Viktor Gyokeres has certainly had his critics during his time at Arsenal, but there was one key moment in the Gunners’ win over Bournemouth which highlighted his importance.
That moment came during Declan Rice’s first goal when the Swede managed to attract five Bournemouth defenders, giving Martin Odegaard the space to set up the midfielder.
Fill in the blank: Arsenal are a ___________________ team when Viktor Gyokeres starts…
Is the Swede making Mikel Arteta's team better or worse?
Inevitably, Gyokeres will draw plenty of criticism when he fails to find the back of the net, but his presence alone up top is still of great benefit to his teammates.
It’s no surprise that after the match, Rice was quick to defend Gyokeres, calling him ‘one of the best strikers in the world’ and claiming the team wouldn’t be top without him.
Viktor Gyokeres is actually making other Arsenal players better
Regardless of his goal situation, right now, Viktor Gyokeres is actually making his Arsenal teammates so much better.
Up until Arsenal’s second goal, the team had been struggling to find a way past a regimented Bournemouth back line.
But that was until everything just seemed to open up for Rice, who had time to pick out the corner and smash his effort past Djordje Petrovic.
Speaking about his first goal, Rice hailed Gyokeres’ involvement by saying: “For the second goal, he holds two of them off really, really well, sets Martin, who then sets me. It was such a pivotal moment in the game because it turned the game on its head.”
Agree or disagree: Declan Rice’s first goal doesn’t happen without Viktor Gyokeres…
The 26-year-old is spot on. Currently, Premier League defenders are so focused on stopping Gyokeres that it’s distracting them from the Gunners’ other talents.
There’s no way Odegaard and Rice would have had such ample time to combine to put the team ahead without Gyokeres being tracked by five Bournemouth players.
Andrea Berta brought Gyokeres to Arsenal to score goals, but if his presence leading the line is helping others to score, then supporters must accept this is his new role in the team.
Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz or Mikel Merino may well outscore the Swede, but right now, Arsenal’s number 14 is causing havoc in opposition teams’ back lines.
Arsenal’s record when Viktor Gyokeres starts is so impressive
Gyokeres has made a total of 15 starts in the Premier League this season, and during that run of games, the Gunners have taken 40 points.
Arteta’s team have dropped just five points when he has led the line from the off in the league, showing that he is far from being an issue at the moment.
Gyokeres has a big job to do at Arsenal this season, and whilst it might not involve scoring goals just yet, his importance could still fire the team to the title.
His teammates appear to love him, so now the supporters should also be getting on his side following recent criticism.
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