If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that each Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the juncture his luck changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they find the net.
Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.
Stunning Reversal in Form
Within moments and to the excitement of the home faithful, his mask celebration modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was showcased again after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the finest displays lay ahead.
“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”
Early Challenges
It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to thrive in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in professional play, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.
Difficult Phase
Having failed to score since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”
He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has provided additional depth in attack, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.
Game Analysis
This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.
Giménez has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to make the move.
Relentless Effort
Yet having attracted criticism that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.
A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the breakthrough would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker announced his presence. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.
