Viktor Gyokeres scored four times for Sweden over the international break which comes at the perfect time for Arsenal
Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres to score big goals in big moments, and that is exactly what he has done… for Sweden! The 28-year-old scored the winning goal in their World Cup qualifying play-off match with Poland, smashing in after a barrage of attempts had just evaded the back of the net.
The Gunners’ summer signing ran off, tailed by what looked like the entire Swedish side and bench, as the monumental achievement set in amongst those in attendance. The images from the night were just brilliant, with some excellent post-match captures that could be hung in some of the best art galleries in the world, not that my footballing bias is showing here whatsoever!
From an Arsenal point of view, whatever happened over this break for Gyokeres was a win-win. Either Sweden would be eliminated, and the striker would get a full pre-season.
Or, he might get a couple of goals and get a real boost of confidence. The reality is even better, a hat-trick against Ukraine before then scoring the winning goal against Poland.
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Gyokeres has already bagged some huge goals for Arsenal this season. His last in the Premier League, breaking the deadlock against Everton to grab a vital three points.
He scored twice against Tottenham in the North London Derby, scored the winning goal from the spot at Everton, and was critical in the first leg League Cup semi-final against Chelsea. He has six goals in his last eight league games, and now the run-in will demand more.
He has lacked confidence, and even Mikel Arteta pointed to a lack of pre-season for his slower start to life in North London. “We have to put him [Gyokeres] in the best possible condition to explode and fulfil his potential,” he said speaking in December.
“Before the injury, he was in a great place. It took him a while at the beginning because it’s a different league with different demands.
“He had no pre-season, and now he’s starting to get some momentum, but the thing that’s going to unlock him is goals. He needs that for himself, for his confidence, and we’re going to judge his performances based on that as well. That’s logical, but he wants it so badly as well.”
With this recent boost in form, Arteta will be hoping to translate that domestically. The next three games all take place across the remaining three competitions the Gunners are involved in.
An FA Cup quarter-final clash at Southampton before travelling to Lisbon to play Sporting CP in their first leg UEFA Champions League quarter-final. Then, finally, returning to the Emirates at the weekend to host Bournemouth and aim to widen the gap to Manchester City to 12 points before they face Chelsea the following day at Stamford Bridge.
