Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has given Mikel Arteta a suggestion as to how to get the best out of new Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres.
Gyokeres arrived from Sporting CP for £63 million earlier this summer, joining the North London club after having scored 97 goals in 102 games in Portugal.
Clearly boasting an impressive goalscoring pedigree, it’s up to Arteta and Arsenal to elicit this quality from him.
Aside from a brace against Leeds in his second match, Gyokeres has struggled in a red and white shirt thus far, finding it difficult to get involved in matches against Liverpool and Manchester United.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says Arsenal need to use Viktor Gyokeres like Mo Salah
While Gyokeres has looked threatening at times with his pace and movement in behind, he’s found it difficult to bully defenders and work his way into games.
Completing just 13 passes in his three appearances thus far, the Swede has been largely peripheral.
Speaking on the Stick to Football Podcast, former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink claimed Arteta has to allow Gyokeres to ‘cheat’ like Mo Salah does for Liverpool.
“I hope for him that Arsenal plays to his strength, that it is not the other way around, that he needs to go and work for them,” he said. “He’s come in to score goals.
“I hope that Arsenal create chances for him to be able to score goals. And of course, in big matches, where you’re not gonna get lots of chances, you need to find a way to make your own chance. But overall, I hope that it is not what Arsenal has been doing in the last two years, you know?”
“I think Arsenal has got a way of everybody needs to defend and everybody, you know, behind the ball, and everybody needs to run back and blah, blah, blah.
“If you look at the successful teams, really, yeah, everybody works hard, but one or two players are allowed to cheat a little bit. They call it cheating in England.
“I don’t call it cheating. Yeah, like for instance, Salah. Salah, exactly.
“Salah is allowed to stay a little bit high. But the moment Liverpool wins the ball, they straight away have got that outlet. I think if Arsenal does something like that with him, I think you will get a lot more goals.”
Arsenal shouldn’t change their system to accommodate Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal have built an excellent team in recent seasons.
The Gunners are resolute defensively, limiting the best teams to very few chances against them on a consistent basis.
Achieving this relies on everyone being attuned to Arteta’s pressing system and defensive structure. He can’t allow Gyokeres not to fit into this.
While Arsenal could learn to play to the striker’s strengths a little more, by trying to release him early and in space, they shouldn’t make wholesale changes to the way they play, just to accommodate the 27-year-old.
| Viktor Gyokeres’ Statistics vs Liverpool | |
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Touches | 17 |
| Shots | 0 |
| Expected Goals | 0 |
| Key Passes | 2 |
| Accurate Passes | 5/7 (71%) |
| Touches in Opposition Box | 2 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 0/3 (0%) |
If anyone in Arteta’s team should be allowed to somewhat duck his defensive responsibilities and remain high up the pitch a little bit more frequently, it should be the Gunners’ talisman, Bukayo Saka.
Saka already puts up impressive numbers whilst fulfilling his defensive duties, but could reach another level with a little bit more freedom.
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