Gyokeres mentor urges Arteta to try two striker formation
Viktor Gyokeres’ boyhood mentor believes Mikel Arteta should tear up Arsenal’s usual blueprint and play two strikers to get the best out of the Swedish forward, arguing his game is built around having a target man alongside him rather than leading the line alone.
Since taking charge in December 2019, Arteta has generally favoured a lone striker flanked by two wingers, a system that has often left two or three forwards fighting for a single starting spot. Gyokeres arrived from Sporting last year to bolster that frontline but has largely found himself playing understudy to Kai Havertz, managing 21 goals and four assists in 64 appearances across all competitions.
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He did impress in Wednesday night’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, combining well with Declan Rice, who scored a late equaliser, and will hope that performance earns him a starting role against Everton on Saturday.
Limpar’s case for change
Anders Limpar, who mentored Gyokeres during his early years at Brommapojkarna in Sweden and made 116 appearances for Arsenal himself, told Betarades that Gyokeres looks a different player when deployed alongside a second forward for the Swedish national team.
“When I see Viktor playing for Sweden, he is much better because he’s playing with two up front, and he was brought up in the Swedish system, playing with two forwards,” Limpar said. “Playing up front on his own is hard for him because it’s not his game to be a target player. He is good going forward, chasing the ball, and he’s a threat on counterattacks, so he needs a player who is a really good target so he can play off them.”
Limpar suggested the striker’s struggles in build up play could stem from a lack of confidence or rhythm. “At the moment, you can see that he’s struggling a little bit when it comes to receiving the ball, to pass the ball around. It might be nerves, or that he’s not comfortable coming off the bench,” he said.
He was also careful to stress that Gyokeres has conducted himself properly despite his reduced role. “You should never ever go out in the press saying that you want to leave or that you want to play every game. That’s not good for Arteta, that’s not good for him, and that’s not good for the club. I’m pretty sure that all the Arsenal players are squad players.”
Would he start him?
Asked directly whether he wants to see his former pupil in the side, Limpar did not hold back. “If you ask me if I want him to play, then yes, I think he should play as a starter. I think he should be a starter, especially now when Kai has struggled a little bit in the last couple of games, but we have to wait and see who is playing the next game.”
He also pointed to Gyokeres’ standout debut campaign as reason for patience. “He knocked in 21 goals, and everybody wants him to play, of course, but we don’t see these guys in training every day. He could be struggling with a little knock or an injury, or he might be out of form. We don’t know what’s happened behind the curtains. Arteta is playing Kai Havertz at the moment because he thinks Kai Havertz is better for Arsenal at the moment, and Viktor will have to wait for his chance and take it when it comes.”
Arteta will have selection decisions to make before the Everton visit, with Gyokeres’ display against Bayern Munich likely to factor into his thinking regardless of whether a formation change follows.
