Arsenal staff are wary of Viktor Gyokeres’ lack of strength in duels, and against Chelsea, the striker’s struggles were evident once again.
After Gyokeres starred in the North London Derby, there were questions about whether the Swede could replicate that performance level going forward.
Against Chelsea, he was unable to, as despite looking busy, the striker had no impact in the final third, mostly caused by his inability to outmuscle his marker.
It’s a theme that Arsenal staff have noticed about Gyokeres, with the matter of the 27-year-old’s struggles in duels having been discussed behind the scenes.
Gyokeres’ performance against Chelsea only proved that those discussions need to continue.
Viktor Gyokeres’ struggles in duels against Chelsea proved Arsenal’s concern right
Gyokeres was one of the lowest-rated Arsenal players against Chelsea, and when looking at his match statistics, it’s clear to see why.
What did Viktor Gyokeres’ performance against Chelsea tell you about the Arsenal striker?
Completing six passes in 76 minutes is not acceptable, but what was more of a concern was the seven duels he lost.
Gyokeres is really poor in duels, and it’s one reason why the striker has largely struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
Against Chelsea, it became evident how much of a problem it has become to Arsenal’s overall play, as while the Swede offers a robust presence at centre-forward, when the ball is played to him, it’s quickly returned.
Ironically, it’s what Micah Richards mentioned during The Rest Is Football podcast, as he noticed how Arsenal’s attacking sequences were frequently troubled by Gyokeres.
“The ball goes up to Gyokeres, it comes back, and then Trossard finds it hard to get into the game.”
Gyokeres has shown that he can score, albeit not enough, but we have yet to see the 27-year-old convince anyone that he has the means to improve his duel-winning rate.
How much closer would Viktor Gyokeres get to Erling Haaland if he became better at winning duels?
The timing of this is frustrating, as after his instrumental performance against Spurs, his display against Chelsea only saw concerns resurface about his use in this specific squad.
The best strikers in the Premier League can hold themselves in duels, so the positive is that the answers are there for Gyokeres to improve.
Whether he can has yet to be determined, as his seven duel losses against Chelsea only sounded alarm bells again.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
