Do stats support Cazorla claim about Arsenal striker Welbeck?

Arsenal struggled to find the net again yesterday, making it just 12 goals from the 10 games since the Gunners put three past the Premier League champions Man City. And against Tottenham, Danny Welbeck was unable to grab another goal after opening his Arsenal account in style the previous week at Aston Villa.

So the former Man United forward has still got a lot to prove in his new centre forward role with Arsenal, but one man who is sure he will do that is our Spanish international Santi Cazorla. The midfield maestro was reported by The Mirror saying some great things about Welbz, including talking up his abilities as a finisher, which is the main question being levelled at the 23-year old.

Cazorla said, “He is a very different player to the ones we have had before at Arsenal.

“He is a clinical finisher, quick and always ­looking for space. Olivier Giroud is a different kind of striker. He is good at heading and is strong, but Welbeck, perhaps, is ­providing something new to the team.

““We will make the most of having him as it is a big advantage to this side.”

So is he right about Welbeck’s finishing? Well it is still a bit early to tell, of course, but he took his goal well last week and has showed some good ability in front of goal for the England national team, but I wondered if the stats comparison on Squawka.com might tell us a bit more. First of all though, Welbeck had four shots in the NLD but only one was on target, which does not sound great.

However, when you compare his two Premier League games for Arsenal with Olivier Giroud’s stats for last season, along with those of Sturridge who had a great season for Liverpool, you might be surprised to see that the new Gunner has the best shooting accuracy of the trio. He also has more shots per game, a better assist rate and the best overall score. He does fall behind on key passes but if you are looking for reasons to believe that Welbeck will do Arsenal proud in front of goal, these stats tend to support the view of Cazorla? Do you?