Viktor Gyokeres had yet another frustrating match for Arsenal, and his stats against Wolves just highlight how poor the striker was during the match.
The 27-year-old struggled against one of the worst back lines in the Premier League, with his first-half performance for the Gunners being particularly worrying.
What is Viktor Gyokeres’ biggest weakness right now? 😬
What must Mikel Arteta work on with the Swede in training?
Arsenal will be relieved that they just about managed to get over the line at the Emirates Stadium, as a late cross from Bukayo Saka was turned in by Yerson Mosquera in stoppage time.
No player who started the match had fewer touches or completed fewer passes than Gyokeres, highlighting just one of his main struggles against Wolves.
Viktor Gyokeres struggled physically against Wolves
But aside from his lack of passes and touches, Viktor Gyokeres’ physical struggles against Wolves’ defence just didn’t make any sense.
Too often, the Swedish international found himself struggling to win possession against Wolves’ defence, as he won just three of his six duels.
He is a big striker and should have no issues dealing with the physicality of the Premier League, but right now, he’s just struggling to reach the levels required.
It was not a good response from Gyokeres, who was really poor against Club Brugge during midweek, and Mikel Arteta will be quite concerned about his new striker.
Gyokeres was facing a key week at Arsenal, as he was handed starts against two struggling teams, but he failed to produce in either match.
Who should start as Arsenal’s striker when everyone is fit?
In fairness to him, he grew into the game in the second half, producing two nice moments, but right now it’s just not enough for Arteta’s team.
The competition for the number nine role at Arsenal is fierce, with Gabriel Jesus now back and Kai Havertz’s return not too far away either. That’s also not forgetting the impressive form of Mikel Merino.
Arteta will certainly now be looking at either Merino or Jesus to start for the Gunners, moving forward with Gyokeres set to drop down the pecking order.
Martin Keown backs Gabriel Jesus to start for Arsenal
Martin Keown believes that Jesus is now right back in the conversation to start for Arsenal after playing a key role in the winning goal.
The Brazilian didn’t get the touch, but his movement caused chaos in the penalty area, which helped force the own goal.
Speaking about the winning goal and the striker situation at Arsenal, Keown told TNT Sports: “I think it’s Jesus’ move, which ultimately, the defender gets unlucky, and Jesus doesn’t get the touch, but it’s definitely his run and movement. It’s food for thought for the manager.
“He looked good when he came on, Gyokeres still not at the fitness level you’d expect, but there’s a real tussle now to be that number nine. Jesus has put himself right back in there.”
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