Man in the Mask Gyökeres Quiets Jibes to Leave an Impression at the Gunners

If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that every Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the juncture his luck changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Within moments and to the excitement of the home faithful, his face-covering routine borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in elite soccer, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to stand out as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. 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 skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

Yet having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him 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 only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.