Arsenal opened the tap in the second half and beat Aston Villa, 4-1, in the 19th round of the Premier League, but Viktor Gyokeres’ drought continues.
The ex-Sporting man, who forced Arsenal to open the purse strings – a deal could exceed 76 million euros if objectives are met – remains unconvincing and Mikel Arteta has already admitted to being worried.
“Yes, I’m worried, because we want him to score. Obviously he had some opportunities [contra o Brighton]some excellent positions, but the ball didn’t arrive, so… keep insisting, it’s the only way”, he said, before the reception to Aston Villa.
Viktor Gyokeres deserved Mikel Arteta’s trust and started against Aston Villa. The Swedish international striker was blank, but he had two opportunities where he could have been happy.
Gyokeres in action against Aston Villa
In the 7th minute, Gyokeres appeared from behind and headed over. Furthermore, the header is seen as a clear point for the ex-Sporting player, who, in the 13th minute, was too soft with his back to the goal. The Swedish striker let himself get ahead of himself by Konsa and the play almost ended with a goal from Watkins.
It was a gray first half for Gyokeres, who only appeared again in the 36th minute and again in an aerial move. He managed to escape the defenders and free himself, but, in a good position, he missed the target with his head.
Gyokeres was always closely tied to Aston Villa’s central defenders, in this case Lindelof and Konsa, and was absent from the game. In Portugal, in addition to the many goals he scored, Gyokeres stood out for his runs down the wings that made him, even alone, a danger to the opposing goals. In England, with other opponents and in a higher league, Gyokeres doesn’t have as much space and, watching the game, he seems to have indications not to leave the center so much.
In the second half, Arsenal raised their level, especially offensively and the goals started appearing. Gyokeres failed to score – he was important as the first man in pressing Aston Villa – and, in the 59th minute, with 2-0 on the scoreboard, he received applause. He fled the central corridor, fought with opponents and won a corner. The fans seemed to like it.
Viktor Gyokeres was substituted in the 77th minute and Gabriel Jesus took his place, who only took a few seconds to score. The Brazilian forward was out for a long time due to injury and hadn’t scored since January 1st, practically a year ago. Also about to return is Kai Havertz. The German has been out injured since the first round of the Premier League and was already on the bench against Aston Villa.
Gyokeres has scored seven goals with an Arsenal shirt and has not scored from the ball since November 1st. With Gabriel Jesus improving his performance and Havertz returning, Gyokeres will have to lace up his shoes so as not to lose space in Arteta’s options.
«Gabriel Jesus? Excellent. Very ambitious. I think the Viktor [Gyokeres] he was also very good in attack, but Gabi took advantage of his opportunity very well”, commented Mikel Arteta, after the defeat against Aston Villa.
