“Without wishing to pick on him, he has consistently been underperforming” – Alan Shearer raises concern over Arsenal star

Former Newcastle United forward Alan Shearer has raised question marks about Gabriel Jesus' recent form for Arsenal. The Premier League's all-time leading goalscorer has claimed that the Brazil international has not been at his best in front of goal.

Shearer has questioned Jesus' finishing intent following a disappointing performance against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby which Arsenal drew 2-2.

The former player-turned-pundit points out Jesus' chance where he robbed James Maddison from a goal kick but was not able to convert the opportunity he created for himself.

The former England international states that Gabriel Jesus is doing everything up until the point he has to take the shot to score. Writing in his column for The Athletic (via The Boot Room), Alan Shearer stated:

“Jesus does really well to anticipate the pass and nabs the ball from James Maddison’s toes. It leaves him in an ideal position in the middle of the goal, with space around him and the choice of aiming either side. He goes with the option of hitting his shot with the front of his foot, which is fine; it’s something I used to do a lot of the time."

He added:

“But this is another example of leaning back for a shot; Jesus’ body and technique are all wrong. Without wishing to pick on him, he has consistently been underperforming his xG over the past few years, which tells you he’s getting into good positions and isn’t finishing them. Exhibit A right here.”

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Gabriel Jesus has scored just one goal for Arsenal in the Premier League this season

There could be some truth behind Shearer's concerns surrounding Gabriel Jesus' form for Arsenal this term. The former Manchester City striker has scored just once from six games in the Premier League so far this season.

Jesus' solitary goal in the league came against Manchester United when the Gunners secured a 3-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium last month. He has since then gone four games without scoring, two of which he played the full 90 minutes.

Gabriel Jesus' form in the UEFA Champions League is much better. The forward has so far scored in both group stages matches in the tournament, against PSV Eindhoven and Lens.

It is worth mentioning that Jesus missed a total of 15 matches last season due to a knee injury. He ended the 2022-23 season with a total of 11 goals and eight assists from 33 games across all competitions for Arsenal.