Viktor Gyokeres goes into the World Cup with Sweden this month very much a man in form and riding on a high following Arsenal’s title win.
Despite losing out in the Champions League final, Gyokeres netted his penalty and finished the season strongly in general.
After firing Graham Potter’s Sweden to the tournament a few months back, expectations are high in his homeland.
And while Potter believes Gyokeres will be a success, he also believes people are forgetting about one crucial aspect of his first season at Arsenal.
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Graham Potter says fans need to cut Viktor Gyokeres some slack
Just like Mikel Arteta, Graham Potter is playing a crucial role in the development of Gyokeres right now.
Going into this World Cup, Potter will know he has to manage expectations around his main striker.
Indeed, speaking about Gyokeres this week, Potter has suggested that fans need to remember that he’s only had the single year in Premier League football so far.
“With Viktor, it’s a great example of the modern world and modern football. From our perspective, he’s scored four goals in two games and got us to the World Cup, so his impact has been incredible,” Potter commented for The Athletic.
“He was a young player in the academy at Brighton. Obviously he ended up in Portugal [with Sporting]. And that’s another thing people don’t understand, you go from Portugal and then you come to the Premier League and there’s an adaptation that you have to have.
“The fact that he has done that, and he’s contributed to the team, and the team is in this place, I think he’s had a brilliant season.”
This World Cup has arguably as many good number nines as any tournament in the last 20-30 years.
We are seeing a mini resurgence of the centre forward with the likes of Gyokeres, Haaland, Kane and event Jean-Phillippe Mateta with France all being involved.
Gyokeres, of course, has the weight of the nation on his shoulders but there is no reason whatsoever why he shouldn’t be a success across the Atlantic.
And if he is firing on all cylinders, then Sweden might just surprise a few.
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