Upcoming international break could be just what £55m Arsenal player needs right now
Viktor Gyokeres does not look himself on the pitch right now.
Whatever you think of him as a player, the Swede scored 21 goals last season and was the top scorer for the Premier League title winners. But so far, he hasn’t started a single game in the league this season and has looked extremely low on confidence the times he has got on the pitch.
His performance against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup was particularly concerning. He barely touched the ball, looked disinterested at times, and showed little of the hunger and determination that makes him so effective. He started against Napoli in the Champions League last week too, and that was just as bad.
Is he checked out? Part of you can understand it if he is. It must be hard to motivate yourself when half the fanbase doesn’t rate you, when the club tried to sell you in the summer, and when you have already won the league title.
But as a fan it is indefensible. The best version of Gyokeres pounces on any goal opportunity. He runs channels. He makes himself available. None of that is there right now. In a team full of technicians, he isn’t running to be found anymore, and that is hard to grasp as a fan.
He also looks sensitive to external criticism. When he misses chances, his head visibly drops and his confidence looks shot.
Viktor Gyokeres looks like he needs the international break
The international break couldn’t come sooner for Gyokeres. Sweden face Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania twice in the Nations League over the next couple of weeks, and Gyokeres will be itching to get back on the scoresheet and feeling loved.
In March, he scored four goals in two games to fire Sweden to the World Cup. That form and confidence carried directly back to Arsenal. Arguably his best performances of last season came in the weeks that followed, including a brace against Fulham and a superb all-round display in the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
Being the talisman for his country, where he is relied upon and trusted, could be exactly what he needs to rediscover that feeling. Goals on the international stage should get the positivity flowing again.
Because no matter where you stand on whether Gyokeres is right for Arsenal, Arsenal need him. Mikel Arteta cannot afford to run Kai Havertz into the ground again. Sure, Mikel Merino can play up there as well, but he’s going to need Gyokeres to step up and offer that different dimension.
Gyokeres scored a brace in his first Premier League game at the Emirates against Leeds last season. Arsenal face Leeds on 10 October in their first game back after the break. If Arsenal find themselves looking for a goal late on, they will want a confident Gyokeres waiting in the wings on the bench.