[The Athletic] What do we make of Gyökeres's initial run of form?

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[The Athletic] How should we evaluate Gyökeres's initial run of form? Viktor Gyökeres, who has scored 6 goals in 19 appearances since joining Arsenal.

Arsenal ended their long search for a proper center forward when they signed Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting CP last July.

Last season, a spate of injuries across the Arsenal attack left manager Mikel Arteta with few available options, forcing him to use midfielder Mikel Merino as an emergency striker. Arsenal invested €63.5 million (approx. £55.7 million at current exchange rates) to sign Gyökeres, aiming to add versatility to the forward line. He had scored 79 goals in 83 appearances during his time at Sporting.

However, Arsenal is once again plagued by injuries. Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were sidelined early in the season due to knee injuries. This again limited Arteta's tactical options in the attack, meaning Gyökeres had to shoulder a much heavier workload than initially anticipated. To make matters worse, Gyökeres himself is only recently returning from a muscle injury suffered last month.

Although Gyökeres has scored 6 goals in 19 games since joining Arsenal, there are still questions about how well he is integrating into Arteta's tactical system.

Accordingly, our Arsenal correspondents—James McNicholas, Art de Roché, Nnamdi Onyeagwara, and Dan Sheldon—gathered to discuss Gyökeres's performance thus far.

What were the expectations when Gyökeres was signed, and is he meeting them now? James McNicholas: The simplest answer to this is to look at how Arsenal framed his signing. Arsenal Sporting Director Andrea Berta commented: 'Viktor is exceptionally talented and has consistently demonstrated the qualities required of a top-level center forward and a hunger to win. His physique, intelligence, and work ethic align perfectly with our club’s vision.' Berta added: 'I am confident that Viktor will make a huge impact on the pitch and be an important figure in the dressing room.' Fan expectations were also significant. His number 14 jersey broke the record for the most sales for an Arsenal newcomer. Expectations were high, but so far, Gyökeres hasn't met them. The 'huge impact' Berta predicted has yet to materialize. However, it’s still early in his Arsenal career—just a few months into a five-year contract—so it’s reasonable to believe the situation will improve.

Art de Roché: Everyone acknowledged that Gyökeres wasn't signed as a technical player meant to seamlessly link up play. The expectation was consistent goalscoring. His current goal drought, however, means he is falling short of many people’s hopes. For the past few seasons, Arsenal has yearned for a reliable finisher to cap off attacks. Gyökeres's goal against Nottingham Forest last September was exactly what Arsenal was looking for: he moved diligently to secure the right position at the right time. Since then, though, his timing when moving into the six-yard box has been disappointing. Against Wolves this month and Aston Villa previously (see graphic below), Gyökeres started his runs only *after* Bukayo Saka or Declan Rice had already played the pass. We saw similar unnecessary physical tussles with defenders in the match against West Ham United in October, and this pattern repeated in the game against Wolves last Saturday. So far, Gyökeres looks like a square peg in a round hole. The pass doesn't come when he makes the run, and conversely, when the pass is played, he fails to anticipate it. His low frequency of involvement in general gameplay often makes the match look like a painful struggle for him.

Dan Sheldon: He hasn't met expectations yet. He was a pivotal signing for Arsenal. Many considered him the final piece of the puzzle needed for Arsenal to win the Premier League for the first time in over twenty years. While replicating his stunning scoring pace from Sporting was highly improbable, naturally, a better return than 6 goals in 19 appearances was expected. However, there is still plenty of time for him to rediscover his scoring touch. The opportunity remains for him to go on the kind of scoring streak that numerous Arsenal fans envisioned when they purchased his jersey in record numbers last summer.

The impact of Havertz and Jesus’s absence on Gyökeres’s early progress Nnamdi Onyeagwara: With the prolonged injuries to Havertz and Jesus, Gyökeres has gone from being one of several attacking options to essentially becoming Arsenal’s only choice.

그러나 그 이후 6야드 박스로 쇄도하는 움직임의 타이밍은 실망스러웠다.

이번 달 울버햄튼전과 앞선 아스톤 빌라전(아래 자료 참조)에서 요케레스는 부카요 사카와 데클란 라이스가 이미 패스를 찔러준 뒤에야 침투를 시작하는 모습을 보였다.

지난 10월 웨스트햄 유나이티드전에서도 수비수와 불필요한 몸싸움을 벌이는 등 비슷한 장면이 연출됐고, 지난 토요일 울버햄튼전에서도 같은 상황이 반복됐다.

지금까지 요케레스는 마치 맞지 않는 옷을 입은 사람처럼 보인다.

그가 침투할 때는 패스가 들어오지 않고, 반대로 패스가 투입될 때는 그가 이를 예측하지 못하는 식이다. 일반적인 경기 상황에 관여하는 빈도가 낮다 보니, 때때로 경기가 그에게는 힘겨운 사투처럼 느껴진다.

댄 쉘든: 아직 기대에 미치지 못했다. 그는 아스날의 핵심 영입이었다. 많은 이들이 그를 아스날이 20여 년 만의 프리미어리그 우승을 달성하기 위한 마지막 퍼즐 조각으로 여겼다. 비록 스포르팅 시절의 놀라운 득점 페이스를 그대로 재현할 가능성은 지극히 낮았지만, 19경기 6골이라는 성적표보다는 더 나은 결과를 기대하는 것이 당연하다. 하지만 아직 득점 감각을 되찾을 시간은 충분하다. 지난여름 수많은 아스날 팬들이 기록적인 수치로 그의 유니폼을 구매하며 상상했던, 그런 연속 득점 행진을 보여줄 기회는 여전히 남아있다.

하베르츠와 제주스의 부재가 요케레스의 초반 행보에 미친 영향

은남디 온예아그와라: 하베르츠와 제주스의 부상이 장기화되면서, 요케레스는 여러 공격 옵션 중 하나가 아닌 사실상 아스날의 유일한 선택지가 되어버렸다.