Farke is aiming to keep Leeds in the Premier League, whereas Mikel Arteta is hoping to steer his side to the title after finishing second for the last two seasons in a row.
While these targets are notably different, the level of quality between the two sides is not actually that stark – according to Pascal Struijk.
Pascal Struijk says Arsenal are simply more efficient than Leeds
Leeds suffered a 5-0 defeat at Arsenal in the second Premier League game of this season, although the Dutchman felt the Gunners only notably stood out compared to Leeds in terms of their efficiency in front of goal.
Speaking to ELF Voetbal, Struijk said: “The difference in level is clearly noticeable, I can say again from experience. There’s little room for error in the Premier League. Every little mistake is punished immediately.
“Teams are incredibly efficient. The quality in the Premier League is high. We lost 5-0 to Arsenal at the start of the season, but if you look at the statistics, we weren’t that much worse, but they take almost every chance they create.”
Struijk – who aimed a dig at Jesse Marsch too – is a bit wide of the mark in terms of the statistics.
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Arsenal had 17 shots and 68% possession compared to just three shots and 32% possession from Leeds, but there is undoubtedly a stark difference in how lethal Premier League players are in front of goal compared to in the Championship.
Josh Sargent – a target for Leeds – is a good example of the difference in toughness between the two divisions.
The United States international has scored 54 goals for Norwich in 146 appearances, but only two of those came in the Premier League across 26 games.
Leeds are sharing the goalscoring burden
There is a real togetherness about Leeds which could help to outweigh how lethal Premier League attackers are at the highest level.
Rather than rely on an Ivan Toney or Liam Delap-style talisman to deliver, Farke is seeing his side spread goals throughout the team this season.
Joe Rodon (Two goals in nine appearances)
Noah Okafor (Two goals in six appearances)
Sean Longstaff (One goal in nine appearances)
Brenden Aaronson (One goal in nine appearances)
Lukas Nmecha (One goal in nine appearances)
Anton Stach (One goal in eight appearances)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (One goal in seven appearances)
Leeds can boast seven different goalscorers in the Premier League, which is quite an achievement considering there have only been nine games.
Hopefully, it can push Leeds towards survival.