Kembali
It’s been a frustrating start to the season for Viktor Gyokeres.
The Swede scored 21 goals in all competitions in his first season after joining from Sporting for £64million, playing a big part in Arsenal winning the Premier League title.
This season, though, he’s yet to score for the club, and his last Arsenal goal came against Fulham back in May. That’s despite scoring four goals in four games for Sweden during the international break, which shows the goals are still in him.
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He started against Lille in the Champions League last week but struggled, and he’s had to settle for cameos off the bench since. On Wednesday night in Munich, though, he made the most of his chance.
Gyokeres replaced Kai Havertz in the 68th minute with Arsenal trailing 2-1. In the 82nd minute, he played a key part in the equaliser, holding the ball up in the box and laying it off with one touch into the path of Declan Rice, who finished to make it 2-2.
It’s exactly the kind of contribution Arsenal fans have been wanting from him, and although the goal hasn’t come yet this season, many have picked up on the improvements in recent appearances.
One fan took to social media, writing: “Kai Havertz wouldn’t have been in the box to lay that onto Rice. Gyokeres might not be too good but his striker instincts are top-notch.”
His all-round work hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Even when he hasn’t been scoring, Gyokeres is rarely accused of a lack of effort, and some fans are still firmly behind him.
“The only time I would give up on Gyokeres is if I see him being lazy and uninterested,” another fan posted. “He works his heart out for Arsenal, he presses and defends for the team. The media can mock him but I will protect him forever.”
One supporter summed up his role in Rice’s goal simply: “Sensational hold up play by Gyokeres. My Striker.”
Rice himself was full of praise for him after the game too, telling TNT Sports that Gyokeres has been making “such a good impact” off the bench. That’s two encouraging cameos in a row, following a decent showing off the bench at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Some fans now want him in the side from the start. With Everton up next in the Premier League, one fan insisted: “Viktor Gyokeres MUST start vs. Everton. Two promising cameos and Havertz has been ineffective for several games in a row.”