The shooting boots are missing for Viktor Gyokeres as Sweden suffered back-to-back defeats in the FIFA WCQ (Group Stage). The Arsenal striker has last scored against Leeds United in the English Premier League on 23rd August. Since then, the Swedish has even failed to put up a single decent performance. Against Liverpool, Gyokeres had the main job on his hands. But he couldn’t even get past Virgil Van Dijk for a single time in the whole match. Many believed that he would get easy goals during this international break for the FIFA WCQ fixtures. But Viktor Gyokeres has failed to score in Sweden’s two group stage matches.
Is It Already the Start of Downfall for Viktor Gyokeres?
European football is very harsh on footballers always. Just when a player starts having an ‘off-form’, the fans and the media leave no stone unturned in pulling him down. Viktor Gyokeres has arrived at Arsenal at the peak of his career. No one can take away his remarkable stats at Sporting Lisbon. Although he is not a new face in the EPL, Gyokeres needs time to settle down. He has already scored a brace in his second match for the Gunners. His presence has also put an extra amount of pressure on the rival clubs. Under Mikel Arteta’s system, Gyokeres has solid attacking support from other players. The club has put a lot of trust in him this year and surely Gyokeres has to deliver. But it is too early to claim that he is having his downfall. A strong and clinical finisher like him will have a long run in his career. The fans should not judge his commitment in just 3 or 4 matches. Although some football pundits have shared their own perspectives on Arsenal’s decision to go for Viktor Gyokeres. One of them has already stated that Arsenal should have gone for Alexander Isak instead of Viktor Gyokeres.
How Bad was Viktor Gyokeres in this FIFA WCQ Matches?
Sweden had played Slovenia in their first round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers group stage. In the first match, Gyokeres had a decent performance with an assist. But he ultimately failed to put his name on the scoresheet. In the last match also, the striker wasn’t able to net a goal for the Swedish national team. But in this last match, Gyokeres probably had his worst game of the season so far. While he tried to contribute to the first half, Gyokeres barely got to touch the football throughout the last 45 minutes. The criticisms were also pretty raw as a portion of the supporters claimed that Gyokeres was practically ‘invisible’ in this match. But was this match against Kosovo this bad for the footballer? Against Kosovo, Viktor Gyokeres has been given a rating of 7.2, which is pretty decent. The match statistics show that the Swedish international had 44 touches and performed 100% dribbling rate. He has created 2 chances, and he has taken 2 shots on target also. Gyokeres has also come short and tracked back to help the backline multiple times. He even won 4 clear duels. The only thing that he couldn’t do was to score a goal in that match. These numbers clearly show that he wasn’t really ‘invisible’ in this match against Kosovo. It was him who carried his team throughout the 90 minutes. It’s just baseless and made-up hatred towards a player who carries a lot of pressure on his back.
What’s Next for Viktor Gyokeres Now?
The international break of September is finally over, and the respective domestic football leagues will resume from tomorrow. Arsenal will face Nottingham Forest on 13th September. Viktor Gyokeres is expected to start the match for the Gunners.
Stay tuned for more news.
