Micah Richards still has one question he needs Viktor Gyokeres to answer at Arsenal

Add as preferred source on Google

Viktor Gyokeres is finding his feet at Arsenal, and now, Micah Richards has given the striker a pointer on where improvement is needed.

Gyokeres really impressed Arsenal fans against Burnley as he netted his fourth Premier League goal, his sixth for the Gunners in all competitions.

Having scored 97 goals in the previous two seasons, the Swede would prefer to see his goal tally reading higher, but the main thing is that he’s connecting well with the Arsenal squad.

The goals will certainly come for Gyokeres, who has scored three times in his previous three appearances for Arsenal, but Micah Richards wants more.

• READ MORE: Lee Dixon reveals what Alan Smith privately told him about Viktor Gyokeres

Micah Richards wants Viktor Gyokeres to be more influential in big games

Richards thinks Gyokeres will score 21 Premier League goals this season, making it clear that the pundit rates Arsenal’s summer signing very highly. 

That being said, Richards, like many fans, wants to see more from the £63m striker in bigger games.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards pondered whether Gyokeres can be Arsenal’s difference-maker against tougher opposition.

“The question is going to be, Gyokeres, can he make the difference in the bigger games?” Richards asked.

“Because right now, he’s doing so well for the team in terms of stretching, but he’s missing a lot of opportunities that maybe could go against him at the end of the season.”

Richards emphasised the importance of Gyokeres finding his shooting boots in big games in time for the run-in of the Premier League title race and the Champions League knock-out stages.

“I know they’ve got Kai Havertz to come back, but Gyokeres needs to be the difference against the bigger teams,” he said.

“The later stages of the Champions League, and when it gets really difficult in a league, you’re playing three times a week. If you have a Real Madrid in one week, you have a Man City, or whatever it may be, that needs to be the difference.”

Gyokeres has only scored in one of Arsenal’s ‘bigger games’ this season, netting two against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The forward’s other goals have come against newly-promoted Burnley and Leeds United, as well as struggling Nottingham Forest, but that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of turning the trend around.

The myth about Gyokeres misfiring in big games 

After the Swede signed for Arsenal, there was concern about Gyokeres’ scoring record against the bigger teams in Portugal.

Though the striker only managed to score three times against teams in the top half of the Portuguese League last season, his overall record in big games for Sporting CP was undeniable.

Gyokeres faced Porto and Benfica a total of 15 times when he was at Sporting and recorded 16 goal contributions, scoring nine times and assisting seven.

Added to that was Gyokeres’ record in the Champions League at Sporting, where he scored six goals in eight appearances, including a hat-trick against Manchester City.

All the evidence is there to prove that Arsenal’s summer signing can step up when needed, but, of course, the Gunners will want to see it in action a lot more.