Troy Deeney has claimed that Sunday’s game between Arsenal and Manchester City is ‘huge’ for one Gunners player.
Arsenal host City at the Emirates in a monumental clash that will likely have significant ramifications on the Premier League title race.
The North Londoners already sit three points behind league leaders Liverpool, and cannot afford to slip much further away from the Merseysiders this early in the season.
That said, Mikel Arteta’s team are in good form, having won four of their opening five matches in all competitions, and will be confident that they can secure all three points against Pep Guardiola’s men on home soil.
Troy Deeney says Manchester City clash is ‘huge’ for Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres for £63 million in the summer.
The Swede has enjoyed a productive start to his career in red and white, netting three times in his first five appearances.
However, Gyokeres has faced criticism for some of his performances, with many feeling he’s been too peripheral in certain games and lacking the technical quality required.
Former Watford striker Deeney has been one of the 27-year-old’s most vocal critics, and the pundit has now piled the pressure on the Arsenal forward to deliver against City on Sunday.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Deeney said Gyokeres ‘has to score’ in the encounter against Guardiola’s side.
“It’s going to feel like I have a vendetta against this fella, but I promise you I don’t actually care one bit about him at all,” he said.
“But, Gyokeres needs to score in a big game. He has to. For where he’s at now, he’s scoring, but he’s scoring in the games you’d expect him to score.
“My belief is that Arsenal brought him in to score in these types of games, to score against Man United, against Liverpool, score against City.
“That’s why I think they brought him in, so I think it’s a huge game for him as well.”
Viktor Gyokeres just needs to contribute against Man City
Gyokeres needs to block out Deeney’s sensationalist comments.
Arsenal signed the player to score goals in general, but also to contribute more holistically to making the Gunners a better team that can compete for major trophies.
Thus far, the Sweden international has scored three goals already, while Arteta’s side have looked as good as ever.
The former Coventry City man is therefore fulfilling his remit as Arsenal’s new number nine, and he’s yet to even hit his best form.
That said, to silence some of these critics, it would be hugely beneficial for Gyokeres to find the back of the net against City on Sunday. This would, in turn, allow him to concentrate on his football rather than worrying about the noise and the narratives.
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