Arsenal are flying high – both domestically and in Europe – as Mikel Arteta’s project finally takes full shape, producing a side with the firepower and maturity to not only challenge for major honours but genuinely expect to lift silverware at the end of the season.
The Gunners are on a 16-game unbeaten streak, showcasing their consistency. They firmly established themselves as the team to beat right now following a 3-1 shellacking of a seemingly unbeatable and unstoppable Bayern Munich in the Champions League this week. It was a statement win that underscored Arsenal’s intent to assert their authority across the continent, handing Vincent Kompany’s side their first defeat of the season after they had triumphantly won 17 of their previous 18 matches.
Arteta has done remarkably to navigate through the ongoing injury crisis, which has seen Arsenal deal with the absences of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel, and Gyokeres.
To make up for the Swede’s unavailability – he’s scored six goals in 14 games since arriving at the Emirates Stadium – Arteta has shown his profound ability to adapt and reinvent, again playing Mikel Merino in the false nine role. The move has paid dividends, proving that Arsenal can do just fine without their biggest signing of the summer.
Speaking to punditarena.com, Saha dissected Gyokeres’ first three months as an Arsenal player. Although he wasn’t too critical of the striker, he has urged him to finish his adaptation as soon as possible.
“He’s done well so far. It’s a good start,” Saha said. “Viktor has had it easy in some ways, because Arsenal are a team who create a lot of chances and they’ve been on the hunt for a No. 9 to put the ball in the net. He should be finding himself in the position to score week in, week out. But the real test will be at those tough moments, when the pressure is on.
“I think we’re going to judge Gyokeres’ debut season on those moments of real pressure and importance, and we haven’t seen them yet. It’s only November. Those moments will define his season and his time at Arsenal. He may only need to score tap-ins, but it’s when those tap-ins come that matter.
“He’s been in England before, for a few seasons, at Coventry and Brighton, so the style of football and the way of life can’t be a shock to him. He needs to adapt quickly because this is a side that had its foundations made long ago. He just needs to be the final piece of the puzzle, to put away chances in big games, or when they’re struggling.”
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Back in October, Arteta revealed the words he told Gyokeres after he joined from Sporting CP. “I told him before the first meeting, I said, ‘the nine that I want is a nine that when he doesn’t score for six or eight games, he can handle that. If not, you have to go somewhere else because the expectation is going to be there’,” he told reporters.
“So, if you put on a nine shirt for Arsenal, you have to be able to say, ‘OK, six games, if I don’t score, I’m a different player? I start to act in a different way?’. No, I want much more of the same of what he’s doing.”
Arteta is going to be a demanding coach as he guides the Gunners’ title charge in the Premier League and tries to also justify their label as ‘favourites’ in the Champions League. He has done an excellent job at keeping the squad fresh and motivated, but Gyokeres’ contributions could yet go a long way in influencing where Arsenal stand at the end of the season.
The Spanish gaffer, though, remains adamant that the 27-year-old will soon get the appreciation he deserves for the sacrifices he makes for the team. “The first thing is that. That’s going to give you something extra. Viktor has so many things that probably are not noticeable,” he added. “But as well, he creates environment and space and solutions to a lot of the players around him. And with the talent that we have in the team, I’m sure that everybody, him included, will benefit from that.”
Gyokeres has been sidelined with a muscle injury since the start of November, his last appearance coming against Burnley on November 1. He has missed four games, but Arteta provided a fresh update on the forward ahead of Arsenal’s top-of-the-table visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
“They are getting closer and closer. We are very positive with both of them, so let’s see,” Arteta responded when asked about Gyokeres and Kai Havertz.
Arteta also provided his thoughts on whether Gyokeres will slot right back into in the XI once he’s fit. “Well, the good thing is that now we have found another option. We have three different options,” he explained. “That’s a really good learning for all of us, especially for me, to understand that with other players, with other connections, with other ways of doing things, we can still be very, very efficient.”
