THERE is never a bad time for a striker to score, but Viktor Gyokeres’ relief was obvious as he ended a barren run with two goals in Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid. It can be the start of a prolific spell, manager Mikel Arteta believes.
After three goals in his first four matches, £64m signing Gyokeres failed to find the net in Arsenal’s next seven games and looked visibly frustrated at times.
But his team-mates continued to praise his overall impact and Arteta said he gave the striker a hug after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham on Saturday in appreciation for the effort he was putting in.
The 27-year-old has had to play more than was planned at this stage of the season because of a knee injury to Kai Havertz, featuring for 90 minutes seven times in Arsenal’s opening 12 matches.
But after finding his clinical touch again in the thumping win over Atletico on Tuesday, Gyokeres’ tally now stands at five goals in 12 matches and his manager thinks the strikes were reward for his persistence.
“He deserved it because everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he was helping the team in many areas, apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks, there was no debate about that,” said Arteta.
“It was about keeping that belief in himself, that emotional state that he can enjoy and play freely.
“I think he has certainly done that today, [he had] a big smile on his face.
“Look at his team-mates as well, in the picture and the video, they are all so happy for him because he fully deserves it.”
Gyokeres was pushed forward by his team-mates to take the adulation of the crowd and perform his trademark celebration on his own in a show of togetherness from the Arsenal squad.
Arteta said the gesture demonstrated the appreciation other players have for how Gyokeres has improved Arsenal.
“All of us [appreciate Gyokeres] because he makes us a much better team. I think we’ve become much more unpredictable,” Arteta said.
“He’s so physical, opens the spaces for everyone. The way he presses the ball, holds the ball, it’s just phenomenal.
“And then the icing on the cake and the biggest thing that we’re going to debate about him is goals.
“He’s scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals.”
The 27-year-old scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting in his two seasons at the Portuguese club and was not used to significant runs of games without adding to his tally.
Of his performance, Gyokeres told Uefa: “I am very pleased of course. Both [my] goals were great.
“I try to do my best all the time and work hard, contribute with different stuff and the goals would come sooner or later.
“We want to do well, we want to win football matches but there’s a long journey to go. We will take it game by game, even if that sounds boring.”
Victory over Atletico continues Arsenal’s excellent start to the season – the Gunners have won their three matches in the league phase of the Champions League without conceding a goal.
They have won 10 of their 12 matches in all competitions this season, top the Premier League by three points, and have conceded only three goals in those games, which is the fewest at this stage of the season in the club’s 138-year history.
They next face Crystal Palace on Sunday.