Masked Man Gyökeres Stifles Criticism to Make His Mark at the Gunners

If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that all Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then possibly they will recall this night as the moment his fortune shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they mean business this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the opening goal would never come. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.