Arteta Defends Gyökeres After Draw with Manchester City
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta came to the defense of Viktor Gyökeres after the striker failed to score in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City. Gyökeres, a £55 million signing, has struggled to shine in matches against top-table rivals.
In Sunday’s match, Gyökeres had a discreet performance, with only 22 touches. This situation was repeated after failing to score in the 1-0 victory against Manchester United and in the defeat by the same score against Liverpool.
Arteta highlighted that the striker was close to scoring on several occasions and that the team must strive to generate more opportunities for him.
There were many situations where the opportunities were there and the final pass was missing.
Mikel Arteta
Arteta’s statements came after Gyökeres’ performance was questioned, suggesting he might not be an elite player.Viktor Gyökeres has scored three goals in five Premier League matches with Arsenal, but none against top-6 rivals.After the match, it was pointed out that Arsenal’s problems might be more related to playmaking than to Gyökeres’ finishing.
In the midweek match against Athletic Bilbao, Gyökeres also failed to score, while Gabriel Martinelli, who came on as a substitute, scored a goal.
Martinelli had a significant impact by scoring a goal in stoppage time against Manchester City, after Erling Haaland opened the scoring.
Arteta praised Martinelli’s mentality and highlighted his good form, adding that he expects consistency in the performance of all players, both starters and substitutes.
Martinelli could start in the Carabao Cup third-round match against Port Vale, while Noni Madueke could miss the match after being substituted at halftime against Manchester City.
Arteta revealed that Madueke suffered a physical problem at the beginning of the match and could not continue.
