Viktor Gyökeres’s struggles in his Arsenal debut were a result of a broader issue plaguing the entire team, manager Mikel Arteta has argued.
While Arsenal secured a 1–0 win over Manchester United in their Premier League opener, the Gunners were well below par and needed plenty of good fortune to seal all three points. Arteta’s side managed just 39% possession and took nine shots, compared to United’s 22.
As for Gyökeres, who was making his first competitive appearance since his €73.5 million (£63.5 million, $86 million) move from Sporting CP during the summer, the Swede failed to take a single shot or create a chance for his teammates, while he only managed four successful passes during his 60 minutes on the pitch.
Arteta insisted he has no concerns over Gyökeres after the game, claiming Arsenal’s slow play in midfield gave him nothing to work with in attack.
“I think there are seven, eight situations when the ball is completely open to play through and we are in and attacking the keeper, and we give the ball away and then it becomes a basketball game,” Arteta explained after the game.
“[Gyökeres] did a lot of things very good. You can tell especially in our high press and rhythm that we demand, that especially in the first half we were giving a bit too much time. It is something that we have to work on him, especially there.
“Then in the final action situation, he did not have that many chances to do that, because in the previous action, we had to play that last ball and the last was standing still with 40 metres to play.
“We did not manage to put the ball through to exploit his quality. But overall, coming away to Man Utd, winning your first game with Arsenal, is a good start.”
Arteta will expect more of his side in their next game, a visit from promoted side Leeds United on Saturday, when Gyökeres will hope to officially open his account for Arsenal following on from his pre-season header against Athletic Club.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Have to Work’—Mikel Arteta Gives Verdict on Viktor Gyokeres’s Underwhelming Arsenal Debut.