McManaman claims he 'feels sorry' for Gyokeres and Havertz at Arsenal
Steve McManaman has said he “feels sorry” for Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz, suggesting the Arsenal forwards often take “blame” that should probably be directed at Mikel Arteta's tactical approach instead.
Gyokeres scored and set up a goal in Arsenal's win over Slavia Prague in midweek, but was left isolated for large spells of the second half, a pattern that has followed him for much of the season. Speaking on the performance, McManaman broke down why the Swedish striker struggles when Arsenal lose their shape.
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“I liked him in the first half. I think in the second half, when Arsenal became a little bit dishevelled, they weren't as close to him so I think it's hard,” McManaman said. “When they are playing well, he is up there on his own. In the first half, they were very compact, they were very close to him, they were getting around the sides, they were making chances, so he looked dangerous. In the second half, when it got really stretched and they were wide and he was up on his own, he looked as if he was just left alone a lot. I think when Arsenal play as more of a unit, attacking and defending together, I think he looks better.”
'They're not an entertaining team'
McManaman went further, arguing that Arsenal's defensive setup under Arteta makes life difficult for whoever leads the line, whether that is Gyokeres or Havertz.
“I do feel sorry for Arsenal forwards sometimes because they're not an entertaining team, they're not like a Barcelona. They defend very deep, they defend as a whole and it's a long way to get to the other end of the pitch to score goals,” he said. “They're never going to be this entertaining, lovely, free flowing side scoring goal after goal after goal, and then Gyokeres and Havertz sometimes get the blame because of that. It's normally the midfielders and the defenders that we talk about. But as I said, Gyokeres had a great first half, he did his best in the second half and he deserves what he got because he got an assist and he got a goal.”
Why Arteta 'reverts to Havertz'
Asked whether Arteta might now trust Gyokeres with more minutes in the biggest matches, McManaman pointed to a pattern he believes is clear.
“Whenever a big game comes around, Arteta reverts to Havertz doesn't he? People keep saying that Havertz scores goals in the big games and he certainly did that against Liverpool so you can't really contest that. But I just think he trusts Havertz a little bit more. That's all it is. Gyokeres played against Slavia Prague and he did exactly what he needed to do. He had an impact on the game, he had a huge impact on the game and we'll wait and see for Saturday. But I always think that when big games come around, if it was a final or Arsenal or Manchester City, if both Gyokeres and Havertz are fit, then Arteta would always revert back to Havertz.”
The comments, made to Football365, add to the ongoing debate over how Arteta rotates his two senior strikers, with Saturday's fixture likely to offer another test of that selection dilemma.
