Viktor Gyokeres: Page 73 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Viktor Gyokeres

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Exactly this. As a striker in this system you don't know when the cross is coming in. When you've made the same run for the 999th time and you don't get service you're naturally going to be dePavlov'd. And getting on the end of crosses was never his main thing in the first place if we are honest.

Burnwinter

It's not long ago we were talking about Nketiah as a capable backup. Gyökeres is not playing well, but then we have other forwards who aren't doing well. It's now a question of both backing our diverse options and being ruthless with them over the coming couple of seasons. I'd like to see more of Madueke, he's got the tools and athleticism to reach the top in this league.

Coombs

This thread is cuckoo bananas. Multiply it by the Jesus thread and we'd know the identity of the second gunman.

tazmania

He was fucking shit yesterday, like everyone else.
I will still give him time. That one shot he created on the half turn with his left gave me hope he'll get back to where he was before the injury. He was so much worse in his first few games than he was in the last 2 games (which isn't saying much)

Ray

The one thing I would say about Gyokeres is he occupies the defenders of the opposition, meaning the wingers get more time on the ball and can go 1v1 more. It’s great for Saka/Noni/Marty but it also means they need to be scoring more to make up for it.

Phil

One of the real issues from Gyokores and others not firing yet is that we haven't been able to get a few goals up by 45-60 mins against other teams that much, so that the team can rest and take it easy. We're running out games a bit too often on tight margins, forcing us to avoid substituting the key players off. I'm sure this is contributing to our injuries.

Burnwinter

Phil We're running out games a bit too often on tight margins, forcing us to avoid substituting the key players off. I'm sure this is contributing to our injuries.

Yep, this was the story last season as well. This season we've got tons more depth but we're still chewing through that depth like cannon fodder. God knows what the thinking was with White over the past ten days or so.

RocktheCasbah

awooga83 I think unfortunately it's probably the majority of games in the sample. I don't think he's a good footballer personally his touch is pretty poor and he's not technically got much skill.

I happened to catch this video of Wrighty talking about some of his best goals, and his career generally, yesterday afternoon. Listening to him talk about the importance of clean touches a day after watching the ball bouncing off Gyokeres every time it went to him really struck a chord with me. If Gyokeres can't improve his touch, he's not going to be long for this team.

Don Pacifico

RocktheCasbah Wrighty was also incredibly inventive and intuitive in his finishing. Not that you were suggesting this but Gyokeres is not in the same calibre of strikers. He's a guy who relies on his physical attributes, which don't look anything special so far in the PL.

Qwiss

He needs to get off the centre halfs back and play in space a little more. That's the main area where he can improve for me. Watching him live you see just how much time he spends shoving the CB and pushing up on him. On Saturday there was one instance where he was stood on top of Agbadou just giving him little pushes over and over until the ball came in, when it did Agbadou pushed him and won the ball. All that effort for nothing. Its probably why he doesn't get calls from refs too, he's seen as the instigator.

That said I think he was decent before his injury and a lot of this now is a combination of people from before who had been sharpening their knives and just a bit of overreaction in general. He doesn't look 100% to me. He looks nowhere near where he was right before the injury as he seemed to be clicking. Also think we started the season playing to his strengths more and now with all the injuries we've settled back into our old patterns as a bit of a comfort blanket.

Mirth

Qwiss That said I think he was decent before his injury and a lot of this now is a combination of people from before who had been sharpening their knives and just a bit of overreaction in general. He doesn't look 100% to me. He looks nowhere near where he was right before the injury as he seemed to be clicking

He looked good against Burnley but ultimately his league goals this season have come against Leeds, Burnley and Ange's Nottingham Forest. I haven't seen anything to suggest he's going to get 20+ goals this season and that's concerning.

RocktheCasbah

Don Pacifico yeah, I mean for me that flair was so self evident, but also something you probably can't teach. And I don't see the point in bashing Vik over the head for lacking Wrighty's inventiveness (not that that's what you're doing, obvs).

On the other hand, Wrighty's point about his touches - I do think that is something technical which can be worked, and therefore improved, upon.

I have also heard Wrighty talking about the importance of making those near post runs (or heard Eddie Nketiah talking about Wrighty talking about it) and in the last 2 games, we've seen great balls to the near post that Gyokeres has been nowhere near.

Don Pacifico

RocktheCasbah maybe. I'd say that at 27, it's a bit late in the day to be learning something so fundamental to his craft but his overall hold-up play did seem to marginally improve before his injury.

As you say, we can't lambast him for skills he didn't have when we signed him. I'm in two minds as to whether we should be criticising our recruitment but the reality was we needed to sign a warm body and Gyokeres has filled that criteria given the scarcity of options in the market. Just difficult to feel too enthused about what he brings to the table.

daredevil

Mirth

He's a dinosaur in this era of football. Nobody plays football with a run-in-behind 9 in their ranks. All the top teams play a shorter passing game to one degree or another, so the striker is expected to come short and combine. He would do much better for a team playing on the break - but even teams down the league want someone who can do more than always making runs towards goal.

Haaland suffers the exact same pitfalls as he does - minimal touches, minimal chances created for him but he's so efficient, that he scores the one or two chances that are created for him and makes it work. I read a lot of Blue Moon and City fans complain about the same thing - that the team doesn't play to his strengths. Football has moved on from this type of player.

He can still come good but he has to switch it up. He can't constantly be pressing into the CB's - he has shown that he can come short and combine. He's got to start doing more of that.

RocktheCasbah

Don Pacifico maybe. I'd say that at 27, it's a bit late in the day to be learning something so fundamental to his craft but his overall hold-up play did seem to marginally improve before his injury.

I guess I'm a bit more sympathetic to the idea that playing with, and against, quality players in training will ultimately improve you. But only a bit. 😉

I don't feel massively optimistic about his chances in the here and now.

Mirth

Gyokeres, meanwhile, had only one shot against Wolves. It came in those 11 minutes after Arsenal had scored, as the game opened up when Wolves went in search of an equaliser, and Gyokeres finally had space to run into.

He has taken more than three shots once in a league match this season — against Newcastle United — and he averages 1.89 shots per 90 minutes. Last season, for Sporting, he averaged 4.08; the season before the figure was 3.37.

Some may argue that this is a symptom of being the centre forward for Arsenal, who play against deep blocks. Yet when looking at Arsenal’s centre-forward options, none of whom is a “natural” No9, all manage more shots per 90 minutes for Arsenal (not just when they play up front): Kai Havertz (2.4), Gabriel Jesus (3.29), Leandro Trossard (2.57) and Mikel Merino (1.95). Gyokeres’s goalscoring rate puts him in the 37th percentile of strikers in the league, while his xG rate puts him in the 52nd percentile.

Qwiss

Mirth when are the shots per 90 stats from? Is it ever?

daredevil

Mirth

Merino, Havertz and Jesus all move around the pitch, come short, go wide, drop deep, move all over the fucking pitch to get involved, get touches of the ball and generate shots and chances for themselves. Gyokeres stays stuck on the last line for pretty much the entire match, that is his playing style, but that's why I never got why people were so obsessed with a box striker - they offer so little.

Gyokeres needs to change how he plays but I suspect it's too late in his career for that.

HomeSteak

I saw this online and wanted to make you guys sad as well. As this might be the saddest pic out there

I will let Merino in there even if he is the one that did ok to be fair to him and it is a little harsh.
We paid a minimum of 240 mil euros for them, plus some add-ones that we don't know yet if we will pay out, like I saw Goykeres has one that we pay 500.000 euros every 20 goals he scores for us, but that money is safe.
240 mil euros and 1.110.000 euros PER WEEK in wages. That is insane.
46 games as starters since 2024 for 18 goals. Haaland has 17 goals in 16 games this season. In his last 46 starts Haaland has 40 goals lol.
In fact, I'm willing to bet money that the 4 of them don't get together to the 17 goals Haaland has this season.
Now don't get me wrong, I know there is nobody like Haaland, and even if there would be, we would not be getting him...so I'm not saying go do that. But still, what we have done in that striker position is criminal. Insane amount of fees and I have no words for the wages we pay for that.....

I hope Berta takes charge and tries to fix this shit, I don't even know where we go from here. And also, jury is still out on Goykeres but it's not looking good, so it might just be a bad start from Berta as well, when it comes to strikers.

Tam

HomeSteak We paid a minimum of 240 mil euros for them

The worst bit about it for me is that around half of what we paid is in two midfielders who have found themselves as makeshift forwards through luck, happenstance and poor planning. To compound that, they’re the most productive of the four.

Sicario2

HomeSteak I’m no Havertz fan but why did this start at august 2024 when Havertz has missed a year and so has Jesus. Also, half the games Merino played were as a midfielder and Gyo sample size is way too small. Do it from Jan 2024 and at least give Havertz his last 5 months of 2023/2024 and it looks a lot better.

HomeSteak

Sicario2 you are right, it's Sky that's why lol.
So I did, based on transfermarkt as a striker since jan 2024 we add up 17 starts with 7 goals and 6 assists more for Havertz.
So it takes Havertz to 36 games and 14 goals and 9 assists, better but still not great.

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