Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday evening with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a stunning Eberechi Eze strike.
The Gunners took the lead in the tenth minute but struggled to create many more opportunities in the game, relying on their excellent defence once again to keep a clean sheet and come away with all three points. Once again, the attack failed to deliver, with all of Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz unable to help change their fortunes.
But Viktor Gyokeres in particular really struggled, despite coming on as a substitute for the injured Havertz in the first-half, and it’s now abundantly clear that he simply isn’t good enough for what Arsenal want to achieve.
Gyokeres Isn’t Good Enough
It may seem harsh, but the Sweden star isn’t what Arsenal need. Despite being their top scorer in all competitions this season, the striker’s overall play has been far more of a hindrance than a help at times, and that was on show once again against Newcastle.
After coming on for Havertz, Gyokeres managed just two touches in 13 minutes of the remainder of the first half. Then he was anonymous for much of the second half, and late on in the game, he fluffed a fairly simple pass in a 4 vs 1 counter-attack situation that would have put the game to bed, and given the team’s goal difference a much-needed boost.
That type of technical deficiency and lack of impact is often the difference at the highest level, and considering how close Arsenal were to winning all four trophies this season, it leaves you wondering what could have been.
The Gunners are now on the verge of ending up with nothing. They lost the Carabao Cup final, they were eliminated from the FA Cup by Southampton, and they have thrown away a nine-point lead in the Premier League title race and now must rely on Man City to fluff their lines to win it. With a striker better than Gyokeres, that likely isn’t the case.
Arsenal Must Go All-Out for Alvarez
Ironically, Arsenal’s last chance of a trophy may be the Champions League, where they will face off against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals in the coming weeks.
Atleti are led in attack by Julian Alvarez, a striker with 48 goals and 17 assists in 104 appearances for the club, and has been dubbed ‘world-class’ for his overall performances over the years.
Arsenal have shown an interest in recent years, and reports suggest they even tabled a mega £105m bid for him previously. While that got rejected, it’s clear that they need him now more than ever, and if they want to get rid of the bottlejob tag they have developed, then this is a deal they must go all-out on.
He would be the perfect fit for Arteta’s team, he knows the Premier League already, and is a proven winner. Alvarez is the difference between winning trophies and being perennial bridesmaids yet again, so Arsenal must do everything to make it happen and upgrade on Gyokeres.