🔗 Share this article

In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the point his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the home faithful, his face-covering routine inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to thrive in his vocation. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has provided additional depth in attack, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have felt like the breakthrough would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.