Arteta backs Gyokeres to deliver despite limited minutes
Football can be an unsentimental business. Viktor Gyokeres scored 21 goals as Arsenal won their first league title in 22 years, went away for the summer and spent much of it reading that the club would quite like Julian Alvarez instead.
None of that diminishes his contribution last season. His goals were vital, but the fit has never looked entirely natural, and his run in the side owed something to Arsenal’s lack of alternatives. With Kai Havertz fit again and clearly Mikel Arteta’s preferred option through the middle, Gyokeres is now finding out what life looks like on the other side of that equation.
So far, it has involved plenty of watching. The Swede has played only 12 minutes in the Premier League, while starts against Napoli and Ipswich Town in the cups did little to suggest the pecking order is about to change.
It is hard to know whether he is in a grump because, in fairness, he always looks a bit like that. Still, after the way the summer played out, and with reports suggesting he would have been open to a move to Spain, it was fair to wonder whether his confidence had taken a knock.
Arteta does not think so.
“No, obviously, especially in the Premier League he hasn’t played that many minutes, but last week in Napoli he played and had a good game,” he told his pre-Brighton press conference.
“That’s about moments as well; we need to give him all the support and confidence that he needs because we know the player we have, the capacity he has to score goals and what he can give to the team.”
The broader question is whether Arsenal are still working out how to use Gyokeres or whether the striker needs to adapt to what is being asked of him. His preference for running into space has not always looked a natural match for a team that spends so much time facing opponents who set up in a low block.
According to Arteta, the responsibility goes both ways.
“Well, I think the team are doing certain different things this season as well, so it’s a bit of both,” he said.
“But that’s not just for Viktor, it’s for everybody – it’s the constant evolution of the player and team. Our job, and especially my job, is to try to fit that in and find those connections and level of confidence for the player to give his best for the team.”
Gyokeres could certainly do with a goal. At international level, he came good for Sweden in the spring, powering them through the play-offs to the World Cup. Arteta hopes the upcoming Interlull, and a change of environment, proves to be a springboard.
“He scored a few goals [last time for Sweden]. That’s what a striker needs, they need minutes and goals to boost their energy. We have a game tomorrow, and hopefully he can deliver then.”
Arteta’s final line probably deserves a pinch of salt. All the evidence suggests Gyokeres will start on the bench against his former club, with any involvement likely to depend on game state.
That is a difficult adjustment for a player accustomed to starting every week, but it also leaves little room for quiet outings when opportunities do come. His performance at Portman Road on Tuesday did not make much of a case for more minutes, and the occasional frustrated reaction from his teammates suggested they expected more too.
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