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 Cheap Authentic Jerseys . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Jerseys Wholesale . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. http://www.wholesalejerseys.online/ . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Cheap Jerseys Online . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. China Womens NFL Jerseys . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock has confirmed that a former assistant coach-turned-broadcaster at Wake Forest provided a former Hokies assistant with some game plan information in 2014.Babcock said in a statement Thursday that he has no indication that the information was shared with staff members or used during the game. Retired coach Frank Beamer also said he had no knowledge of what is being alleged.Babcock did not identify the assistant coach. Wake Forest won that game 6-3 in double overtime and finished the season 3-9.Virginia Tech joins Louisville and Army in acknowledging their involvement in the scandal in which former Wake Forest assistant Tommy Elrod was fired as the analyst on Demon Deacons radio game broadcasts after the school determined he leaked or attempted to leak game plans.We are disappointed and embarrassed that this type of information was distributed to, and apparently received by one of our former assistant coaches, Babcock said.The unidentified assistant did not remain on the staff when Beamer retired and was replaced by Justin Fuente, Babcock said.Earlier Thursday, Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said he feels betrayed and that his players were cheated by a former assistant coach-turned-broadcaster who peddled Demon Deacons plays to opponents.Ive never experienced this level of betrayal in coaching, coach Dave Clawson said after his teams first practice since the school made public the results of a nearly monthlong internal investigation into potential leaks of game plans.The scandal has garnered national headlines, completely overshadowing Wake Forests upcoming Military Bowl matchup with Temple.The big thing is that (the players) were cheated -- they were not given a fair chance to compete on multiple occasions, but theres nothing we can do about it, Clawson said. We found out what happened, we found out who did it, theyre no longer part of our program and now we need to move forward and try to win a bowl game.The schools review, which began after documents related to the teams game plan for the Nov. 12 game at Louisville were found at the Cardinals stadium, placed the blame on Tommy Elrod. He is a former player and assistant under the previous staff who moved into the broadcast booth during a coaching change after the 2013 season.Elrod was fired as an analyst on the Demon Deacons IMG College radio broadcasts and was banned from the schools athletic facilities. His attorney, former Wake Forest player James Quander, declined comment Thursday, and Elrod has not returned phone calls and text messages.Yeah, Id say Im mad -- thats fair, quarterback John Wolford said.dddddddddddd Youre expected to play a fair game and when you dont get that opportunity, a lot of times, that negatively impacts you. Maybe the impact was nothing, maybe it was nil, maybe tiny, so I dont want to overemphasize that, but the fact that it was attempted to happen and maybe did happen. It does anger me.Citing advice from the schools lawyers, Clawson declined to offer any additional specifics on how many games may have been affected, or exactly how the plays were obtained and transmitted.The Associated Press has requested comment from every Bowl Subdivision team the Demon Deacons have played since 2014.Wake Forest officials say theyve contacted other schools that were involved, leaving it up to them to come forward. The Atlantic Coast Conference has said it will do its due diligence when it reviews the schools findings.With Wake Forest saying it knows who took the plays, the focus shifts to the schools that may have received them.Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich previously said Elrod shared a few plays with offensive coordinator Lonnie Galloway, who passed them along to defensive staff members. Elrod and Galloway were assistants at Wake Forest from 2011-12.Members of Wake Forests travel party found the documents at the stadium before the game, which the Cardinals won 44-12 after Wake Forest took a 12-0 lead. The school began its investigation days later.That next month of not knowing how it happened was miserable, Clawson said. Just in your own office, youre wondering who did this. It was not a great working environment because nobody trusts anybody.Going forward, security is certainly going to be tightened at Wake Forest, long been one of the most open programs in the ACC, a reputation that dates back to Jim Grobes practices routinely being open to the general public. Things havent been quite that unrestrained under Clawsons leadership, though his weekly news conferences during game weeks are generally followed by informal, off-the-record conversations with media members.One of the regulars in that crowd was Elrod.Weve always tried to be media-friendly. Weve always given more access to media probably than any program in the ACC, and that will have to change, Clawson said. Its not fair to our players. ... You cant compromise your program and your staff and your fan base.---Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joedyap---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '