Masked Man Gyökeres Stifles Criticism to Stamp His Authority at Arsenal

Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the striker that all Arsenal fans have been praying for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the juncture his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Within moments and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Early Challenges

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in attack, even if the openings have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

However having attracted criticism that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have felt like the first score would not arrive. 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. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.