Portuguese news outlet A Bola have delivered Viktor Gyokeres a reality check after his underwhelming Premier League debut for Arsenal.
The man born in Stockholm completed just four passes in 60 minutes during the Premier League clash at Old Trafford on Sunday, which Arsenal managed to win 1-0 thanks to a goal from Riccardo Calafiori.
Arsenal’s new No.14 also failed to have a shot, causing some doubts to arise over whether the Sweden international can handle English football.
A Bola have now told Viktor Gyokeres what he can no longer do at Arsenal after witnessing his difficult debut.
The Swede was a real livewire in Portuguese football, scoring 97 goals in 102 games as he made a name for himself running down the channels and bouncing off defenders.
However, Francisco Vaz de Miranda of A Bola believes physical prowess “will not be enough” for Gyokeres in England, as “virtually every defender in the Premier League is incomparable” to those in Portugal.
Miranda wrote: “The Sporting hero’s official debut at Arsenal lasted just an hour and was forgettable. The physical prowess that made him something of a freak in Portugal won’t be enough for him in England.
“In the Portuguese league, Gyokeres’ physical superiority was absurd, and of course, he took advantage of that. A bit like what happened in the recent past with Hulk at FC Porto or Darwin at Benfica… but in England, that’s not enough, because the athleticism and physical ability of virtually every defender in the Premier League is incomparable to the Portuguese reality.”
Miranda also felt Mikel Arteta did not set his side up to help the Swede against Manchester United.
He continued: “Gyokeres disappointed, still appearing completely out of place in a team with very different playing principles than his Sporting counterpart, where the collective played almost exclusively for him.
“This is not unrelated to the fact that the forward spent over a month without training and, as a result, appeared to be lacking rhythm and heavy.”
Sporting CP expert Sam Fonseca said likewise about Gyokeres – claiming that Arsenal’s tactics did not seem to suit the £64m at all, and patience will be needed.
Swedish news outlet Sportbladet claim that Arteta has made Gyokeres the new penalty taker at Arsenal, replacing Bukayo Saka.
That could go down as an unpopular decision with the England international.
However, it could also help get the ball rolling for Gyokeres and alleviate some of the pressure on his shoulders, if he can break his duck with a penalty in the coming games.
The 27-year-old has bagged 32 penalties throughout his career, so he should have no issues stepping up from 12 yards.
