Damning Viktor Gyokeres stat shows exactly why he can’t start games for Arsenal

Arsenal beat Napoli on Wednesday night in about as dominant a 1-0 game you would find.

Over 4.0 xG generated and 26 shots — the most Arsenal have had in a single Champions League game since records began.

Martin Odegaard was the star of the show, yet again, for Mikel Arteta’s side. The captain’s winner now puts his tally to four, which is already quadruple his return last season.

But despite all the dominance, their centre-forward was barely involved.

Viktor Gyokeres was given his first start of the season after featuring in just 12 minutes so far in the Premier League.

It felt like a big game for the Swede to show the manager why he should be playing more, but he registered just nine touches and not a single shot in the 73 minutes he played.

Compare that to Kai Havertz, who came on in his place and had 13 touches in 17 minutes.

Havertz has started every other game this season, and scored against Chelsea, Coventry and in the Community Shield.

The German has been delivering, making it difficult for Gyokeres, who must be frustrated with his current situation.

But when you watch Gyokeres play and read the numbers he’s producing (or rather, not producing) then it becomes clear why his manager favours Havertz.

It’s clear why Mikel Arteta keeps starting Kai Havertz over Viktor Gyokeres

This isn’t a one-off for Gyokeres, unfortunately. Nearly a quarter of his starts have ended without him taking a single shot.

Against Napoli, Italian media rated him as Arsenal’s worst player on the night. It’s hard to argue otherwise.

He’s not a bad player, clearly. He was the top goalscorer for the best team in the country last season. And it’s not as if he’s wasteful in front of goal.

The problem is he is barely getting chances to begin with, simply because the way Arsenal play doesn’t suit him at all.

The intricate combinations, the half-space play, the dropping deep and linking — it’s all designed for a player like Havertz. Gyokeres needs the ball served to him in behind. He’s not built to drop deep, combine or generate chances for teammates.

It’s clear where Arteta stands now. Gyokeres finally got his chance on Wednesday night, but had fewer penalty box touches than both full-backs.