Why Arsenal are struggling AGAIN in January: Bukayo Saka’s worrying stats, why ‘Set-piece FC’ tag is now a burden, how the fans are making things worse and the one glaring problem that still hasn’t been solved

Arsenal once again appear fully committed to Dry January.

It’s becoming an annual problem, the time of year when title jitters set in and their results start to suffer – the latest example being Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester United, which extended Arsenal’s winless run in the Premier League to three matches, following goalless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

With Manchester City in the rearview mirror, a sense of dread grows, but that shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. It’s a trend.

Take the Gunners’ last five campaigns. In 2021-22, across all competitions, they have gone five games without a win in January. In 2022-23, there were four games without a win in January and February, while the 2023-24 season saw one win in seven matches between December and January.

The opening months of 2025 were marked by a costly home defeat to West Ham and cup exits to Manchester United and Newcastle. So why are Arsenal starting to fall apart at this time of year – and can they recover from it this season?

1. Reliance on set pieces

‘FC stopped’ is the term widely used by rival fans to mock Arsenal – and it has some credibility.

Even opposition players have weighed in on this narrative, with United’s Amad Diallo responding to a fan on X on Sunday: “Your only hope is to get stuck.” Simply put, the Gunners are too reliant on set pieces.

Mikel Merino celebrates Arsenal’s goal on Sunday – but it was yet another set goal

In all competitions, from the start of the campaign to the end of December, 31% of Arsenal’s goals were scored from set pieces (18 out of 59 goals). This figure increased to 53 percent in January (eight goals out of 15). On Sunday, Arsenal’s second scrappy goal, converted by Mikel Merino, came from a corner.

When they faced adversity, desperately needing a goal somewhere, anywhere, it was often a corner that proved the solution. But when that well dries up, the Gunners struggle, as highlighted by goalless draws against Liverpool and Forest who repelled their set-piece threat.

The Reds nullified it by reducing Arteta’s men to just three corners, while Forest had to manage nine but were well equipped to do so with powerful and combative centre-halves.

Every team is aware of the threat Arsenal pose from set pieces. They have scored 26 goals from dead balls in all competitions – the most of any team in Europe’s top five leagues. This is of course a great goal to aim for, but this overreliance needs to be corrected – and quickly.

2. Feel the heat

If only the Arsenal men’s team could adopt the mantra of their women’s star Chloe Kelly.

As she would say: “Pressure? What pressure? Except there is pressure, real pressure that has hampered this team in recent years – and could do so again.

The scars inflicted by City in previous seasons are still raw. The most painful comes from the 2022-23 season, where Arsenal led the way for 248 days before Pep Guardiola’s men overtook them with six matches remaining.

The following season, City went on a 23-match unbeaten run from December 10, 2023 to trail their rivals by two points. Such memories are not easily erased. Only winning a major title will ease the pain.

There was a sense of foreboding and anxiety at the Emirates on Sunday – the pain of previous title near misses will only disappear when Arsenal lift the silverware.

To make matters worse, Arsenal’s title rivals Manchester City strengthened considerably in January, adding Antoine Semenyo (left) and Marc Guehi.

Liverpool had a clear shot at the title under Arne Slot last season. They were not expected to be real contenders and anything beyond a top-four finish was seen as a bonus rather than a requirement. They sailed towards the title with joyful momentum.

At Arsenal there is a feeling of having win the Premier League, without wanting to win it. It’s decisive, after finishing second for three consecutive seasons.

Additionally, City went big in the January window. The signings of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi are a declaration of intent: they will do everything possible to try to trip up Arsenal once again.

There was a feeling of apprehension and anxiety at the Emirates on Sunday, but also during several other home matches this season. In the minutes leading up to Tolu Arokodare’s equalizer for Wolves on December 13, anxiety seemed to spill from the stands and onto the pitch. There was an inevitable feeling that the Midlands club would score a goal due to the nervousness around the stadium. An own goal from Yerson Mosquera saved the day for Arsenal, but it was a near miss.

Typically this season, one or two misplaced passes have elicited groans, and when the 80-minute mark passes, danger seems inevitable.

What makes this bizarre is the wider context: Arsenal are top of the Championship, top of the Champions League, and were unbeaten at the Emirates in 16 games before United’s defeat. Most teams would kill for such a record.

Is pressure from their own supporters dragging players down?

Mikel Arteta likes his quirky methods (pickpockets, a dog called Win et cetera)… but it’s time for the club psychologist to intervene and rid the players of nervousness which should not be overwhelming.

Is pressure from their own fans dragging Arsenal players down? This is an issue Mikel Arteta needs to consider

Arteta must find solutions to Arsenal’s problems – otherwise this could be another near miss for the Gunners

3. A familiar problem from the start

When one of your top scorers is a player called “own goals”, there is clearly a problem in attack. Only Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard (five each) have surpassed Arsenal’s total of four ‘OG’s.

Gyokeres’ signing for £64m this summer was supposed to solve Arsenal’s long-standing striker problem of being the missing piece of the puzzle. But his arrival failed to plug the Gunners’ gaping hole up front (he was dropped on Sunday for Gabriel Jesus) and it led to an over-reliance on set goals.

In the league, Arsenal have a lower expected goals (xG) total than City (32.3), Liverpool (29.8), Chelsea (28.5) and United (28.1). In other words, they create less.

It makes for difficult reading and goes some way to explaining why the north London club have been stuck in recent times.

Gyokeres’ struggles are more evident due to the limited number 9 options Arteta has. Jesus was anonymous on Sunday in his first league start since January 4, 2025, and Kai Havertz is slowly returning from a knee injury.

This places a heavy burden on the Swede, who has been disappointing. He has yet to show that he can be counted on to score a goal out of nothing, a piece of magic. And when it comes to synchronizing with his teammates, such a bond has yet to be forged, as evidenced by the number of passes or crosses that have eluded him in recent weeks.

But we can’t all point the finger at the attackers. The lack of creativity from the attacking midfielders was also a contributing factor.

When their talisman Martin Odegaard isn’t singing, that spark is often missing.

Viktor Gyokeres didn’t solve Arsenal’s problems in front of goal as the club hoped

Gabriel Jesus started against United but was largely anonymous

Eberechi Eze appears to be suffering from a lack of confidence, having made just 11 league starts this season. He was ineffective in a rare start against Inter Milan in the Champions League last week, and made no impact during his second-half introduction on Sunday.

Their other attacking midfielder who has magic in his boots is Ethan Nwaneri, but he has been on loan to Marseille.

4. Saka’s worrying statistics

The Gunners have long relied on their “Starboy”.

The most consistent creative force throughout Arteta’s tenure, Bukayo Saka is still the route Arsenal turn to most in the final third.

When it works, it’s devastating, as evidenced by his commitment to goals in past seasons. Saka managed 25 goals and assists in the 2023-24 season and 16 last season. So far in this campaign he has only seven. The production has dried up, but the Gunners still try this route most of the time because it is so familiar to them.

Bukayo Saka has been Arteta’s go-to man throughout his tenure at Arsenal, but the England star is struggling to produce goals and assists as regularly as in previous seasons.

This may all seem rather predictable – and therefore easy to manage.

Opposition defenses often focus on neutralizing Saka as the main threat. Two or three players usually follow the talented striker, making his task even more difficult.

Developing alternative creative avenues is crucial. That would ease the burden on Saka – but it would force his teammates to step up their efforts.