Gabriel Jesus has been reinvigorated by a recent purple patch in front of goal for Arsenal.
On the whole, 2024 has been a tough year for Gabriel Jesus. Between the end of January and his recent flurry of goals in the last week, the Arsenal striker scored just once for the North London club.
However, on Wednesday evening, the Brazilian suddenly rediscovered his clinical touch as he bagged a hat-trick against Crystal Palace in an EFL Cup clash. On Saturday, he struck twice more, as the Gunners took on the Eagles again, this time in a Premier League fixture.
Jesus maintained his Premier League record of never tasting defeat in the competition in a game he has scored in. That impressive personal record stretches back to his time at Manchester City.
Yaya Toure advice to Gabriel Jesus
The 27-year-old arrived in England in the summer of 2016, leaving Brazilian football behind for the first time to join Pep Guardiola’s squad at the Etihad Stadium.
The forward was able to quickly make a positive impression at Manchester City, and went on to win four Premier League titles with the club before making the switch to North London in July 2022.
However, Jesus faced a challenge in adapting to English football, but was aided in this transition by his former Manchester City teammates, including the iconic Yaya Toure.
Speaking to the official Arsenal website, Jesus has now shared a piece of advice that he received from the Ivorian great early on in his Premier League career.
Reflecting on an early appearance for Manchester City, he recalled: “I received the ball, controlled it and then flicked it up. But Yaya Toure turned to me and said, ‘Gabby, play simple, here we play simple!’
“I thought OK, I can do that, and I was so happy that he could come to me and say that, because it really helped a lot to know what it was like in England. It’s different to Brazil.”
What Arsenal need from Jesus now
Jesus is a player steeped in the Brazilian style of play. The attacker has flair, loves to get on the ball, and excels at taking on opponents in one-on-one duels.
Much of this aspect of his game will appeal to Mikel Arteta, as the forward can add unpredictability to the Gunners’ front line.
However, the Spanish coach also needs the player to be disciplined. Arteta has insisted that Jesus is in his plans at Arsenal, but the club now need him to retain his newfound form and to deliver goals on a consistent basis.
To an extent, that means that he needs to keep things simple – as advised by Toure – in the final third. Arsenal need Jesus to curb his natural instincts to drop deep and persistently go looking for the ball, and instead focus on being in the penalty area and ready to capitalise on goalscoring opportunities.
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