Ian Wright reckons Viktor Gyokeres has now solved one of Arsenal’s biggest problems

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Viktor Gyokeres put in his best performance yet for Arsenal against Fulham on Saturday.

The Swedish striker finally looked like a £60m player against Fulham, and he’s getting his due praise.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, Ian Wright claimed that Viktor Gyokeres may have already fixed a long-standing issue for Arsenal, and his performance against Fulham has only strengthened that view.

For much of the season, Arsenal’s struggles have not come against the biggest teams. Instead, it has been against the so-called smaller sides where points have been dropped and chances wasted. Breaking down organised, deeper defences has been a recurring problem.

Ian Wright thinks Viktor Gyokeres has solved Arsenal problem

Wright spoke about Gyokeres and how he has added something new to this Arsenal team.

Wright noted how Gyokeres seems to shine against the Premier League’s lesser teams, stating that he only seems to score against those sorts of teams.

“He’s done the job for us today. And I’m sure that against the teams that we’ve got coming up with West Ham and I think, again, he could put in the same kind of performance and probably nick another couple of goals because if he only scores against those teams that’s what Arsenal have always needed,” Wright said.

That is the key point.

Arsenal have often been able to raise their level against top opposition, where games are more open and space is available. The real test has been finding a way through compact defences that sit deep and limit opportunities.

“We haven’t had problems scoring against the top six. We’ve always had no problem scoring against top teams,” Wright added.

“It’s the other teams the Fulham’s and the Wolves’ and the teams like that what we’ve had problems scoring against and he’s come and he’s kind of solved that problem for us.”

He was sharp, intelligent with his movement, and clinical when chances came his way. More importantly, he looked comfortable operating in tight spaces, where quick decisions and positioning matter more than anything else.

The numbers show that Gyokeres does seem to play better against the smaller sides.

Of course, you want a striker that can also turn up in the big moments, but, as we’ve seen over the years, it’s the games against the smaller sides that can cost Arsenal in key moments.