Wednesday night’s setback to Villarreal marked the continuation of Arsenal’s preseason. Martin Odegaard and Christian Norgaard’s goals were insufficient solace as the Spaniards won the first match 3-2 and then prevailed in a penalty shootout. But for Mikel Arteta’s men, it wasn’t all bad news. Viktor Gyokeres’ first game for the Gunners was started by fans.
The striker has been among the world’s top strikers for the past two years with Sporting CP, and Arsenal has been attempting to entice him to the Emirates Stadium for months. Earlier this summer, they finally got their guy, and he has since started the team’s first game. Although it wasn’t a very strong performance, Gyokeres’ main issue at Arsenal has been brought to light by the media.
The main issue facing Gyokeres at Arsenal
The media responded to it promptly.
Gyokeres played 63 minutes of the game before Odegaard came on as a substitute. He had a hard time making much of an impression before being replaced. Throughout the game, he only attempted seven passes in total and completed just four of them. He only managed one shot on goal and lost possession three times.
Although the striker only had 14 touches on the ball during the match, the media has since discussed his play and pointed out one significant issue. The forward made some encouraging runs behind the Villarreal defence, according to several newspapers, but his teammates were unable to pick him up and set him up. Gyokeres received a 6/10 rating from The Standard, which also noted that he “handed his first start and was quiet.”
“Will take time to get on the same wavelength as his new team-mates, as more than once he made runs and wasn’t found.”
A little tougher on the striker’s performance, The Express also emphasised his promising runs that went unnoticed by his teammates: “Made plenty of runs that weren’t found but he also must accept some blame for a disappointing showing.” Frustrated, he gave up a free-kick after being pushed off the ball. His lone good opportunity was a narrow angle shot that went straight at the goalie.
The Sun attributed his sluggish appearance to his lack of activity. “A very quiet evening on the £64 million signing’s Emirates debut,” they said.
had several good chances in the first half, cutting in from the left. Maybe he would have performed better if the ball had been put straight to his feet. A lot of Arsenal’s opportunities came from crosses. didn’t really look up to speed, which isn’t shocking considering how little of a preseason he had.
Last but not least, Arsenal Insider talked about his encouraging runs that his colleagues failed to take advantage of, stating: “It’s obvious that this Arsenal club will need to alter their style of play to accommodate Gyokeres, who was producing excellent runs without being used. Before he is fired, the striker and his teammates will need some time to adjust.
“It’s clear that this Arsenal squad is going to need to change the way they play to fit Gyokeres, who was making very good runs without being played in.”
The Performance of Viktor Gyokeres Against Villarreal
Publications in the media
Rating of the player
The norm
6.
The Express
5.
The Sun
5.
Insider on Arsenal
6.5
London Football
6.
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