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When Mikel Arteta discussed the difficulties of Viktor Gyokeres earlier in the week, he referenced a warning he gave him prior to signing that life at Arsenal wouldn’t be like a trip to Disneyland. On the basis of how long the Swede has spent queuing, we might suggest his manager was wrong.
That wait for a fourth goal is becoming interminable for a man who cost £64million and whose frustrations are now palpable.
As of Saturday’s gritty 1-0 win at Fulham, the count now stands at seven matches since Gyokeres scored the second in a 3-0 rout of Nottingham Forest on September 13. Including games for his national side, the run extends to nine.
Under the microscope of a big transfer fee, the rut is conspicuous and the conversation is gaining volume.
It should be stated there have been positive aspects to his contribution and those have been shouted to the rafters by Arteta in reassurances designed to fortify confidence.
But it is also true that Gyokeres’ ongoing struggle is the single blip in what has otherwise been an immensely promising start to Arsenal’s season.
Viktor Gyokeres went another game without a goal during Arsenal's 1-0 away win over Fulham
Mikel Arteta told the £64million striker that joining Arsenal wouldn’t be like a trip to Disneyland
The Swede huffed and puffed before eventually being replaced by Christian Norgaard (left)
What is he doing well?
Choosing a kind place to start, the primary positive has been Gyokeres’ work rate – the slump is not down to a lack of effort. He is chasing causes that seem lost and pressuring the last line of defences, as he did at Fulham.
These are attributes that aren’t sexy for a striker and harder to quantify for soundbite analysis, but he was a key part of Arteta’s forward press and worked hard to smother both Joachim Andersen and Timothy Castagne during a particularly tricky stretch in the first half.
Those contributions are worth something to a system that relies as much on sweat as technical quality.
Arteta perhaps over-egged the point after the match, saying: ‘We were all begging for him to score. The work rate he puts in for the team is phenomenal, so we try to give him support and love and it will come.’
The growing issue…
We can condense that to his finishing, but it would be an over-simplification. For now, it is not clicking, though we saw enough from his rise in Portugal to know he can bury chances when the mood is right. For now, his confidence appears to be extremely low and that is manifesting itself in other technical areas.
One of those concerns his willingness or ability to receive the ball in the right areas. There were times against Fulham, particularly in the first half, when it appeared Gyokeres was hiding by drifting to cluttered positions rather than seeking space. I was at the West Ham match prior to the international break and it was a similar sense.
It is possible that we are confusing poor positioning with inhibition, but it might also be a combination of the two. Gyokeres’ regret will be that when he has found himself in the right place at the right time, the finishing hasn’t been sharp.
One chance on Saturday came in the first half after Bukayo Saka slipped a clever ball behind Jorge Cuenca and presented Gyokeres’ with a chance from a slight angle to the right of Bernd Leno.
He was a goal machine at Sporting Lisbon - but it isn't quite clicking for Gyokeres at Arsenal
His regret will be that when he has found himself in the right place at the right time, the finishing hasn’t been sharp - he missed another scoreable opportunity at Craven Cottage
Striking on the turn was one of his clear strengths in Portugal but in this instance Gyokeres was all power and no placement – he drilled it straight at the keeper. His next opportunity in the second period was tougher and it was skied over the bar. He is snatching at shots when composure might help.
That has fed into some of his wider play. He made a good early run to take a pass from Declan Rice at Craven Cottage and summed up his evening by falling on his backside in the course of rushing a cross.
Relationships…
This is very much a work in progress. Ostensibly, Gyokeres has everything a striker would want via the creative forces he can utilise within the Arsenal supply line.
Martin Odegaard (when fit) is a gift for a striker, as are Martin Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. Between them, they have every angle covered.
But the difficulty has evidently come from Gyokeres’ ability to forge an understanding of their intentions – too often the wrong run is being made, which too can be traced to positioning, with Gyokeres regularly failing to get the jump on his markers. The latter seem to be reading the situations quicker than he is.
There was an episode earlier in the season where it felt like that understanding was accelerating. In the Forest win, particularly in the second half, there were signs that Gyokeres was doing a better job of anticipating Madueke and Eze’s runs, which made it all the more frustrating when Arteta subbed Gyokeres off on 68 minutes, just as the three of them were gelling.
No doubt Arteta had his reasons, but it felt like an important opportunity missed to strengthen those links.
Clearly, Gyokeres will enhance that aspect with time. It was also notable on Saturday that he did a better job of combining with Rice.
There are improvements being made - he linked up much better with Declan Rice on Saturday
He will have been somewhat envious of Leandro Trossard, whose goal was handed on a plate
The luck factor…
Following the old cliché of a striker needing one to go in off their backside, Gyokeres might have cast an envious look at Leandro Trossard at Fulham. They don’t come much grubbier than a bounce off the thigh from two yards at a set-piece and for Trossard it was good for his first goal of the season. Gyokeres might need one of those, but he also has to gamble on being in the right place for those moments.
Such is his quality, chances are that it will come sooner rather than later, thereby proving that he can indeed adapt to the higher level of the Premier League. If he does, an Arsenal team already good enough for top of the table will have a huge weapon to call on for the meaty chunk of the season.
In the meantime, he and Arsenal have to wait in line, having paid a fortune for the privilege. A trip to Disneyland? Just like it.
