Arteta Delivers Blunt Assessment After Gyokeres Struggles in Arsenal Bow: "He Must Work Harder"
Mikel Arteta has defended Viktor Gyökeres's disappointing Arsenal debut, suggesting the striker's lackluster performance was symptomatic of wider team problems.
Despite Arsenal claiming a 1-0 victory against Manchester United in their Premier League season opener, the Gunners delivered a subpar display and relied heavily on luck to claim maximum points. Arteta's squad managed only 39% ball possession and registered nine attempts on goal, while United had 22 shots.
Regarding Gyökeres, who was making his competitive bow following his €73.5 million (£63.5 million, $86 million) summer transfer from Sporting CP, the Swedish forward failed to register a single shot or set up any opportunities for his colleagues, managing only four completed passes in his 60-minute appearance.
Arteta expressed no worries about Gyökeres following the match, attributing Arsenal's sluggish midfield play as the reason the striker had limited attacking opportunities.
"I believe there were seven or eight moments when the ball was completely available to play forward and we could have been in attacking the goalkeeper, but we lost possession and it turned into a chaotic game," Arteta said post-match.
"[Gyökeres] executed many aspects very well. You can notice particularly in our high pressing and tempo that we require, especially during the opening period we were allowing too much space. This is an area we need to develop with him.
"Regarding the final attacking moments, he didn't receive many opportunities to showcase that, because in the preceding play, we needed to deliver that crucial pass while the last player was stationary with 40 meters of space available.
"We failed to thread the ball through to utilize his abilities. However, overall, securing an away victory at Man United in your opening Arsenal match represents a positive beginning."
Arteta will demand improvement from his team in their upcoming fixture, hosting newly-promoted Leeds United on Saturday, when Gyökeres will aim to score his first competitive Arsenal goal after netting in pre-season against Athletic Club.