If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that every Arsenal fans have been praying for, then possibly they will recall this night as the moment his destiny shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.
After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they mean business this season.
Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the finest displays lay ahead.
“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”
It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.
Goal-shy since the triumph over 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 overcome 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 recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has added a new layer in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.
This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to stand out as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.
Giménez has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.
Yet having drawn comments that he was out of shape 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 fooled into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.
A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the opening goal would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask made his mark. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.
A seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter in the Czech Republic and beyond.
