🔗 Share this article

Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that every Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the point his luck changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the offseason, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Within moments and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Early Challenges

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to make it in his chosen profession. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in offense, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he charged around like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned at this standard 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 likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Yet having attracted criticism that he was out of shape 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 yellow card when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the first score would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.