Swedish Media Unleashes Brutal Attack on Viktor Gyokeres After Shocking International Performance

Arsenal forward Viktor Gyökeres faced harsh criticism from Swedish media following his lackluster display in Sweden's surprising 2-0 loss to Kosovo on Monday night.

With Alexander Isak unavailable as he continues recovering from his summer holdout aimed at securing a transfer to Liverpool, Gyökeres spearheaded the attack for Jon Dahl Tomasson's squad in their second World Cup qualifying match.

Despite contributing to Sweden's second goal in a 2-2 stalemate against Slovenia the previous week to kick off their qualifying campaign, Arsenal's summer signing underwhelmed in Pristina. Gyökeres wasn't completely isolated from play, registering 44 touches including 12 within Kosovo's penalty box, but managed just one shot that tested goalkeeper Arijanet Muric throughout his full 90-minute appearance.

Swedish publication Expressen delivered a harsh critique of the striker's showing, questioning the player's physical readiness. "His lack of peak condition is evident, his first touch is lacking and Gyökeres frequently surrendered possession," wrote Therese Strömberg and Linus Petersson in their joint assessment. "He managed to create a few half-opportunities in the opening period, but that's insufficient. This represented a disappointing display from the attacking talent."

Fotbollskanalen offered a slightly more lenient view. Gyökeres was considered "adequate" during the first 45 minutes but became "non-existent" in the second half.

Gyökeres consistently received praise for his physical attributes during his stint at Sporting CP. His previous coach Ruben Amorim would often jest that he possessed a physique "blessed by God," however there's been a noticeable heaviness affecting his initial outings at Arsenal.

This development isn't surprising. Similar to Isak, Gyökeres boycotted Sporting's pre-season preparations to facilitate his Premier League move, only linking up with Arsenal halfway through their Asian tour.

After an uneven Premier League bow against Manchester United, Mikel Arteta acknowledged: "You can sense particularly in our intense pressing and tempo that we require, that especially in the opening half we were allowing too much space. It's an area we need to develop with him, particularly in that aspect."

The Swedish international has found the net for Arsenal, scoring twice at home against Leeds United, but once more struggled to influence proceedings versus Liverpool, spending more time battling with Ibrahima Konaté.