Masked Man Gyökeres Quiets Jibes to Make His Mark at the Gunners

If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that each Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the moment his fortune shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Within moments and to the excitement of the home faithful, his face-covering routine borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Early Challenges

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to make it in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he charged around like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is deeply knowledgeable at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

However having drawn comments that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a caution when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.