Mikel Arteta has used a new tactic in pre-season that could make Viktor Gyokeres unstoppable at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is usually very consistent with his tactics.

The Spaniard likes to be in possession of the ball, has very specific patterns of play in the build-up, and his side almost always take their time before making a decisive action in the final third.

That, for the most part, has helped Arsenal score goals while not opening themselves up to counter-attacks, but it has also become too predictable.

Arteta must have realised that now, and we saw a very different approach in the pre-season friendly defeat against Borussia Dortmund as a result.

Viktor Gyokeres seemed to be the biggest beneficiary.

Mikel Arteta’s new Arsenal tactic could help Viktor Gyokeres thrive

Gyokeres scored 21 goals for Arsenal in all competitions last season, but he was still the most criticised player in the squad by a distance.

The Swede always worked tirelessly for the side, but his movement inside the box wasn’t great, and his teammates failed to find him on countless occasions as well.

That led to a lot of frustration, and it looked like that would carry on into the new season as well when Gyokeres screamed at Max Dowman for not playing him through during a pre-season game.

Mikel Arteta must have watched that and realised he isn’t playing to his striker’s strengths. That is perhaps why we saw a change in the game against Borussia Dortmund.

From the start, the Arsenal players made a conscious effort to play the ball forward instead of holding onto it for too long.

We saw Gyokeres and Kai Havertz being played through on goal from midfield on quite a few occasions, and that put both players in really dangerous positions.

Just to show you how much of an improvement it was, Gyokeres averaged 18.14 touches of the ball and 1.53 shots per game in the 2025/26 Premier League season for Arsenal.

Against Dortmund on Sunday, the Sweden international had 25 touches of the ball and had four shots at goal during his time on the pitch. (Sofascore)

Could Gyokeres’ finishing still get better? Absolutely! However, it is great to see Arteta finally recognising the need to be a lot more direct in attack.

That will make Gyokeres much more dangerous than he was last season, and we’re convinced that he will score more goals too.

It remains to be seen now if Arteta will continue playing like this or revert back to his old system. We really hope it’s the former.