Swedish media share interesting verdict as Viktor Gyokeres scores for his country
Viktor Gyokeres hasn’t had his ideal start to the season with Arsenal.
Indeed, the striker is yet to start a Premier League game for the Gunners this season, and he’s played just a handful of minutes off the bench so far.
However, that could soon be about to change. Kai Havertz was injured for Germany last week, and that may mean that an opportunity for Gyokeres is in the offing at Arsenal – at least in the short-term anyway.
Of course, Gyokeres is currently away on international duty, and, on paper, it would appear he’s in good form for Sweden, scoring twice in as many games. However, the national press in Sweden haven’t quite seen it that way.
Swedish media react to Viktor Gyokeres’ performance vs Poland
Swedish media were generally positive about Viktor Gyökeres’ performance in Sweden’s 3-1 victory over Poland, although there was recognition that he was not at his best for large periods of the game.
TVmatchen awarded him a rating of 7/10, praising his work rate and dangerous runs while noting that he looked slightly “kantig” on the ball, meaning that he was rather awkward and clumsy and was often isolated against several Polish defenders.
SvenskaFans gave Gyökeres a rating of 3/5, saying he grew into the match after a quiet first half before finding space to score Sweden’s third goal. However, they did note that he was quiet, or even invisible for periods of the game before popping up with his goal.
Aftonbladet also felt Gyökeres struggled initially due to a lack of service, but praised his persistence and willingness to keep working. His decisive goal ultimately underlined his importance to Sweden.
It seems like it is the same old story for Gyokeres here – a goal has masked what was otherwise a rather ineffective performance, and, for Arsenal, that isn’t going to cut it.
Arsenal’s attack is at its best when it is fluid and working as a unit, and when Gyokeres is spearheading that front line, it doesn’t quite click.
Sadly, it seems like Gyokeres is still plagued by many of the issues he’s had over the past 12 months at Arsenal.