Gyokeres delivers best display yet as Arsenal thrash Slavia Prague
Viktor Gyokeres has spent much of the season fighting for his place in Arsenal's starting XI, often cutting a frustrated figure when handed his chance. In Prague on Wednesday night, that finally changed.
According to the Evening Standard, Gyokeres produced what was described as one of his best all round displays, and certainly his best 45 minutes, in an Arsenal shirt during the win over Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
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The competition for Arsenal's number nine shirt had resembled, in the Standard's words, 'a pillow fight in recent weeks'. Kai Havertz had been well off his best since the international break, while Gyokeres had struggled to make an impression when given his opportunities. Both started in the Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood, and regardless of the fact that Gyokeres scored that night, both could have had no complaints if spells on the bench had followed.
A performance that finally clicked
There had been glimpses of form before Prague. Gyokeres assisted Declan Rice's late equaliser against Bayern Munich last month with a clever flick. But against Slavia, everything came together. From the opening minutes he was holding the ball up, linking attacks, and playing with a delicate subtlety that has often been missing from his Arsenal career.
He assisted Noni Madueke's opener with a clever ball in behind, and his confidence only grew from there. There were deft touches to combine with Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino, including a flicked half volley to Hincapie from a David Raya pass. Gyokeres then got himself on the scoresheet, laying the ball off to Merino before peeling into space and curling a sensational finish in off the far post with minimal backlift.
By half time, Gyokeres had racked up 19 touches, more than he has often managed across full matches this season. His teammates' trust in him visibly grew too, with Eze seeking him out for intricate one twos and backheels into space.
Context and caveats
Slavia Prague were poor opponents, and Arsenal bullied them with physicality and directness their hosts could not live with. Madueke and Eze ran their full backs ragged, exploiting space that Gyokeres had not always been afforded in tougher fixtures.
The performance was not flawless. A couple of passes through to Madueke were rushed when more composure would have put Arsenal clean through on goal, and Gyokeres faded after the break, though that reflected Arsenal's overall standards dropping rather than any fault of the striker's. Mikel Arteta is likely to be far happier with the first half showing than the complacency that followed it as a team.
Arteta's thinking in the biggest games has generally leaned towards Havertz this season. If Gyokeres can replicate this level of performance consistently, that calculation may start to look very different.
