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Arsenals struggles in front of goal have been a glaring issue throughout the season. Could the returning Danny Welbeck be the man to freshen up their misfiring attack? We take a look ahead of his return to Old Trafford on Super Sunday... A familiar theme emerged from Arsene Wengers terse press conference at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. The Arsenal manager had just watched his sides Champions League hopes all but ended by Barcelona, and after lamenting their late defensive lapses, the questioning turned to their profligacy in front of goal.The way we finished our chances was a problem today, he said. In the final third, at the moment, we miss something. The Frenchman highlighted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains failure to convert an unbelievable chance in the first half, but Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud were also guilty of spurning clear opportunities before Lionel Messi took over. Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott have struggled in front of goal in recent weeks After recent blanks against Hull, Southampton, Chelsea and Stoke, Arsenal have now failed to score in five games out of eight for the first time since early 2009. It is a deeply troubling statistic, but even more worrying for Arsenal is that the lack of cutting edge has been an issue right from the start of the season. Gunners conundrum With Arsenal facing another Champions League exit , what must they change? The Gunners have been comfortably outscored by Premier League title rivals Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester City, and they have only netted fewer than 41 goals after 26 games in three of Wengers 20 campaigns in charge. Arsenal rank third in the Premier League for efforts on goal and chances created, but their shot conversion rate of 14.09 per cent puts them down in 10th. Top four shot conversion comparison Team Shots on goal (PL rank) Goals (PL rank) Shot conversion (PL rank) Leicester 264 (7th) 48 (1st) 18.18% (1st) Tottenham 301 (2nd) 47 (2nd) 15.61% (4th) Arsenal 291 (3rd) 41 (4th) 14.09% (10th) Man City 309 (1st) 48 (1st) 15.53% (6th) A deeper look at the statistics throws up even more compelling evidence that finishing has become a chronic issue for Wengers men. Sixty-four of the 331 chances they have created are defined as clear-cut opportunities by Opta. Thats 20 more than any other Premier League side, and only two short of the highest number managed by any club over the whole of last season. What is a clear-cut chance? Opta define a clear-cut chance as a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, such as a one-on-one or a close-range effort. The problem, however, is that Arsenal have only managed to convert 26 of those 64 opportunities. So despite being streets ahead of their rivals in terms of creativity, the Gunners rank 19th in the Premier League for clear-cut chance conversion on just 32.5 per cent. Only relegation-threatened Swansea have been more wasteful. Top four clear-cut chance comparison Team Clear-cut chances created (PL rank) Clear-cut chance conversion (PL rank) Leicester 44 (2nd) 43.55% (5th) Tottenham 39 (4th) 48.15% (2nd) Arsenal 64 (1st) 32.50% (19th) Man City 40 (3rd) 37.29% (15th) Arsenal have consequently averaged just 1.58 goals per game in the Premier League this season, and they will finish the campaign on 60 goals if they continue scoring at the same rate. History suggests that wont be enough, with Manchester Uniteds total of 67 in 1992/93 the lowest for a title-winning side in Premier League history.Wenger has described finishing as cyclical, but the issue evidently runs deeper than that. And yet, when the Frenchman was questioned about signing a new striker in January, his response was to talk up the impending return of Danny Welbeck. His comments received a lukewarm reception, but the England forward has certainly provided some encouragement. Welbeck celebrates with Walcott and Giroud after scoring against Leicester Wenger talked about small steps when discussing Welbecks comeback at the end of last month, but the 25-year-old has been hurriedly making up for lost time. He marked his first appearance in 10 months with a dramatic winner against Leicester, and it wouldnt have been surprising to see him start against Barcelona after an eye-catching performance in Arsenals goalless draw with Hull.Welbeck was full of energy and intent before his 67th-minute substitution against Steve Bruces team, and there were flashes of his quality, too. He created two scoring opportunities for his team-mates and forced a stunning save from Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic with one curling effort, and 24 of his 25 passes found a team-mate.The Gunners are in dire need of fresh impetus in attack as their Premier League campaign gets back underway, and while the likes of Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott are suffering from a glaring lack of confidence in front of goal, Welbeck looks hungrier and sharper than ever. Welbeck takes the applause from the Arsenal crowd His Premier League scoring record may be a modest 31 goals in 144 appearances, but he showed a ruthless streak with six goals in seven games for England last season, and his pace and work-rate make him well-suited to playing anywhere in the front three. Soccer Saturday pundit Charlie Nicholas is a big admirer, and hes expecting a shake-up in the weeks ahead.Giroud is not playing well, the former Arsenal forward told Sky Sports. His choice of passing has been poor, hes too static, hes not getting in enough scoring positions and if hes not scoring goals then he shouldnt be starting. Welbecks movement and speed gives more options to Mesut Ozil. It was fantastic to see him come back and score the winner against Leicester after so long out. Welbeck shows his delight after scoring in Arsenals FA Cup win over Man Utd last season As Arsenal prepare for Sundays crucial clash with Manchester United, an injury to Oxlade-Chamberlain has raised the possibility of Welbeck making his first Premier League start since March at Old Trafford, where he scored Arsenals winner in last years FA Cup quarter-final.Wenger needs an injection of something different in attack to avoid their Premier League campaign heading the same way as the Champions League. A refreshed and reinvigorated Welbeck looks like the right man for the job.Watch Manchester United v Arsenal live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 1pm on Sunday. Or watch for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV. Also See: Arsenal video Arsenal fixtures Get a ￡10 free bet! Arsenal stats T.J. Carrie Jersey .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. John Matuszak Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.officialauthenticraidersstore.com/authentic-kelechi-osemele-jersey.html . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Sean Smith Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Connor Cook Jersey .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. LAC DE PAYOLLE, France -- Adam Yates didnt know what hit him.On the attack in the Tour de France, the British rider was suddenly performing a somersault in midair after an inflatable arch marking the final kilometer collapsed and hit him during a bizarre finale to Fridays seventh stage.Yates hit the ground hard, bloodying his chin and bruising his shoulder. Still, he was able to get back on his bike and reach the finish shortly after his countryman Steve Cummings won the first of four stages in the Pyrenees with a solo attack on the Col dAspin climb.I had no time to react, Yates said after getting his chin stitched up. Its a good thing it was just me on my own. It could have been a lot worse with the peloton sprinting at 70 kph (45 mph). ... I cant tell you what happened. The barrier came down.The 23-year-old Yates took the white jersey as the Tours highest-placed young rider after organizers took the finishing times three kilometers from the end of the 162.5-kilometer (101-mile) leg from LIsle-Jourdain to Lac de Payolle.It wont make a big difference because there was a downhill and flat portion before the finish, said Thierry Gouvenou, the Tour technical director. It was a major incident, but we have the means to deal with it.Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium, who was in a breakaway with Cummings, held on to the overall leaders yellow jersey he claimed two days earlier. Overall favorites Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana finished in the main pack.Froome, Quintana, and other riders had to lift the crumpled arch -- known as the flamme rouge for the red flag it holds -- off the ground and slip their bikes underneath it.In the overall standings, Van Avermaet leads Julian Alaphilippe by 6:36, with Alejandro Valverde third, 6:38 back.I did not plan to be in a breakaway, Van Avermaet said. Im not a good climber, Im a classic rider, and the big favorites did not see me as a threat.Thibaut Pinot, considered one of the top French contenders, was dropped on the Aspin.ddddddddddddAll 198 riders started the stage, marking the first time the entire peloton was still racing this late in the Tour in 103 editions.The Aspin, which was included in the Tour for the 73rd time, was affronted from its longer southern slope, 12 kilometers at an average gradient of 6.5 percent.Cummings was part of a 29-man breakaway featuring Van Avermaet and 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali.However, it was Cummings who attacked first on the Aspin and he rode solo over the summit and maintained a comfortable lead on the ensuing high-speed descent and slight rise to the finish in Lac de Payolle.Cummings shook his head in disbelief as he approached the line then raised both arms, pumped his fist, and kissed his wrist.I was cooking on that climb and I thought Vincenzo would come back, Cummings said. I thought Nibali would pass me like Marco Pantani or something and I would never be able to get on the wheel.But you just keep going, Cummings added. I was on the limit the whole last climb. It was horrible, actually.Cummings, a teammate of Mark Cavendish on Team Dimension Data, also won a stage in last years Tour.When the main pack reached the line 4 1/2 minutes later, Quintana and Froome were seen patting each other on the back and talking to each other, likely about the incident with the inflatable device.Stage 8 on Saturday is a much more challenging 184-kilometer (114-mile) leg from Pau to Bagneres-de-Luchon featuring four serious climbs, beginning with the Col du Tourmalet, which is so difficult its labeled beyond classification.Weve got a really big weekend coming up and theres a lot of hard racing to come, Froome said. I would imagine well see bigger time gaps tomorrow. 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